The oyster mushroom gets its name from its cap which, some say, resembles an oyster. The stem of the oyster mushrooms is perhaps more distinct; it unfurls something like one of those old-time paper lady's fans. The oyster mushroom has...

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Vegetable Garden Calendar

One of the most challenging aspects in gardening is to get things started at the proper time. Success in the garden often depends on timing.

Planning the work ahead is important. A simple checklist can be used to make sure that everything is started and carried out at the proper time--starting with preparing the ground and the sowing of seeds.

Here is a month-by-month calendar of operations for the vegetable garden. Use this checklist as a timely reminder of things to be done or as the basis for your own check list. Keep your schedule of garden reminders in a Looseleaf notebook with a section for each month. A Looseleaf notebook will allow you to make changes and add information. You can add to and modify this calendar from year to year, and you can post the calendar for the month in the garden or in the garden shed.

JANUARY

Probably one of the good resolutions made with the New Year is a better garden for the coming season. Psychologists say that the only hope for resolutions is to nail them down at the start with an action--that seems to have more effect in making an actual impression on the brain. So start the good work by sending at once for several of the leading seed catalogues.

• Planting Plan. Make out a list of what you are going to want this year, and then make your Planting Plan.

• Seeds. Order your seed. Order now while the seedsman's stock is full and before the spring rush.

• Manures and compost. If you have a place under cover where you can collect manure and compost for the coming season, do it now, or if the weather allows, add these to your garden now. Soil amendments can often be gotten less expensively at this time of year. If possible, add compost and rock phosphate now to allow for several turnings.

• Frames. Even at this season of the year do not fail to air the frames well on warm days. Practically no water will be needed, but if the soil does dry out sufficiently to need it, apply early on a bright morning.

• Onions. It will not be too early, this month, to sow onions for spring transplanting outside. Try Prizetaker, Ailsa Craig, Mammoth Silver-skin, or Gigantic Gibraltar.

• Lettuce. Sow lettuce for spring crop under glass or in frames.

• Fruit. This is a good month to prune grapes, currants, gooseberries and peach trees, to avoid the rush that will come later.

Continue year on next page and see Related Articles:

Continue reading "Vegetable Garden Calendar" »

Planning Succession Crops

Succession planting will allow you to plant several times throughout the growing season for a continuous supply of fresh vegetables.

To plan succession crops you must know two things:

• The number of weeks of growing season in your garden. The length of the growing season is the number weeks between the last frost in spring and the first frost in autumn. The local cooperative extension office can tell you the length of the growing season in your location or you can ask an experienced gardener at a nearby garden center.

• The number of weeks each crop you wish to grow requires to germinate, grow, and reach harvestable size. The chart below will help you make these calculations. Note the number of weeks a particular crop require in the garden can vary by variety--for example, some varieties of corn require more days to reach harvest than others.

So here is your succession cropping planning formula:

Number of days to harvest for Crop 1 + Number of days to harvest for Crop 2 = Total number of days in the garden. You can add Crop 3 as long as the total continues to be less than the number of days in the growing season.

Continue reading "Planning Succession Crops" »

Succession Planting

Succession planting means growing different crops in the same space one right after the other in the same season, or planting the same crop in different parts of the garden in succession at different times.

For example:

• A row of carrots is planted in early spring: after the carrots are harvested in early summer, the vacated row is re-planted with snap beans for harvest in early fall. The two crops are grown on the same ground.

Or:

• A garden space is divided into three sections: a first sowing of radishes is planted in the first section; in 10 days, the second section is planted with radishes; in another 10 days the third section is planted with radishes. Successive sowings of the same crop are made in different locations at 10-day intervals.

Succession planting allows for a continuous, uninterrupted harvest. Succession planting is sometimes called relay cropping.

Succession planting is different than rotation cropping. Rotation cropping is the practice of not planting the same crop in the same place for at least three successive years. Crop rotation ensures that the same plants or plants from the same family will not deplete the same soil nutrients year after year.

Continue reading "Succession Planting" »

Tomato Seed Saving

Tomato seed from open pollinated varieties can be saved for planting next year. Open pollinated plants are allowed to pollinate each other in the open garden. Because tomatoes are self-pollinating plants (meaning male and female flower parts exist in the same flower), open-pollinated tomatoes are generally predictable and consistent (more below on hybrids and heirlooms). Collect seed from any of these tomatoes for planting again next season.

