Vegetable Gardening
There seem to be 2 groups of gardeners out there. Those folks who just like to grow things, just for the sheer enjoyment of being in the soil and nurturing the plants along for the summer. And those folks who cook with, preserve, and give away the food produced by their gardens - enjoying the culinary side of vegetable gardening.
But, no matter which group you're
more a part of there's no denying that vegetable gardening is a fun activity
and very productive in more ways than one. There's tons of information on
veggie gardening out there, but we hope to bring you some useful information
here at Home Garden Journal.
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kids in the garden for some people, having children in the garden is a horrifying thought. Young children will step on (or sit on), seedlings. They will plant seeds too deeply or not deep enough, drown the results; then quickly become bored, and finally get stung by a wasp or bee. Why then, involve kids in gardening? Because including them can teach them, (and you), valuable lessons that will last a lifetime.
Face it: Gardening with children
has its own unique challenges. These situations can be handled by an impatient, grumpy adult who just wants to get the job done, (which isn't fun for anybody),
or by someone who patiently sees beyond the mess to the humor of telling the
tale in their old age.
Children are children. They are
not miniature adults. They will be distracted by a butterfly and follow it
across the garden, stomping on seedlings along the way. Gently remind them
about the seedlings, but allow yourself to enjoy the enchantment in your
child's face. Think about this: In the end, unless your family is on the verge
of starvation, a few dead plants here and there aren't going to make that much
of a difference. Allow for that when you plant your garden and you'll be more
prepared for the eventual mishap.
Another challenge to consider is
attention span. Depending on the child, you may have to introduce them to
gardening in 15-minute increments. As they mature, you can increase the time
they spend in the garden.
If your child gets bad sunburn on
their first day of gardening, they may not look forward to their second day. If
applicable, make sure your child is wearing sunscreen and a hat, even if the
weather doesn't seem too hot. In addition, make sure that if the gardening
session is going to be extended, cold drinks, snacks, and other needed items
are nearby. By being prepared to keep the child comfortable, you can make
gardening a more enjoyable experience, for both of you.
Give Them Their Own Tools
If you are using a shovel or hoe,
your child will likely want to use it too. Make sure they have their own
child-sized tools for digging, weeding, or other jobs. For very young children,
you might want to let them use plastic tools instead of metal ones.
Give Each Child His or Her Own
Space
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If possible, give each child aspace to call their own and let them plant whatever they want. Good plants for
children include greens such as lettuce, spinach, and kale. Radishes sprout
quickly, and children delight in finding the hidden food in the ground. Peas
are a great crop for children, since they sprout quickly, can be harvested by
early summer, and can be eaten directly from the garden. Sugar snap peas are
one of my own son's favorites.
When including children in
gardening tasks, remember that the main goal isn't necessarily getting the job
done as efficiently as possible, but rather to give the child an experience
that they can draw on in their future. If you keep these points in mind,
gardening with children can be a success.
The memories you create by
working outside in a lovely garden will be worth far more than any produce you
get from it. Encouraging a child's sense of wonder in being part of the circle
of life is a life lesson far more important than getting a few home-grown
carrots or potatoes by the end of summer.
Not Sure What's Sprayed on the
Veggies in the Supermarket? Grow You're Own!
Asian-vegetable-marketThe fruits,
berries, and fresh vegetables on display at your local supermarket often come
from large farms that use toxic pesticides, herbicides, and other harmful
chemicals (unless you're buying certified organic). They look beautiful as a
result of using chemicals to keep them abnormally "fresh". And large,
agribusiness veggie processing can travel thousands of miles and go through
many hands, so fresh produce that looks beautiful may actually be contaminated
with dangerous bacteria. Although modern food safety practices are getting
better all the time.
So what's the solution? The only
way to truly know what is, and is not, on or in your food is to grow it
yourself. Growing your own vegetables is not as daunting as it sounds if you
take it one step at a time.
First Step: Planning and Preparing
Once you've decided you'd rather
know where your food came from and how it was handled, you need to decide how
much of your resources you want to dedicate to a garden. Resources include land
(or space for containers), money, work, and time. If you've never had a garden
before, start slowly, with only a few varieties of vegetables. If you begin too
fast and plant too much, you may find that you don't have enough time or energy
to care for what you've planted.
Start by digging up a small plot.
Take a good look at the soil. Is it dry and sandy, or heavy with the orange
tinge of iron compounds? Either way, you will likely want to enrich your garden
by adding compost. This can consist of a mixture of shredded brown leaves,
well-rotted horse manure, grass clippings, and finely chopped vegetable
leftovers from the kitchen.
It can be tempting to skip this
step, since digging can be hard work, and you don't see immediate results.
However, keep in mind that preparing the soil properly before planting is an
investment that can benefit you for years to come.
