Grow your garden
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Published: Sunday, Apr. 12, 2009 - 12:00 am | Page 14A
Vegetable gardening can be rewarding, but also frustrating. The keys to first-time success: Start small, stick to the basics and plant reliable varieties. Here are some tips:
• Pick a warm spot: Choose a sunny, well-drained location close to a spigot. Leafy greens tolerate some shade, but other crops need eight hours of sun daily. Raised beds allow for earlier and larger harvests because the soil warms up faster.
• Think twice about location: Before building beds in the front yard, check with your city or neighborhood association in case there are regulations mandating front lawns or prohibiting front yard vegetable growing.
• Nurture your soil: Adding organic material – manure, compost, chopped leaves, etc. – is the key to an easy-care garden. It loosens stiff soil, helps retain moisture and nourishes important soil organisms. Spread a 4-inch layer of organic amendments over your planting bed and dig it into the top 9 to 12 inches.
• Choose proven plants: Easy varieties for beginners include: Bush Blue Lake bush green beans, Bonnie Bell green bell peppers, Spicy Globe basil; Burpless Bush Hybrid cucumbers; Black Beauty eggplant; Buttercrunch or Red Sails lettuce; curly or flat Italian parsley; zucchini or yellow crook-necked squash; and Better Boy or Sweet 100 tomatoes.
• Maximize sun, moisture: Plant rows in a north to south direction for better light distribution. Water early in the morning so there’s less evaporation.
• Control weeds: Use garden fabric around plants to keep down weeds and cut down work. Or use a layer of mulch that both retains moisture and fights weeds.
• Feed your food: Vegetables tend to be heavy feeders; they need more than dirt and water. They need nutrients from fertilizers, either organic or chemical. If using chemical fertilizers, always follow directions. Water before fertilizing.
• Water wisely: One inch of water weekly is adequate for most vegetables. Soaker hoses or drip systems irrigate efficiently and keep foliage dry, which can help prevent leaf diseases. But if a plant looks droopy, give it a drink.
• Patrol for pests: Keep an eye out for bugs. Hand-pick pests or dislodge them with a blast of water spray.
Sources: Bonnie Plants, the nation’s largest producer of vegetable and herb plants, and Mark Repan, Roseville Home Depot
http://www.sacbee.com/168/story/1773671.html
Don’t ferget the spinach!!
Also, here in the northwest, which is kinda cool, cabbage and kale do marvelously.