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
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
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
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
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
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
Vegetables need water to grow quickly, tender, and tasty. Keep the soil evenly moist throughout the growing season—that means not too wet and not too dry. If the soil dries out, vegetables can become bitter-tasting and woody. If the soil is too wet, vegetable roots can become starved for oxygen and plants can die. Water […] More
Water is essential for vegetable growth. Vegetables are mostly water: an ear of corn is 70 percent water, a potato is 80 percent water, and a tomato is 95 percent water. Vegetables will not grow and yield without consistent, even watering. Most vegetable crops require one inch or more of water each week during the […] More
Floating row covers and plant blankets are an easy way to protect crops from chilly nights and light frosts. Row covers, floating row covers, and garden blankets are made from varying weights of synthetic materials and are used to protect plants. Floating row covers are made of lightweight spun poly fabric and are laid loosely […] More
Use natural organic methods to control vegetable garden insect pests. There are tried and true garden insect controls that have been around for thousands of years. “Prevention is better than a cure” is an old adage that is true in the garden as it is in most areas of life. Today these techniques are commonly […] More
Planting vegetables in the right season will greatly enhance your harvest. Most vegetables belong to one of two seasonal groups: cool-season crops and warm-season crops. The planting date for each vegetable depends upon the temperature and the weather that the vegetable can best tolerate. Cool-season vegetables grow best in early spring or in late summer […] More
Events in the natural calendar can be used to guide planting times in the vegetable garden. The study and observation of seasonal events and their correlation to plant, insect, and animal life is called phenology. The study of regular events in the lives of plants, animals, and insects is called phenology (from Greek words meaning […] More
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Stephen Albert