Open-Pollinated Tomatoes:

• 1884. 78 days. Indeterminate; red beefsteak 16 ounces; excellent old-fashioned flavor; heirloom.

• Abraham Lincoln. 80-90 days. Indeterminate; red globe shape; clusters of up to 9 fruits; meaty, smooth sweet flavor.

• Ace 55. 80 days. Indeterminate; red globe shape to 7 ounces; low acid, tart flavor.

• Aker's West Virginia. 85 days. Indeterminate; red beefsteak to 1 pound; excellent flavor; West Virginia heirloom.

• Amish Paste. 85 days. Indeterminate; red paste to 8 ounces; sweet flavor; Amish heirloom.

• Amana Orange. 90 days. Indeterminate; orange beefsteak to 5 inches in diameter. Mild flavor. From Amana, Iowa.

• Anna Russian. 70 days. Indeterminate; red oxheart to 1 pound; outstanding flavor; heirloom from Russia.

• Arkansas Traveler. 85 days. Indeterminate; pink globe shape; mild flavor, juicy; heat and humidity tolerant; pre-1900.

Continue reading "Tomato Seed Saving" »

Common Mulches for Vegetable Gardens

Here are commonly used organic and inorganic mulches for vegetable gardens (for the benefits of mulching see :

Organic mulches:

• Compost. Decomposed and partially decomposed organic materials. Compost is both a mulch and soil conditioner. A 2- to 3-inch layer of compost will control weeds though not prevent weed growth. Incorporate compost into the soil as an amendment or use it as sheet mulch on top. Also use on over-wintering beds. Use compost as a feeding mulch.

• Lawn clippings. Dry grass clippings are the best choice. A 2-inch layer of dry grass clippings is a good will keep down weeds and conserve soil moisture and can be used directly around vegetables and fruit. Do not use grass clippings from a lawn that has been treated with an herbicide or weed killer; herbicide residue can harm or kill vegetables. Avoid fresh or wet grass clippings which will mat and will likely smell bad as they decompose; they can also heat up the soil as they decompose. Avoid grass clippings that contain crabgrass or grass seed heads. Grass clippings add nitrogen to the soil.

• Leaves and leaf mold. Leaves that have been shredded or partially decomposed (leaf mold) will prevent serious soil compaction, conserve soil moisture, and control annual weeds. Use a 2 to 3 inch layer of leaves or 1½ inches of leaf mold. Leaves are high in carbon and will require a under application of nitrogen to prevent soil nitrogen depletion as they decompose. Leaves that become soggy can form an impenetrable mat; mix leaves with straw or shred them to avoid matting. Do not use walnut leaves; they contain iodine, which is toxic to some vegetable plants. Leaves add nitrogen to the soil. Leaf mold, like compost, is excellent feeding mulch.

Continue reading "Common Mulches for Vegetable Gardens" »

Mulch for Vegetable Gardens: The Benefits

Mulch is any material laid on the surface of the soil. It can be organic, such as compost, shredded leaves, or lawn clipping, or inorganic or synthetic, such as coarse sand, gravel, or plastic.

During the growing season, mulch can slow evaporation, inhibit and control weeds, and regulate soil temperature. In winter, mulch can protect perennial plants and the soil.

Not every mulch is right for every vegetable crop. Warm-weather crops such as peppers and tomatoes will benefit from plastic mulch which can help warm the soil in spring and later protect them from splashing soil. Cool-weather crops such as lettuce and cabbage will benefit from organic mulches which are water permeable and moisture retentive and keep the soil cool.

Benefits of mulching:

• Conserves soil moisture by decreasing water loss through evaporation.

• Improves soil structure by preventing erosion, compaction, and crusting. Soil erosion is decreased as the impact of heavy rainfall is reduced by mulch. Water is allowed to slowly infiltrate the soil; puddling and crusting can occur as the result of heavy rainfall or irrigation. Mulching reduces compaction when the soil is walked on and protects plnt roots and earthworms allowing them to continue their work.

Continue reading "Mulch for Vegetable Gardens: The Benefits" »

Organic Fertilizers and Soil Amendments

Organic fertilizers and organic soil amendments come from natural sources--plants, animals, and rocks. An 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 a fertilizer as a percentage of the whole.) Soil amendments are used to condition or improve the soil. Most, but not all, soil amendments add some nutrients to the soil.

Here is a guide to 35 commonly use organic fertilizers and soil amendments:

Guide to Common Organic Fertilizers and Soil Amendments:

■ Alfalfa Meal

• Description: Organic matter made from alfalfa.

