How does your garden grow? Now’s the time to find out
Audrey Hepburn’s quote, “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow,” rings so true today.
Many people have been feeling the urge to get outside and plant. They are planting vegetables tomatoes, carrots, squash, peppers, peas and beans.
This is our generation’s Victory Gardens – grow what you eat.
Last month, I wrote about some of the varieties of tomato plants, including Early Girl, Champion, Roma, Celebrity, Ace, Sweet 100s and Beefsteak. All red selections, all proven to yield, all worth growing.
As the weather warms, so does the soil. It is a perfect time to plant.
Put in some green veggies
Peas and beans need to go in now. Use seeds or starts, whichever you can find. Both choices can be container- or bed-grown, and they will need support for their growth.
If you are considering installing leafy greens such as kale, chard, spinach or lettuce at this time of year, try to plant them where they’ll get a half day’s sun. The larger the leaf, the less summer sun it can tolerate.
I prefer planting my leafy greens this time of year in containers. This way, if I underestimate the amount of sun the area gets, I can just move the pot.
Squash it up
All types of squash thrive in our area. Whether you want to grow green zucchini, yellow crookneck, summer or butternut, prepare for big plants that take up lots of room. Allow 36 inches of area per squash. Butternut and acorn-style squash vines will take up more room with less mass.
Each year, folks complain about the pollination of squash plants. Lack of pollination is when a plant begins to form its zucchini, and a slender fruit grows 4-5 inches. But then the tip turns yellow and the fruit begins to die due to lack of pollination.
Pollination occurs when a bee goes from a male to female flower. To help ensure your squash yields, visit your plants every morning and investigate the centers of the flowers. You’ll soon notice how to tell the difference between a male and female flower. With a clean paint brush or a Q-tip, take the pollen from the male to the female flowers yourself. It’s just like painting. Or if you want, remove the stamen from the male flower and paint the female flower’s stigma. You will only get fruit from the female flowers.
Try peppers or melons
Bell pepper plants are great in containers or in beds. They don’t take up much room. Expect plants to mature around 2×2.
Melons also thrive in our hot summer climate. They need ample water and lots of room.
When installing tomato and vegetable plants, you need to amend the soil. Think rich and stinky chicken or steer manure or soil builders that include a percentage of manure. I also like to add some premium potting soil for its water-retention qualities.
I always avoid amendments with built-in fertilizers, because I want to control my products around my vegetables. I fertilize with organic granular tomato-vegetable food.
Some plants are determined to have problems. Bell pepper plants are susceptible to blossom end rot, and so are Roma style and heirloom tomatoes. Blossom end rot is that brown blotch that can form at the base of your bells. You need to make sure your using a tomato-vegetable food with calcium. Not all tomato-vegetable food is alike. EB Stone makes a great organic product.
Spending time in the garden is therapy. Plant vegetables. Plant fruit trees. Plant flowers for the bees. Grow in the ground. Grow in pots. If you haven’t any outdoor space, grow indoors.
Teach your children to grow. And share your harvest with neighbors.
Nicole is the Garden Girl at R&M Pool, Patio, Gifts and Garden. You can contact her with questions or comments by email at gardengirl94517@yahoo.com
Nicole Hackett
Nicole is the Garden Girl at R&M Pool, Patio, Gifts and Garden. You can contact her with questions or comments by email at gardengirl94517@yahoo.com