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    Vertical Vegetable Gardening

    Vertical gardening means growing plants on an upright support such as a stake, trellis, cage, net, or fence. Beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, squash, and pumpkins—nearly all vining and rambling crops—can be grown on vertical supports. Some studies say that the yield per square foot for vine crops can be doubled by growing them vertically. Many […] More

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    Dry Vegetable Gardening

    Dry garden corn

    Dry gardening–called dry farming on a grander scale–is a strategy for gardening where rainfall and irrigation water are in short supply. By definition, dry farming is non-irrigated agriculture in a climate where there is 20 inches of rain or less a year. Vegetables require water to germinate, grow, and fruit. Plant cells are made mostly […] More

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    Cool-Season Vegetable Varieties

    Spinach in the garden

    Cool-season vegetables are for planting and growing in late winter, early spring, or in late summer, autumn, and early winter. These crops do best in temperatures between about 40°F and about 70°F (4-21°C). Many can withstand temperatures colder, but few can thrive in temperatures warmer. Make sure that cool-season crops planted in spring have enough […] More

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    How to Grow a Fall Vegetable Garden

    Vegetable garden rows

    You can grow vegetables for harvest in the fall. Plant a fall and winter harvest vegetable garden in mid-to-late summer. Hardy, cool-weather crops are best suited for the fall vegetable garden. Cool-weather vegetables like to get their start in warm soil and come to maturity when days and nights are cool. Cool-weather vegetables include leafy […] More

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    Vegetables and Herbs for Growing in Shade

    Basil in dappled sun1

    Vegetables grown for their leaves and roots are the best choices for shady gardens. Salad greens such as lettuce, spinach, cabbage, and celery can be grown in shaded gardens. Roots crops such as beets, leeks, potatoes, and turnips can be grown in shady gardens. A garden site that receives as few as two hours of […] More

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    How to Make Compost for Your Vegetable Garden

    Wood compost bin

    Compost is one of the best soil additives for a vegetable garden. It is also one of the least expensive. Composting turns garden and kitchen waste materials into a rich, organic amendment. The combination of dead vegetation with air and moisture will result in compost. Composting is a natural decomposition. Composting can take place in […] More

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    How to Make Comfrey Manure Tea

    Comfrey plant1

    Comfrey manure-tea time arrives with the first flowering of tomatoes and peppers. Comfrey tea is made simply by soaking the leaves of the herb comfrey in water for about 20 days. Comfrey tea is rich in nitrogen and potassium; it is a nutritious side-dressing for fruiting vegetables. Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and berries use nitrogen to […] More

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    How to Make Compost Tea

    Compost bin1

    Compost tea is excellent all-purpose plant food. Made from aged compost–organic materials that have finished decomposing, compost tea contains all of the major and minor nutrients plants require. It gives young plants a starter boost and older plants a pick-me-up. Not only that, but compost tea will ward off many common garden diseases and even […] More

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    Vegetable Garden Organic Weed Control

    Thistle1

    A weed is any plant that grows in the garden that you do not want. Weeds steal water and nutrients from vegetable crops reducing yield. Weeds compete with vegetables for sun and provide a refuge for pests and diseases. The best strategy for weed control is to prevent weeds from germinating and eradicate those that […] More

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    Organic Fertilizers and Soil Amendments

    Beans on fence

    Organic fertilizers and organic soil amendments come from natural sources–plants, animals, and rocks. Organic fertilizer is a natural soil amendment that adds plant nutrients to the soil, most often nitrogen, phosphorous, or potassium. (NPK analysis is the concentration of major plant nutrients–nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium (K)–in fertilizer as a percentage of the whole.) […] More