• Benefit: Adds nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium; primarily used to increase organic matter.

• Average NPK analysis: 2-1-2

• Application and amount for adequately fertile soil: Till in 2 to 5 pounds per 100 square feet. Release time is 1 to 4 months.

• Comments: Contains triaconatiol a naturally fatty-acid growth stimulant, also trace elements. May contain seeds. Available at feed stores.

■ Bat Guano

• Description: Bat guano (feces) is harvested from caves and powdered.

• Benefit: Adds nitrogen and phosphorus; stimulates soil microbes.

• Average NPK analysis: 10-3-1 processed for nitrogen; 3-10-1 processed for phosphorus

• Application and amount for adequately fertile soil: Till in 5 pounds per 100 square feet or add 3 teaspoons per gallon of water to make tea.

• Comments: Apply directly to soil or make as a tea for side dressing or foliar spray.

■ Blended Fertilizer

• Description: Blend of organic fertilizers; may include plant animal and mineral components.

• Benefit: Boosts nutrients overall when soil fertility is low.

• Average NPK analysis: Varies widely according to blend.

• Application and amount for adequately fertile soil: Depends upon blend; add to soil or use as a side dressing.

• Comments: Commercial blends are convenient. Mixing your own is less expensive.

■ Blood Meal

• Description: Blood meal is made from dried slaughterhouse waste.

• Benefit: Adds nitrogen.

• Average NPK analysis: 12-0-0

• Application and amount for adequately fertile soil: Where the soil is low in nitrogen, till in 2 to 5 per 100 square feet. Add 1 pound of bloodmeal for soil with adequate nitrogen. Keep bloodmeal a few inches away from plant stems; it can burn plants. Release time is 1 to 4 months.

• Comments: Do not over apply; the excess ammonia can burn plants. Available at garden centers and feed stores.

Continue reading "Organic Fertilizers and Soil Amendments" »

Symptoms of Vegetable Nutrient Deficiencies

When vegetables and other plants lack essential nutrients or elements they will not look themselves; they will look unhealthy and they may even die. The symptom of a nutrient deficiency can range from yellowing and poor growth to flower and fruit failure.

Nutrient deficiency symptoms in plants can be confusing. Many plant nutrient deficiencies share the same or very similar symptoms. Whatismore, symptoms of nutrient deficiency can be similar to symptoms of many plant diseases.

A certain way to know if a plant or crop is suffering from a nutrient deficiency is to have a soil test. Ask the tester to recommend the nutrients and amount necessary to rectify the deficiency.

Here are important mineral plant nutrients, their function, symptoms of deficiency, and fertilizers to help correct deficiencies:

Guide to Plant Nutrients and Deficiencies:

■ Nitrogen (N)

• Function: Necessary for rapid green, leafy growth; part of chlorophyll necessary for photosynthesis; part of protein.

• Sign of deficiency: Lower leaves pale green or bluish then turn yellow (chlorosis); leaves drop, the oldest leaves fall first; leaves are small; stems thin; plant lacks vigor; growth is spindly or stunted.

• Sign of excess: Leaves dark green; plant has excessive leaf growth at the expense of buds and fruits.

• Source: Manure, bonemeal, blood meal (dried blood), fish meal, fish emulsion (also contain phosphorus and potassium, in small amounts), conttonseed meal (also contains small amount of phosphorus and even smaller amount of potassium), coffee grounds (also contains very small amounts of phosphorus and potassium), soybean meal (also contains small amount of potassium and even smaller amount of phosphorus), composted legumes (peas, beans, peanuts), ammonium sulfate or nitrate.

■ Phosphorus (P)

• Function: Essential to photosynthesis; enables strong growth; encourages blooming and root development, cell wall structure development; moisture conservation; necessary for photosynthesis.

• Sign of deficiency: Lower leaves and stem look reddish or purplish; young leaves look pale; shoots are thin; plants don't flower or form fruits; premature fruit drop; roots are stunted; cell division is slowed.

• Sign of excess: Essential elements may be tied up.

• Sources: Bonemeal, colloidal phosphate, rock phosphate (contains slightly more phosphorus than colloidal phosphate, breaks down more slowly), New Jersey greensand, superphosphate.

Continue reading "Symptoms of Vegetable Nutrient Deficiencies" »

Plant Nutrients

Sixteen chemical elements are necessary for plant growth. Three are non-mineral elements that come from air and water; thirteen are mineral elements that come from the soil. All of these elements are used as plant nutrients or to make plant nutrients.