Second Step: Planting and Care
Once your soil is ready, plant a
few different vegetables according to the directions on the seed packages and
water accordingly. Leaf crops like lettuce, kale, and spinach are easy to care
for and generally sprout within a week or so, giving you a quick return on your
investment. Radishes sprout almost overnight and are a great choice for a
beginning gardener.
Zucchini and other squash
generally thrive in any sunny place, so soil conditions such as pH aren't a
concern. On the other hand, tomatoes usually need staking and are susceptible
to mildew, pests, and other concerns, and generally are more of a challenge for
a beginning gardener. (Although if you love tomatoes; go ahead and try a couple
of plants - even one good tomato for the summer is a great reward, especially
knowing you grew it yourself.)
Third Step: Harvest and Enjoy
This is the reason you started
digging in the first place: the harvest. Enjoy your fresh vegetables, grown by
your own hand. Feel secure in the knowledge that you know exactly what was -
and was not, sprayed on your food. Then start planning for next year.
Wilting Zucchini - Two Possible
Causes
Over the summer so far I've lost
a couple zucchini plants to pest attacks. Not knowing at first what was going
on I did some searching for other gardeners that might have this problem.
Apparently, there are 2 possible
causes for wilting zucchini (and other squash-related plants). One is the
squash vine borer, Melitta cucurbitae, and the other is simply known as the
squash bug, Anasa tristis. Both will cause the wilting and eventual death of the
plant.
Initially, the plants look like
they're seriously lacking water. Your first thought might be to water your
garden extra well. I had even tried putting up a sunshade over a few of my
zucchini plants - an old door suspended on sawhorses. Adding some shade for
the plants in the 99+ degree heat did help a little at first. But, when the
temperatures would drop at night the plants wouldn't rebound, even with a lot
of watering.
Another sure sign you have a sick
plant(s) is that there are other, healthy plants around it. Here you can see my
wilting zucchini right next to healthy, vigorous plants. Something is
definitely wrong:
After seeing that the stems were
rotting I decided to just pull them out. Away from the garden I dissected them
a little more and found the offending bug, a grub of the squash vine borer:
I skewered the grub and put the
whole plant into the trash can. I generally like to compost all the leftover
vegetation from the garden, but I didn't want any leftover eggs to get back
into the garden. Sadly, I decided to landfill this plant material.
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If you can catch and treat your
zucchini quick enough you might be able to save it. Usually, by the time most
people notice the plant is wilting it's too far gone. The treatment for squash
vine borer it to kill the grub, usually by carefully splitting the stem open
lengthwise with a knife, and killing the insect. Dirt can then be mounded up
around the stem to encourage new root growth. I did not try this myself as my
plants were too far gone. But, next summer I'll definitely keep a closer eye on
things and jump into action sooner.
As for squash bugs the U. of
Minnesota advises to handpick the insects off as early as possible. Have a jar
of slightly soapy water next to you to plunk them into. Boards can also be
placed on the ground next to the plants. The bugs will shelter under the boards
at night. Pick up the boards in the early morning and squash them. Then in the
Fall make sure to remove all vegetation from the garden so they don't have a
place to overwinter under.
If you're ok with using chemicals
then Sevin might be an answer for you. Please do thorough research before applying
poisons to the vegetables you and your family are going to eat. Personally, I'd
rather forgo eating zucchini for a year than have any pesticide in my garden.
If you're feeding these veggies to kids I would definitely not use any
pesticide or herbicide in your garden.
Over the summer so far I've lost
a couple zucchini plants to pest attacks. Not knowing at first what was going
on I did some searching for other gardeners that might have this problem.
Apparently, there are 2 possible
causes for wilting zucchini (and other squash-related plants). One is the
squash vine borer, Melitta cucurbitae, and the other is simply known as the
squash bug, Anasa tristis. Both will cause the wilting and eventual death of the
plant.
Initially, the plants look like
they're seriously lacking water. Your first thought might be to water your
garden extra well. I had even tried putting up a sunshade over a few of my
zucchini plants - an old door suspended on sawhorses. Adding some shade for
the plants in the 99+ degree heat did help a little at first. But, when the
temperatures would drop at night the plants wouldn't rebound, even with a lot
of watering.
Another sure sign you have a sick
plant(s) is that there are other, healthy plants around it. Here you can see my
wilting zucchini right next to healthy, vigorous plants. Something is
definitely wrong:
After seeing that the stems were
rotting I decided to just pull them out. Away from the garden I dissected them
a little more and found the offending bug, a grub of the squash vine borer:
I skewered the grub and put the
whole plant into the trash can. I generally like to compost all the leftover
vegetation from the garden, but I didn't want any leftover eggs to get back
into the garden. Sadly, I decided to landfill this plant material.
