Plant Gardens 101

Are you a vegetable fanatic and have always wanted to grow your own? Maybe you want to save money and grow your own organic vegetables, or maybe you’ve always wanted to start a garden and thought a vegetable garden would be more rewarding. Your reason may be one of these, or another one completely. Whatever you’re reason, you’ve decided to start a vegetable garden and want to know how.

Your first step is to make several decisions. You need to decide how big you want your garden to be, where your garden will go, what you’re are going to plant, and how much you are going to plant. Think about what your favorite fruits and vegetables are and what will grow well in your region. Also, make sure you place your garden where it will get a lot of sun.

Now that you know what you’re going to do, you will need to get all the necessary supplies. Make sure you have everything you’ll need including seeds, fertilizer, garden tools such as shovels, trowels, cultivators, etc., a hose or watering can, and whatever else you think you’ll need. (more…)

I think of lettuce as one of those “staple” vegetables. In other words it can be used in a variety of recipes, from salads, to sandwiches.

Because lettuce thrives in cooler temperatures, it is best to grow it in early spring or fall.

Here are some steps you can take to improve the conditions where your lettuce will grow to optimize and increase your harvest.

As stated earlier lettuce is a cooler temperature vegetable. The seeds will germinate best when the temperature of the soil is between 40 to 60 degrees F (4 to 16 C). Once the seeds have germinated they thrive best when the soil temperature is 55 to 65 F (13 to 18 C). (more…)

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Grapes have been grown and harvested by humans for thousands and thousands of years for their satisfying, thirst-quenching properties, and distinctive taste among fruits. Though grapes are grown commercially on large farms or vineyards for use in wines and jellies, they can be just as successfully grown in a budding green-thumb’s backyard garden. Besides their obvious taste factor, growing grapes can be attractive for gardeners due to their beautiful climbing fronds, allowing them to be adaptive to growing on walls and slopes, providing decorative properties as well. Whether for jellies, wines, or simply snacking, growing grapes for personal use is a well worthwhile endeavor.

It is essential to make an annual visit to your local lawn and feed store before embarking on your grape planting in order to find starts of the best varieties which grow hospitably in your area. Pick the brains of the friendly staff, tell them what your objective is, and they will surely be able to point you in the right direction of the starts you need. Pick up a couple of large bags of compost/manure to help your soil quality improve, grab your starts, and head home. (more…)

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I can hear you thinking that you have no idea about growing vegetables. The truth is that you can easily learn enough to be growing useful crops very quickly, and each session spent in your garden teaches you even more. You will learn much that is unique to your own situation, such as local soil conditions, your particular aspect in relation to the sun, and oddities that relate to your local microclimate. You will learn most of this by getting out and giving it a go.

The taste of home grown vegetables is vastly superior to that of the commercially grown produce. Have you heard people complain that tomatoes no longer have any taste? They will have when you grow your own - you will never taste better. The lack of taste with the commercial crop is not all the fault of the growers, as they are under pressure to produce a crop, of uniform size and colour, to the schedule of the wholesale market, and ultimately the supermarket. You set your own schedule.

The freshness of your own crop is a big plus. Vegetables I have bought from the supermarket, and stored in the refrigerator, have started to become inedible after a few days. I have had home grown produce still fresh in the refrigerator after 2 weeks!

Typically, your home garden will produce a generous yield, and can readily help pay for the cost of growing them. You can effectively end up having free vegetables. Summer, especially, is usually a time of abundance, even glut, as family and friends leave your place with perhaps more produce than they had expected to see. A tip - when giving away fresh produce, try to limit your generosity - it is better to give a small amount to many rather than to give to the few more than they can actually use.

One of the turn-offs to trying something you have not done before is the intimidating flood of information (and misinformation) you will receive. If you are browsing one of the major bookstores, you may find hundreds of books on the topic - which do you buy? To begin with, look for the simple, basic information. Do not bother with those full of jargon - you will learn the technical terms as you go.

You will hear folklore from the family, such as “Uncle Henry always put … (you name it) … on his … (name it again)”. Folklore is part of our heritage, but there is no guarantee of its usefulness. You will hear from the office genius, who has done nothing, but still knows all the answers - nod wisely, and then ignore him.
Plants evolved millions of years before humans, and they actually want to grow. It has been said that in many cases plants grow despite what we do to help them. If you provide the basics, and these are reasonable nutrition and regular watering, Mother Nature does the rest - let her work for you.

Find tips about gloriosa lily and rain lily at the Types of Lilies website.