Being familiar with the elements necessary for plant growth will help you diagnosis many plant problems and aid you in the selection of plant foods and fertilizers and soil amendments.

Here is a primer on elements necessary for plant growth, the basic plant nutrients.

Non-mineral nutrients: elements from air and water:

Carbon (C)

Hydrogen (H)

Oxygen (O)

Plant photosynthesis coverts carbon dioxide (CO2--carbon and water) and water (H2O --hydrogen and oxygen) into starches and sugars that plants use as food.

Mineral nutrients:

Elements from air and soil:

Nitrogen (N)

Elements from soil and fertilizers:

Phosphorus (P)

Potassium (K)

Calcium (Ca)

Magnesium (Mg)

Sulfur (S)

Boron (B)

Chlorine (Cl)

Copper (Cu)

Iron (Fe)

Manganese (Mn)

Molybdenum (Mo)

Zinc (Zn)

Mineral nutrients from the soil are dissolved in water and absorbed through plant roots. These elements are responsible for plant growth, plant functioning, leaf, flower, and fruit production, and plant health. When soil does not contain all of these elements or nutrients, gardeners add natural soil amendments or fertilizers to make up for the deficiency.

Mineral macronutrients and micronutrients:

Mineral nutrients are divided into major or macronutrients and minor or micronutrients. Macronutrients are further divided into primary macronutrients and secondary macronutrients.

The primary macronutrients are:

Nitrogen (N)

Phosphorus (P)

Potassium (K)

These nutrients are usually in the soil in some amount unless plants have already used them. When the soil lacks these nutrients, they can be added with natural soil amendments--such as aged compost or aged manure--or specific natural or synthetic fertilizers.

The secondary macronutrients are:

Calcium (Ca)

Magnesium (Mg)

Sulfur (S)

These nutrients are usually in the soil. When they are lacking, they can be added with natural soil amendments--such as aged compost--or specific natural or synthetic fertilizers.

Continue reading "Plant Nutrients" »

How to Make Comfrey Manure Tea

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 support leaf growth and potassium to promote flowers and fruit. The nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium (NPK) ratio of dried comfrey leaves is 1.8-0.5-5.3; comfrey also contains calcium.

Readers' Poll: How do you feed your vegetables? Click to vote.

Comfrey is a perennial herb that is easily grown in average soil; it will thrive in sun or partial shade. Russian comfrey (Symphytum x uplandicum) is the best choice but there are other comfrey varieties that will work. Plant comfrey in spring or autumn and let the plant become established before harvesting leaves for tea making the following year. Space comfrey plants at least 30 inches apart; mature plants will grow to about 2 feet tall from a basal leaf cluster. Leaves are best harvested just as flower stalks rise. Comfrey can be invasive; it is best to grow comfrey where it can remain undisturbed for as long as 20 years (a comfrey corner of the garden).

Comfrey Tea Recipe

• Harvest comfrey leaves from established plants; wear gloves, long sleeves, long pants and shoes: comfrey leaves can irritate the skin. From an established plant you can get 3 or 4 cut-and-come-again harvests each year.

• Use a bucket or other container to make comfrey tea. Fill the container about half to three-quarters full of comfrey leaves. Place a wooden block or brick on top of the leaves to press them down. Fill the container with water and place a lid on top.

Continue reading "How to Make Comfrey Manure Tea" »

Watering Vegetables: Critical Watering Times

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.

When to water. To know when your garden needs water, feel the soil and look at the plants. If the soil is moist and sticky, if it forms a ball in the palm of your hand, you do not need to water. If the soil does not hold together in your hand, it is too dry, and it is time to water. When plants wilt and look droopy in the morning, it is time to water.

Critical times for vegetable watering. The best rule is too keep vegetables and fruits evenly moist: if you stick your finger in the soil and it comes away damp, not dry and not glistening wet, the soil is evenly moist. Otherwise, review the paragraph above, and read the vetegable watering tips at the end of this post.

Here are the critical times to get the watering right:

• Asparagus: during spear development and production and during fern development; less water is needed when ferns reach full size.

• Bean, dried: during pollination, flowering, and pod development; blossoms may drop and pods may fail to enlarge if watering is inadequate; ¾ gallon per week per foot of row.

• Bean, snap: during pollination, flowering, and pod development; blossoms may drop and pods may fail to enlarge if watering is inadequate; 1 gallon per week per foot of row.