Container gardening is a perfect
solution for all those people who want to grow vegetables at home but they
either lack the garden space for it or they believe that they don't have the
enough sunlight exposure and soil conditions. Container herb gardens are
actually growing more popular and if you can find a spot on the porch, patio or
even a windowsill that gets a little bit of sunlight then you can easily find
the best vegetables to grow in pots.
Another benefit of organic
vegetable gardens is that even if the sunlight exposure or soil is poor, they
can be changed. The vegetable plots can be moved to different locations and you
can employ various self-irrigation and watering techniques. You can create
container herb gardens for a number of vegetables like beans, lettuce,
radishes, onions, squash, tomatoes, and peppers in addition to many others.
In addition to about 5-6 hours of
sunlight and adequate water, your vegetables will also need some shade so that
they don't dry up. Don't use direct garden soil because it will become compact
in the container and it might have garden weeds as well. Instead, try to use
organic potting soil since it is reported to have more phytochemicals and
antioxidants that give vegetables a better taste. This soil will need to have
organic fertilizer as well (if it does not already have some). You can also use
compost tea or diluted liquid fish emulsion for extra nutrition.
All organic vegetable gardens
need to have a drainage system as well so make sure that the pots you get for
the purpose has a hole in the sides or at the bottom to allow excess water to
get out and not drown the plant. Bigger containers are also better because they
can hold more soil and moisture; anything under 12 inches is small while
something around 18 inches is quite appropriate.
People with container herb
gardens love to keep wooden pots because of their rustic look. In addition,
self-watering containers are growing very popular as well especially for people
who have problems keeping track of the watering schedule. However, some
self-watering pots can be a problem too, especially when it rains a lot because
the plants will get a lot of water and they can get soggy or drown.
Other possible materials for pots
include plastic or glazed ceramic or even terracotta. If you really want
something low-priced, then some of the best vegetables to grow in pots are done
in plastic buckets bought from any hardware store. You can also choose from
seeds or seedlings even though the former will be cheaper but harder to manage
and grow. Nevertheless, organic vegetable gardens can be fruitful and a lot of
fun so don’t be afraid to give it a shot and enjoy homegrown vegetables.
If you can't find a container -
make your own. Hypertufa has become very popular in the last few years as a
material to make a garden pot and containers out of. Hypertufa is a mixture of
cement, perlite, and peat moss (and water) to make a mix that can be molded
into many different shapes. Making hypertufa containers is an art in itself.
Papercrete is similar to the hypertufa idea, only shredded newspaper is used in
place of the perlite and peat moss.
You can make your own
EarthTainers and "earth boxes" out of Rubbermaid-type containers.
Their designs are a little more involved than simply making a large pot, but
you can grow some pretty impressive veggies in these sorts of containers. Here's
the pdf version for making your own EarthTainers.
The Satisfaction of Growing Your
Own.
A trip to the grocery store can leave the average city dweller dreaming, "If only I had a yard large enough for a vegetable garden." The enjoyment that accompanies picking a fresh tomato from a vine or snipping an herb grown by your own two hands is not one reserved only for those with ample yard space, however. Whether you have a patio, balcony, or simply a window ledge, vegetable container gardening can be a reasonable option for those with limited yard space.
vegetable container gardening there is no specific rule when deciding on the best vegetables for
containers. All plants need enough room to grow: some more than others. It may
help to figure out how much space you have before choosing your vegetables.
Once you know what you have to work with, you can decide on something as simple
as a flower pot for a cherry tomato plant, or something like a raised bed
garden for cucumbers which like the room to spread out a bit.
There are also specifically bred
"mini" varieties of vegetables that tend to not only thrive in small
spaces but also look appealing. One example is a cherry tomato plant; fantastic
for container gardening, needing a container about the size of a typical flower
pot.
Anyone who has grown tomatoes at
home knows that the taste is incomparable to those purchased at the grocery
store. It is as if tasting a completely different vegetable. A container with a
tomato cage or some sort of support for growing vines will guaranty a ripe
supply of tomatoes with limited care. Just water daily, if possible, and
provide ample sun.
Do not hassle yourself with what type of containers to use for your plants. They simply need to hold soil and have drainage holes at the bottom, which you can make yourself. The size will matter, so do not plant eggplant seeds in a soda can. Most seed packages come with detailed instructions as to how much room they will need to thrive. You can purchase regular flower pots or use something as simple as a 2-liter soda bottle, cut in half. Do not be afraid to experiment.
If your space is limited to a window sill, container herb gardens can be wonderful if you cook with herbs frequently. Parsley, basil, chives, and thyme are very popular grown in small pots and window boxes. Start looking at your empty containers differently. They may be home to an abundant vegetable crop next season!
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