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Beans are easy to grow. You can grow beans in your sleep quite literally. You do not have to go through pains to grow beans. They are easy to maintain. In fact, all you have to do is water them and be ready to pick the produce once it is ready. To be able to grow them you have to be dedicated and be ready to do whatever you have to do. If you do not have the aptitude for garden work, then growing of beans; or anything else for that matter is not for you. You are better off keeping a pet. There are four simple steps you need to follow when planting beans. (more…)

Birds, birds, birds. They come in all shapes and sizes. They range in type from carnivores to herbivores. Birds have been the stars of their own movies. Birds have taught children the importance of personality over looks. Some are even the leaders of nations. Is it any wonder that bird watching is one of the world’s most practiced hobbies.

People from all walks of life enjoy bird watching. Anyone can do it. All it requires is patience, a pair of binoculars and most importantly, a bird feeder. And there are many types. Depending what birds you want to attract will determine what kind of feeder to get.

Hummingbird feeders are the most popular and come in two styles; inverted and basin style. The feeder usually has a small receptacle in which a sugar solution is placed. It has an opening just big enough for the hummingbird to put its long beak. But the solution is really just an energy boost for the hummingbird. A hummingbird’s main diet is gnats and other small bugs. Here’s a hint when choosing a hummingbird feeder. Choose one that can be taken apart easily. Your feeder needs to be cleaned every three-to-four days due to the unfortunate clotting habit of the sugar and water solution. (more…)

Climbing plants are of many varieties. Good examples of climbing plants are grapevines and tomatoes. They all have weak stems in common and need support in order to grow tall and occupy less space in the home garden. Growing them next to a wall or a tree is or way of taking care of them as they climb. They do this to get sunlight. For climbing, they have developed features like tendrils and twisting leaves. They climb on fences, walls, trees etc. Unless they have man-made support like fences or natural support like trees, climbing plants will grow on the ground and will lack sunlight which is an essential aspect of growth. They will become weak and produce less fruit. They also tend to look messy in the garden.

Unless you do not like the idea, you may let these plants climb a wall or a fence that has ugly features in order to hide them. You may also plant these plants on your walls if you do not have space in your home or neighborhood. The blooms are attractive and beautify the home. The climbing plants give a natural look to a house.

The choice of a climbing plant is dependent on the desired effect. You will have to consider the growth characteristic of a plant. Look out for the species that thrive in your area before you make a decision on which to plant. Do not plant them in pots as this will hinder their growth. (more…)

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A herb or vegetable garden can make a very attractive addition to any landscape. Herb and vegetable gardens, be they stand alone or, incorporated into the overall landscape, can be just as attractive as many of the common annual and perennials found in most gardens. An added bonus, is the fact that you can eat most of them as well. This is called an “edible landscape”.

Stand alone herb and vegetable gardens, are just that. An area is set aside purely for the cultivation of these plants. In this article, we are talking about the landscaping aspects, where these plants have a specific role, mainly as an attractive feature - with the bonus of being edible. Stand alone herb and vegetable gardens can be made into any shape and or size. The important thing is to keep in mind how it fits in with the rest of the landscape. Generally speaking, if this is to be a show-piece, then nice lines and an overall neatness is to be desired. Certainly this can be achieved by bordering the garden with largish rocks, however, this can be a problem if the garden is laid in the middle of a lawn. The encroachment of the lawn (especially if it is couch, twitch or kikuyu), will grow under the rocks and you will have a constant battle to keep the lawn out of the vegetable garden. A better solution would be to border the garden with landscape logs, such as railway sleepers, or heavy treated planks. This way, at least you can trim or spray the edges periodically to address the encroachment problem. Yet another way would be to make the lawn of chammomile. Non-invasive and although a lot of work to get established, once it’s up and running, it’s just glorious. Smells wonderful and has a calming effect on most people. (more…)

Asparagus is a tasty vegetable which also has a lot of vitamin value. However, it is a seasonal crop, meaning it is available only for a few months of the year. It takes quite some time to grow and therefore requires a lot of patience. If you are not willing to be around for some time to tend asparagus, then it is not the right vegetable for you to grow in your home garden. Your home garden needs to be relatively large to grow asparagus, and therefore it is not suitable for growing on a window sill garden. It does not do well in pots. It needs lot of sunlight to grow. Do not grow them too close together or they will not grow to a decent size. An asparagus plant can remain productive for quite some time and so it is a worthwhile investment. (more…)

Things were going great in the early stages. I had just recently started growing vegetables in my back yard and things were moving along very well. Certain vegetables were growing somewhat slowly, and I didn’t expect things to be so smooth forever, but I had faith things would turn out well no matter what obstacles I would have to face. It wasn’t long before I faced one of the first setbacks in cultivating a vegetable garden and discovered that I would have to put in garden fencing.

I had grown vegetables in the past but it was a communal garden and it was ages ago so when the rabbits started to ruin my garden, I was totally caught off guard. Luckily, because of my experience, I not only knew the answer was garden fencing but I also knew exactly what kind of garden fencing was required. (more…)

HOW would you like to plant a vegetable that would supply you and your family with some food for up to 20 years? What if it did this without any replanting or much cultivation? Would it not also be appealing if the plant had the habit of yielding when other vegetables are in short supply? Well, that versatile vegetable is asparagus! And for that lengthy supply, a family of five would need only about 12 crowns of it.