• Bean, lima: during pollination, flowering, and pod development of pods; blossoms may drop and pods may fail to enlarge if watering is inadequate; 1 gallon per week per foot of row.

• Beet: consistent, even water throughout growing season and especially during root development to avoid cracking and knobby roots and hot flavor--symptoms of water stress; 1 gallon per week per foot of row or square yard.

Continue reading "Watering Vegetables: Critical Watering Times" »

How Vegetables Are Pollinated: Open Pollination and Hybrids

Vegetables are pollinated in two basic ways: self pollination and cross pollination.

• Self pollinators are plants that produce flowers that are usually fertilized by their own pollen, commlonly when the male and female flower parts are contained within the same flower.

• Cross pollinators are plants with flowers that require pollen from another flower (a male flower on the same plant--thus a form of self-pollination--or from another plant) to produce a fertilized seed. Cross pollinators commonly require the help of insects or the wind to achieve pollination.

Self-pollinated vegetables include: bush and pole beans, lima beans, chicory, endive, lettuce, English and Southern peas, and tomatoes.

Wind-pollinated vegetables include: beets, chard, sweet corn, and spinach.

Insect-pollinated vegetables include: asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, Chinese cabbage, collards, cucumbers, eggplant, gourds, kale, kohlrabi, muskmelons, mustard, okra, onions, parsley, parsnip, hot pepper, pumpkin, radish, rutabaga, spinach, squashes, turnips, and watermelon.

How a vegetable is pollinated is important if you want to grow plants that are true-to-type, meaning the same as the parent plant: for example, if you want the same fruit size, color, shape, and flavor, the same plant height or growing habit, the same days to maturity and harvest. If a vegetable is cross pollinated by a plant that is not the same strain or variety, it will not grow true-to-type.

Continue reading "How Vegetables Are Pollinated: Open Pollination and Hybrids" »

How to Prune a Tomato

Why prune a tomato?

• To grow more flavorful tomatoes.

• To grow larger tomatoes.

• To grow more tomatoes over the length of a season.

• To keep plant leaves and fruits off the ground and away from pests, insect damage, and fungal disease.

• To keep plants smaller and more compact.

• To allow tomatoes on the plant at the end of the season to ripen before the first frost.

Pruning a tomato means removing unneeded growth tips from the plant. These growing tips are sometimes called shoots or suckers. Growth tips are the new growth--the small leafy-bud growth--located in the "V" or crotch between two stems.

Pruning or pinching away new growth allows a tomato plant to concentrate its energy on the development of fruit rather than new foliage. Plant sugars used to make new growth are instead used to concentrate flavor and grow larger, healthier tomatoes.

Want tomato growing details: How to Grow a Tomato: click here.

Tomato growing problems: solved: click here.

See all of the tomato articles at the Tomato Archive: click here.

Tomatoes can be divided into two growth habit categories: determinate and indeterminate. Determinate tomatoes usually require no pruning. Indeterminate tomatoes perform best if pruned.

• A determinate tomato grows to a genetically pre-determined size and then stops. Beefsteak and sandwich tomatoes are mostly determinate tomatoes. These tomatoes are bushy and self-topping. All of the blossoms and fruit on a determinate tomato develop at the end of growing tips at about the same time.

• Indeterminate tomatoes grow unchecked. They produce vine-like stems. These tomatoes continually produce new stems, leaves, and fruit until the plant dies. Cherry and salad tomatoes are mostly indeterminate tomatoes. The growth tips of indeterminate tomato plants do not set fruit; fruit is set on side shoots as the plant continues to grow. An indeterminate tomato will have blossoms and fruits at all stages of development throughout its life. Pruning is the best way to contain an indeterminate tomato.

When to prune a tomato plant. You can prune a tomato at any time, when it is small or when it has grown large. If you know you want to contain the size of a tomato plant prune early. A tomato plant can first be pruned when it is just 12 to 18 inches tall.

Continue reading "How to Prune a Tomato" »

Vegetable Garden Quality, Yield, Savings Comparisons

How do you put a value on your vegetable garden and the crops you grow? It depends upon what you want in return for the time you spend and the space your garden requires.

Fresh vegetables. If you want a steady supply of fresh vegetables for the table, make small successive planting over several weeks or a month or two so that your crops will come to harvest in small quantities and can be taken fresh to the table at harvest.

Flavor. If you are gardening for flavor, grow crops that you can pick at their peak and serve immediately. These are crops that do not store well, that will lose flavor in even a few days: tomatoes, sweet corn, peas.

