Vegetable gardening regaining favor
By Jessica Walliser
FOR THE TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Millions of Americans already do it, and now the Obamas are doing it, too. It’s all the rage these days, and it’s probably the only investment in today’s economy that actually will show a return. Vegetable gardening is back in vogue.
Gardening-trends research tells us that tens of thousands of new gardeners will be digging in for the first time this spring. To all you newbies: Welcome to the club. Maybe you’re hoping to whittle the grocery bill or you want to eat food that didn’t come from the other side of the world, or, maybe, you just want a bigger hand in feeding your family. Whatever your reason, know that everyone starts somewhere, and even long-time gardeners will admit that there always is more to learn. So, newbies, here are a few tips and ideas for getting started; and, old-timers, maybe you’ll glean a few good tidbits of info you can use to make this year’s garden better than ever.
Where to grow
Before you get dirty, think carefully about where you’re going to put that new vegetable garden. Most vegetable plants need at least eight to 10 hours of full sunlight to thrive and produce. Try to locate the garden away from large trees whose roots might invade and compete with crops. Also remember to put it somewhere with easy access to water. No one wants to lug a hose 300 feet to water the garden every week.
When you decide where to grow, you’ll need to decide how big to make the garden. My vegetable garden is about 30 feet by 25 feet, and it’s just right for my family of three. If you want to pickle, can, freeze and dehydrate what you can’t eat fresh, then go as big as the yard will allow; but, remember, it’s way easier to make the garden bigger every year than it is to take care of a jumbo-size garden your first year in the trenches. If you really aren’t sure whether you’re going to like this gardening thing, or how much time you’ll have to dedicate to it, start with just a few raised beds. You can purchase kits to create raised beds, or you can build your own out of untreated lumber, bricks or rocks.
Raised beds are placed on top of the lawn and then filled with soil, so there is no need to remove the existing sod, but if you plan to grow your garden in the ground, you’ll need to strip off the sod. You can do this by hand or with a sod-cutter (available from many local equipment-rental companies). I’ve done it both ways, and no matter how you do it, removing sod is hard work. The good news is, you’ll have to do it only once.
After the sod has been removed, focus on your soil. It’s probably clay (most of Western Pennsylvania’s soil is) and will benefit from being amended before you plant. Because clay is so sticky and poorly draining, mixing in lots of organic matter every year helps to build better soil by “breaking up” the clay. Find a farmer with a pile of horse or cow manure (preferably about a year old), call your municipality to see whether they give away free leaf compost (many do), buy bags of compost at the local garden center, or, better yet, have a truckload of commercially produced compost or leaf mold (also called leaf compost) delivered right to your driveway. All these different types of organic matter work to create the healthy, living soil that plants need to thrive. Add 2 to 3 inches of organic matter every year if you can. Don’t skimp on this part. There is no substitute for good soil.
Planting time
When it comes to planting your garden, timing is everything. All crops can be separated into two categories: cool-season crops and warm-season crops. Cool-season choices are those that will tolerate frosts. These crops can be planted early in the season and perform best before summer’s heat arrives. I plant my peas, lettuce, broccoli, onion sets, cabbage, radish, carrots, beets and kale in early to late April from seed or as nursery-purchased transplants. Warm-season crops don’t tolerate frosts and should be planted after May 15. These include tomatoes, peppers, melons, beans, corn, cucumbers and squash. When choosing which varieties of these veggies to plant, talk to local farmers, nurserymen and gardeners to find out which ones grow best for them. Choose disease- and pest-resistant varieties whenever possible.
After it’s planted, mulch your garden well. It not only cuts down on weeding, but also reduces the need to water and cuts down on soil-borne diseases. You can use finished compost, untreated grass clippings, straw or hay to mulch. One of my favorite techniques is to lay down newspaper 10 sheets thick (don’t use the glossy inserts), plant right through it, then cover it with a few inches of straw or grass clippings. It makes a virtually weed-proof barrier and can be turned right into the soil the following spring.
Most plants need about an inch of water per week, from Mother Nature or your garden hose. You’ll seldom need to water in the spring or fall, but during hot weather, water in the morning and try to keep the foliage dry to prevent foliar diseases. Soaker hoses are a great option for the vegetable garden, as they put water directly on the soil and can be used with a timer, but a good sprinkler works, too.
If you amended your soil right, you probably won’t need to do any extra fertilization. There are enough nutrients in one inch of compost for a full season’s plant growth. But, if you didn’t get that soil in shape, or a soil test noted a nutrient deficiency, add an organic granular fertilizer at the start of the season. Most local garden centers carry organic options that are less likely to burn plants and cause a salt buildup. My favorite brands are those that use alfalfa meal, greensand, bone meal and other natural ingredients. Read the label and use as recommended. More is not better.