Do you wonder about nutritional value? Well, asparagus contains varying amounts of calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium and iron, as well as vitamins A, B1, B2, C and niacin all necessary for a healthful diet. That in itself is good reason to include asparagus in the home garden bed!

This tasty relative of the regal lily has been lending interest to menus ever since it was cultivated by the ancient Egyptians. By 200 B.C.E. information on its cultivation was being recorded by the Romans.

While many consider asparagus a common vegetable, others classify it as a delicious luxury. Although usually retailed in canned form, the fresh spears also are of delectable flavor. Both white and green asparagus is cultivated, green possibly being best for the home gardener because it combines higher food value with better flavor.

In growing white asparagus, the crowns are planted in a trench and mounds are built up above them to blanch the spears before they emerge from the soil. For green asparagus, no earthing up is done. The spears are cut when they are seven to nine inches (18 to 23 centimeters) above the ground.

Asparagus Culture
Asparagus can be grown from seeds, or crowns can be purchased from a nursery. It is noteworthy that male plants yield a much higher crop than do female plants. The difference between the two can be seen during the second season, when female plants produce seed. Asparagus is not restricted to one type of soil. However, the soil must be well drained (especially if it is heavy) and well watered if sandy.

Preparation should include the digging in of animal manure or compost. The crowns should be set 30 inches (76 centimeters) apart on a small heap of soil in a trench eight inches (20 centimeters) deep and 12 inches (30 centimeters) wide. (A complete fertilizer should have been applied previously to the bed.) The crowns should then be covered with two inches (5 centimeters) of soil, and the bed should be kept well cultivated until the appearance of the first shoots. As the plants develop, the trench should be gradually filled up with soil. In the case of white asparagus, the mounds should be raised nine to 12 inches (23 to 30 centimeters).

When well fertilized, the plants produce a fernlike growth above the ground and sturdy, vigorous crowns beneath the surface. Very important factors are the elimination of perennial weeds from the bed during preparation, as well as good weed control throughout the growing season. However, the use of herbicides may lead to damage, if they are used more than once each season.

Harvesting the Crop
Having established your asparagus bed, patience is essential. The spears should not be harvested during the first season. Instead, allow the crowns to build up. They should be harvested only lightly for no more than two weeks during the second season. But when the bed has been established for three years, you can go right ahead and enjoy the fruits of your labors.

Check the bed every day during the harvest season. Growth then is rapid and, if the spears are left too long, they will become tough at the butt. White asparagus is cut by inserting a knife into the mound eight or nine inches (20 or 23 centimeters) below the tip of the spear as soon as it breaks through the ground. Green asparagus is cut just below the surface when the tip is seven to nine inches (18 to 23 centimeters) above the ground and before the scales on the tip begin to open.

In a mature bed, the harvesting period lasts for three months, and at the end of that time a change will be seen in the growth of the spears. At this stage they will appear to be stunted, and this is the signal to stop harvesting the crop and allow the bed to complete the growing cycle. The resultant fernlike growth, which has no nutritional value, should be cut in the late autumn or early winter, just prior to the full ripening of the seed. This can then be burned or composted. The period of top growth allows time for the root system to build up strength for the growth of the next season.

Preparation for the Table
What shall we eat? This versatile vegetable may be just the thing needed to answer that familiar question. Whether the occasion calls for a quick snack or a bowl of hot soup, asparagus may suit your taste. Simply steam some of it slowly in a small amount of salted water to which a little vinegar has been added. This produces a delicious asparagus to be eaten alone, served either on hot, buttered toast, or with a salad. For the vegetable to be more pleasing to the eye when served, the tips of the spears should not be broken. Careful cooking will prevent this. You may prefer to cook the spears in a vessel that allows them to stand upright, with the tips pointing upward, since the butts require more cooking.

Is it a cold day? If so, perhaps a bowl of hot soup will be more appetizing than a cold meal. To enhance your menu, a very nourishing soup can be prepared by using about 8 ounces (227 grams) of asparagus boiled in 1-1/2 pints (.71 liter) of water with finely chopped onion, celery and turnip, if desired. When the vegetables are tender (in about 30 minutes), they should be pressed through a sieve or liquefied in a blender. Then they should be thickened with 1-1/2 ounces (43 grams) of flour and 2 ounces (58 grams) of butter, blended with 1 pint (.47 liter) of milk and boiled for five minutes. Salt and pepper should be added according to taste. Then serve the soup hot, garnished with finely chopped parsley.

So, you might consider asparagus the next time you hear the question, What shall we eat? Maybe this versatile vegetable will then become a nourishing and palate-pleasing addition to your menu.

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