Storing. If you are growing to keep vegetables on hand over several weeks or months, choose vegetables that will not lose flavor or texture when kept in the refrigerator or pantry: cabbage, potatoes, and dry onions.

Freezing, canning, or drying. If you plan to preserve your crops for long term use, you will need larger quantities of a crop and all of the crop should come to harvest at the same time.

Saving money. If you are growing vegetables to save money--spend less at the grocery store, then you will want to concentrate your efforts on crops that usually cost more per pound: tomatoes, summer squash, and peppers.

Vegetables That Give the Most for the Least. Here's my list of crops that will give you very good value for your time, effort, and space.

• Tomatoes. Grow two plants for each person in the family.

• Bush beans. Grow 5 feet of row for each person.

• Beets. Grow 2 feet of row for each person; but sow several times in succession.

• Carrots. Grow 2 feet of row for each person; make several sowing.

• Lettuce. Grow 3 feet of row for each person; make three sowings.

• Chard. Grow 3 feet of row for each person.

• New Zealand spinach. Grow 2 feet of row for each person.

• Radishes. Grow 1 foot of row for each person; make 3 or 4 successional sowings.

For crop growing details visit the How To Grow Archive: click here.

Now, let's compare more than 30 crops:

Continue reading "Vegetable Garden Quality, Yield, Savings Comparisons" »

Interplanting Vegetables: Root Depth, Plant Height

Interplanting is a growing method that will allow you to fit more vegetable plants in a single planting bed. It is a way to increase your crop yield. Interplanting is also called intercropping.

Interplanting is often used in intensive vegetable gardening where an effort is made to use all available space in the growing area--the counter point to single row planting which requires the most cropping space since the space between rows goes unplanted. (In intensive gardening you can space plants individually equidistance apart or in wide rows--several plants across a row to as much as 4 feet wide.)

See crop planting details at How To Grow Archive: click here.

There are several ways to interplant your crops. You can grow fast-maturing plants, such as radishes, between slower growing ones, say chard. The radishes will be ready for harvest before the chard begins to mature and requires more space to spread out. This way of interplanting borders on succession cropping--bringing one crop to harvest after another keeping the planting bed productive all season.

You can also interplant crops with different growing habits, tall crops near short ones, or deep-rooted with shallow-rooted. Crops interplanted by growing habit can be set equidistant according to their size (height and breadth or root depth) at maturity; or they can be planted in their own alternate rows in a wide bed.

More cropping tips at Gardening Tips Archive: click here.

Interplanting requires planning. You need to know the days to maturity for each crop and its height and breadth at maturity or its root depth at maturity. Do some planning on paper once you have decided on the crops you will be growing this season.

Continue reading "Interplanting Vegetables: Root Depth, Plant Height" »

Bees and Herbs

Bees in the garden are a good thing. Bees pollinate about 75 percent of all of the food crops in the world.

Many culinary herbs will attract bees to your garden. Grow herbs and you will get double-duty attracting pollinators and bringing flavorings to the kitchen. Many herbs can be harvested cut-and-come-again, leaves, flowers, and seeds. That means you can enjoy many of these herbs all season without replanting.

Herbs can be planted in an herb bed or spread out to the corners of your vegetable beds to make sure bees stop along the way to visit your vegetable crops as they move from one herb to another.

Here are several herbs that attract bees to the garden and also can be used in the kitchen.

Herb	Part used	Use
Anise	Seeds, leaves	Licorice-like flavor for baked good, soups.
Bee Balm	Leaves, fresh and dried	Shred leaves and petals for green salads. Use flowers in sandwiches.
Borage	Leaves	Shred leaves for cucumber flavor in salads or sour cream.
Fenugreek	Leaves, fresh and dried; seeds	Use leaves as a vegetable, cooked with potatoes, spinach, or rice.
Lemon balm	Leaves, fresh and dried	Tea; lemon-mint flavor also used in cooking fish and poultry.
Mints	Leaves, fresh and dried; flowers for salads and garnishes	Favoring for carrots, eggplant, peas, potatoes, tomatoes, and zucchini. Use in marinade, jelly, and sauce.
Oregano and Marjoram	Leaves, flower knots	Use in Italian cooking, for pasta sauces, pizza, roasted vegetables. Greek dishes: souvlaki, baked fish, Greek salad. Mexican dishes: beans dishes, salsas.
Sage	Leaves, fresh or dried; flowers as garnish	Flavoring for meats and poultry. Good with apples, dried beans, cheese, onions, tomatoes.
Sweet Basil	Leaves fresh	Companion to tomatoes in salad, sauce, soup. Also with fish and seafood and roast veal and lamb.
Thymes	Leaves and sprigs; flowers for garnishes	Withstands long, slow cooking--stews, casseroles, soups; enhances other herbs.
Winter Savory	Leaves and sprigs; flowers for garnishes and salads.	Flavoring in long-cooked meat and vegetables dishes and stuffings, often with green and fava beans.