No doubt there will be lots to learn this gardening season for all of us (the Obamas included). Vegetable gardening is not rocket science, but there is a learning curve. If you start off right, you’ll be picking your own fresh veggies within a few months; and, it will get better, and easier, every year. Gardening is a great teacher — so pay attention.
Horticulturist Jessica Walliser, co-author of the book “Grow Organic,” can be heard from 7-8 a.m. Sundays on KDKA Radio’s “The Organic Gardeners.” You can also find her teaching at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, where she has been a faculty member for more than 12 years.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/mostread/s_620124.html
What growing your own food can do for you
POSTED BY: Monica Reinagel | April 13, 2009 | 10:33 AM
As global economic woes persist, many families are reviving the tradition of the family vegetable garden. What a great upside to a tough time! Not only is the back-to-garden movement saving folks money on their grocery bills, but it’s putting healthier food on the table.
Need a few more reasons?
1. Fresh vegetables are more nutritious, and it doesn’t get any fresher than straight from the garden to the table. Vegetables start to lose valuable nutrients (and flavor) the moment they’re picked. When they’re harvested just moments before you serve them, you’re getting the absolute maximum nutritional benefit.
2. You can grow organic a lot cheaper than you can buy it. If you’re struggling to make ends meet, organic produce may feel like a luxury you can’t afford. But you can grow your own organic produce using your own composted kitchen scraps as natural fertilizer. As organic gardening coach Jean Ann van Krevelen says, “Compost is waste turned into plant food.” You can also use inexpensive pest controls like companion planting and soap spray instead of harmful chemical pesticides.
3. Eating local saves energy and fossil fuels—and it doesn’t get any more local than your own back yard. This translates into lower food costs for you and a lower carbon footprint for your household, as well.
4. Gardening provides free exercise and stress relief. No money for gym memberships or spa weekends? An hour in the garden will get your heart pumping and your muscles toned. It also clears the mind and erases the day’s stress.
5. Kids will eat what they grow. (This may be the best benefit of all!). Want to turn your finicky eaters into vegetable lovers? Let them grow their own. Kids love to garden and are much more willing to eat vegetables that they had a hand in bringing to the table.
No more excuses!
If you haven’t already, why not celebrate Earth Day this year by breaking ground on a small (or large) vegetable plot? Here are solutions for the most common obstacles:
No idea what you’re doing? Look no further than Jean Ann van Krevelen’s Growing Food: A Guide for Beginners, available now in electronic format with a print edition available April 15th. Jean Ann’s got great advice for new and experienced gardeners and offers garden coaching as well! Check out her Gardener to Farmer blog.
No room for a garden? See how one enterprising gardener got dozens of pounds of produce from one 3X3 foot plot: Growing your own food on one square yard of land
No time to garden? If gardening simply doesn’t fit into your life, you can always do the next best thing. Team up with a farmer by buying a share in Community Sponsored Agriculture. CSAs are one of the fastest growing trends in today’s evolving food economy. You support a local farm with money to buy seeds and supplies. In return, you get a share of the harvest. Find a CSA close to you at LocalHarvest.org.
http://blog.nutritiondata.com/ndblog/2009/04/what-growing-yo.html
Rain barrels recapture gutter water for use in gardening
BY KATHY VAN MULLEKOM
Daily Press (Newport News, Va.)
The next time there’s a rain storm, stand outside in a protected area and look at how much water falls from the roof of your house.
It’s buckets and buckets full — water you can put to good use if you have rain barrels catching all those drops.
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation estimates during an average rainstorm, which is 1 inch in 24 hours, more than 700 gallons of water run off the roof of a typical home. That’s enough water to take 17 baths or 58 showers and goodness knows how many plants it can benefit.
Rain barrels are typically 50 to 55 gallons so four placed under gutters at the main corners of your home yields about 200 gallons for watering vegetables that you grow this season. You save two ways — buying tomatoes or green peppers at the grocery store and your water bill.
In fact, rain barrels are a win-win garden gadget for everyone, especially our environment.
“Using rain barrels benefits the environment because you reduce sewer runoff, help your garden and landscape thrive, lower your water bill and reduce stress on water supplies,” says Megan Ketchum, a Virginia extension agent.
Making a rain barrel at home is easy if you follow a few guidelines, according to Hampton environmental educator Cris Ausink.
“Avoid barrels that held chemicals or wax because the residue in them could kill plants and harm the environment,” she says.