More herb growing tips at the Herb Archive, click here.

Easy grow herbs: THE KITCHEN GARDEN GROWERS' GUIDE.

Continue reading "Bees and Herbs" »

Seed Shelf Life

Seed vitality or shelf life is an important concept. If you saved seed from last season or the season before or if you've been given seed and are not sure how long it's been around, you might want to perform a seed vitality test a couple of weeks before you plan to sow.

Seeds more than a year or two old may not germinate well or at all, particularly if they have not been stored properly. Some seeds, even after a year of proper storage, may not produce the number of plants you expect or need.

To test your seed for germination, place two paper towels on top of each other and moisten them with warm water. Next place 10 or 20 seeds in the middle of the towels. Fold the towels over from the four corners to the center. Place the towels in a glass with about 1 inch of water in the bottom--enough to keep the towels moist without submerging the seeds. Cover the glass with clear plastic bag and set it in a warm place.

After the average number of days to germination, unwrap the towel and count the number of seeds that have germinated. If none have sprouted re-wrap the towel and replace it in the glass and wait several more days. If seeds have sprouted, count the number of sprouts and divide by the total number of seeds on the towel. That will give you a good estimate of the germination rate for that batch of seeds and the success you can expect when you sow in the garden.

Check out the How To Grow Archive for planting details for all vegetables and herbs.

Vegetable	Average rate of germination at 1 year (%)	Average years seed will germinate	Number of seeds per ounce	Average days to germination
Asparagus	90	3	1,000	14-21
Beans	90	3	90-100	6-15
Cabbage	85	4	5,000	10-14
Carrot	75	3	14,000	14-21
Cauliflower	75	4	14,000	10-14
Corn, Sweet	85	3	125	5-7
Cucumber	85	5	1,000	7-10
Eggplant	75	4	5,000	7-14
Lettuce	90	6	12,000-16,000	7-10
Muskmelon	85	5	1,200	6-10
Mustard	85	3	18,000	8-12
Okra	85	1	425	10-14
Onion	80	2	12,5000	7-14
Parsnip	85	1	600	21-27
Pea	90	3	50-150	7-10
Pepper	75	2	4,000	10
Pumpkin	90	4	100	7-10
Radish	90	4	5,000	4-6
Spinach	80	3	3,000	8-12
Tomato	85	3	6,000-7,500	5-7
Turnip	90	4	10,000	7-10
Watermelon	85	5	175-225	6-8

Complete seed germination details: everything you need this year now in THE KITCHEN GARDEN GROWERS' GUIDE.

Continue reading "Seed Shelf Life" »

How to Make Compost Tea

Compost tea is an excellent all-purpose fertilizer. 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 help cure a few.

Grow your favorite veggie or herb: How to Grow Archive: click here.

You may see different recipes for compost tea, but do not fret it is easy work. The gist of making compost tea is simple: place compost in water and let it sit for seven to ten days--depending upon the amount of compost and water--until the water turns the color of tea. That's it; your compost tea is ready. Pour a cup of compost tea around the base of plants every two weeks or spray it on the leaves of plants as a foliar spray. (More detailed recipes for compost tea are below.)

Compost tea, like compost, contains all of the major and lesser nutrients that plants require. It is a balanced fertilizer, meaning it contains nearly equal parts of the major nutrients nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK), and nearly all of the lesser nutrients. Depending upon the strength of the solution it will likely measure somewhere between 0.5-0.5-0.5 and 4-4-4.

Because compost tea is delivered to plants as a solution, it is available to plant roots for uptake and use immediately. Dry fertilizers must mix with soil water to begin work. Compost tea is fast acting.

In addition, to feeding plants, compost tea also feeds soil microorganisms which work in the soil to break down organic materials into plant foods. These same soil microorganism feed on harmful fungi that attack plants.