Supplies/tools
• Plastic food grade barrel with tight-fitting lid
• Brass faucet
• ¾-inch male hose adapter, brass PVC female hose connector 3 washers
• 2 lock nuts
• Small piece of hose
• Caulk
• Window screen, 3-foot square
• Drill with hole saw (1/16 inch smaller than the faucet insert)
• Pliers and hacksaw
First, wash the interior of your barrel using a cap full of Mr. Clean or Simple Green mixed with a five-gallon bucket of water; use vinegar to scrape off any exterior labels. Rinse thoroughly.
Then drill two holes in your barrel, one hole near the top and one hole three to four inches from the bottom. Make each hole 1/16 inch smaller than the faucet and valve you will insert.
Install the faucet assembly in the bottom hole. Insert faucet with a washer on it into the barrel and secure with a washer and lock nut from the inside.
Install the overflow valve by inserting the ¾-inch male hose adapter with washer half way through the top hole and attach washer and lock nut from inside. Attach female hose connector to outside with a short hose connected.
If your barrel’s lid has a solid center, use a key hole saw to cut out the middle; place screen centered on the barrel opening and screw the plastic ring in place to secure it to the barrel.
Place your barrel under a gutter downspout; elevate it on bricks or cinder blocks so you can get a bucket under the faucet at the bottom.
More barrel prep
Make sure the area where you place the rain barrel is level; otherwise, the barrel tips over.
Secure your barrel with stakes or ties if it is in a windy corner of the yard; if empty, it could blow over.
Connect a short piece of hose to the overflow spout at the top of the barrel and direct the hose away from your home’s foundation and impermeable surfaces such as the driveway or sidewalk.
Good uses for a rain barrel include:
1. Water garden and flower beds.
2. Water houseplants — they love it!
3. Wash mud off tools and boots.
4. Wash the dog.
5. Wash the car — rain water is soft so little detergent is needed, again saving you money on washing products. Do not wash the car on the driveway or street; instead, wash your car on the lawn and water your grass at the same time! Washing your car on the driveway or street causes the soapy water to drain untreated directly into waterways, including major bays and oceans.
6. Emergency water for flushing toilets if your well water level is low or dry or if you water is temporarily cut off.
Do not use rain water for drinking or cooking.
http://www.kansas.com/living/home-garden/story/768902.html
Grow your garden knowledge
BY ERIN CRAWFORD • Fiftysomething • April 10, 2009
Gardening doesn’t have to be a solitary pursuit. Talking and working with fellow green thumbs can introduce you to ideas for new plants, managing grubs or any number of gardening tactics. If you’re looking to hash over successes and failures, options include joining local garden clubs, which provide a friendly, knowledgeable clique of plant enthusiasts or becoming a Master Gardener through the Iowa State University Extension program. If you just want to garden alongside some new friends, consider Des Moines’ community garden program.
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Community gardens
Boost your garden knowledge through community programs. Des Moines’ community garden program gives would-be gardeners free access to a bigger, sunnier plot than they may have at home. And the added bonus of neighbor gardeners is another draw, letting you see which tomato plant or fertilizer is working for others.
“It’s what you make of it,” city horticulture inspector Teva Dawson says of the 10-by-15-foot sections of soil-filled potential.
Dawson says the plots are tended by all kinds of people - from retirees to others with very shady backyards. Some plots are tended by church groups who grow food and then donate the produce. Other gardeners just grow flowers.
Master Gardeners
The Master Gardener course of study can turn you into a gardening guru. Offered twice a year in Polk County, the semester-long program requires considerable class time more than 40 hours.
Participants also are required to perform 40 hours of public service in exchange for the training. That includes sharing information with others or working at Master Gardener-operated gardens, such as the Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. Maintaining your Master Gardener certification requires additional training and community service each year.
Carol Visser, an Altoona gardener, pursued the training with her husband and regularly volunteers at Altoona’s Enabling Gardens, a Polk County Extension Master Gardener-operated handicapped-accessible garden.
“You meet people with like interests,” she says. “And you make some very good friends. It is not difficult. The novice can learn a lot, and more advanced gardeners can always hone their skills a little bit.”
Garden clubs
Garden clubs bring in speakers for learning opportunities and organize volunteer activities or events on a regular basis.
Waukee Garden Club member Ronald Reed says his club always has many questions for its speakers. They also recently toured a greenhouse filled with orchids. He suggests dropping in and visiting local clubs until you find one that’s right for you.
Some clubs adopt gardens in public spaces and hold garden tours or other events to raise money, show off local talent and get new gardeners excited about what’s ahead.
Online newsletter
The Iowa Gardener is a new free online gardening newsletter by Ames garden author Veronica Lorson Fowler, our cover model, and Des Moines editor Ben Allen. It will come out every two weeks during the growing season and monthly during the winter. The authors plan to include hints, advice, events and lists of what you should be doing in your garden right then. Go to www.theiowagardener.com for more information.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090410/FIFTYSOMETHING/904100304/-1/NEWS04