Spray compost tea directly on plant leaves and stems and the beneficial microorganisms will feed on fungi already on plant leaves--fungi that cause powdery mildew, downy mildew or botrytis, and the like--or pounce on fungi spores that land on plants. (Use compost tea as a foliar spray from early spring to midsummer--allowing 4 weeks of no spray before eating fruiting crops. Don't use compost tea as a foliar spray on leafy crops.)

Go to the next page for Compost Tea Recipes.

Continue reading "How to Make Compost Tea" »

Quick-maturing Vegetable Varieties

Most vegetables include cultivars or varieties that are quicker-maturing than others. Quick-maturing vegetable crops come to harvest in as little as 4 to 10 weeks. They are not "long stayers" in the garden.

Use quick-maturing crops to your advantage:

• Succession cropping. Rather than sowing or planting the crops you want to eat all at once, space them out over time so that your harvest is continuous, not a glut. Quick-maturing crops planted every two weeks in succession will keep your garden producing through the season. When the first sowing appears above the ground, make the next sowing.

• Intercropping matches a quick-maturing crop with a slower maturing crop. At planting time place a quick-maturing crops next to a slower-maturing crop. While you wait for "long stayers" such as leeks, parsnips, salsify, potatoes, and onions from seed to come to harvest, quick-maturing crops will be in and out of the garden and on the table.

• Catch cropping fills space and production gaps in the garden. Sometimes--often at midsummer--crops come out of the garden for one unexpected reason or another: pest or disease damage, animal damage or loss. Fill the gap with a quick-maturing crop. Quick-maturing crops can go into the garden late and still come to harvest before the end of the season.

• Beat the heat in dry years. Quick-maturing cultivars avoid the competition for water in dry years. Quick-maturing crops can go into the garden early in the season and be replaced later by drought tolerant crops or not at all. You still get the vegetables you want to eat, but the plants' struggle to find water is avoided.

Here are quick-maturing vegetable cultivars:

Continue reading "Quick-maturing Vegetable Varieties" »

How to Compost Faster

Composting turns garden and kitchen waste into humus. Humus is Nature's best fertilizer and soil conditioner. The process of decomposition that we call composting happens in nature as billions of microorganisms feed, grow, reproduce, and die as they recycle kitchen and garden waste.

Compost will happen gradually over time. Set a pile of leaves or grass clippings in the corner of the yard and come back in a year: compost, perhaps humus. When you build a compost pile or use a commercial bin, you can speed things up. What Mother Nature will do on her own in a year's time you can help her do more quickly.

Compost is partially decomposed organic matter. Humus is fully decomposed compost. Humus is the composter's objective.

There are three types of composting: cold, slow, or passive composting; hot, fast, or active composting; and sheet compositing.

Sheet composting simply involves spreading undecomposed organic materials over the soil's surface, then working them into the soil to decompose.

Cold, slow, or passive composting involves piling organic matter into a heap and letting Nature takes its course. Little or no turning is involved and composting will occur in time. In cool temperatures, passive composting can take more than a year.

Hot, fast, or active composting requires that the compost pile be turned or aerated and that some attention be paid to the ratio of high-carbon materials--such as dry leaves, straw or steer manure--and high-nitrogen materials--such as fresh grass clippings, green prunings, and kitchen peelings. (An ideal ratio of carbon to nitrogen for hot composting is about 25:1.)

To speed along the work of your compost pile follow these suggestions:

Continue reading "How to Compost Faster" »

Making Compost

Here are the basics you'll need to know to start composting at home:

• Site the compost bin or pile near the vegetable garden and kitchen close to where the finished compost will be used or locate the pile in an area of garden where you will plant next year

• Choose a site in full sun or light shade sheltered from the wind.

• Place the compost bin or pile on bare soil so that excess water can drain away. Till or dig the soil underneath before you begin to fill the area. This will assist drainage and allow macroorganisms such as worms to enter the pile.

• Place the bin or pile with ample air circulation on all sides.

• A compost bin can be square or round. It can be made out of lumber, chicken wire, hardware cloth, concrete blocks, or bales of hay. You can use a wooden box leaving space between the side boards. (Do not use pressure-treated wood or wood treated with toxic preservatives.) You can use four wood frames covered with chicken wire and latched together to form a cube. You can use galvanized metal mesh or welded wire shaped as a cylinder and staked in place. You can use bricks omitting a few bricks on each side for aeration. You can use a steel drum with hundreds of large holes punched in the side so that the external surface is about half and half holes to solid matter.

Continue reading "Making Compost" »

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