The country has fallen on hard times and, as we did during WWII by planting a Victory Garden, we can save money on food and eat better by planting our own gardens.  One of our association members, Ethelene Owen, has been gardening for many years and we have asked her to share her gardening experience and knowledge with us. 

We thank Ethelene for her help. She will continue to give us gardening tips throughout the year.

I have been asked to do a brief article on vegetable gardening. Although I am by no means an expert, I have been growing vegetables for about 50 years (give or take). So I have learned a lot by trial and error. And I assure you, much by error.

February

I can't stress enough the use of plenty of compost. Preparation of your soil before you plant anything is the most important thing about having a successful garden of any kind. If you are not lucky enough to have made your own compost, you can buy bagged compost or get a scoop of it in bulk at a nursery. Soil rich in compost will produce much better quality produce and you will notice the soil will retain moisture better. You want to also put in a drip irrigation system. You can use soaker hoses or make your own system using dripper hoses. We have a combination of both. Don't plant anything until you can water it as needed. Newly planted seed need to be kept consistently watered daily until they sprout. I don't suggest using sprinklers after vegetables are sprouted, as some vegetable foliage or flower buds may be damaged from being watered from above. You can use a balanced fertilizer 10-10-10 on everything. Or, if you want to grow strictly organic, use well rotted cow manure and supplement with liquid fish emulsion every month to six weeks.

It's not too late to plant cool weather vegetables such as beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, onions, potatoes, radishes, spinach, Swiss chard and turnips. If you are a first-time gardener, or fairly new at some of these vegetables, you can get six packs of the cabbages (broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi) at a nursery. Lettuce, radishes and carrots come up easily and quickly from seed.

Lettuce will germinate in a wide range of soil temperatures (from 35 degrees to 80), but

sprout quicker in a cool temperature. You can grow lettuce in the shade in the summer.

Lettuce also grows well in pots. Just remove the outer leaves and it will keep producing

from the center of the plant. Or, clip the entire plant about an inch above the root and it

will re-grow.

Note: Beets, carrots, lettuce, Swiss chard, radishes, and turnips grow year round in our area. Mulch helps to keep soil cooler and moist longer later in the year when it gets warmer.

It is also time to plant asparagus, artichokes and horseradish. Gophers seem to love these plants. Planting inside a basket of chicken wire protects the roots. Strawberries may also be planted now, although the best time to plant them here is in November.

March

There are many summer vegetables that can be planted now; they include artichokes, chayote, corn, green beans, New Zealand spinach, cucumbers, potatoes and squash.

Although I prefer to wait until April, you may also plant tomatoes. Be sure to put a cage

around them when you plant them. If we get a late frost, and we do many times here at

our altitude, be sure to throw an old sheet or piece of plastic over the tomato cage for

protection and plant tomatoes deeply. Snip off the bottom set of leaves and bury the plant

above the bottom joint where the leaves were removed. Roots form on the buried stem.

To protect bean and corn sprouts from birds and field mice, put a green berry or tomato basket over each seed. You can remove them when sprouts touch the top of the basket. You may also use water bottles. Just cut off the top and bottom to make a cylinder and put it over each seed or plant. I use these on cucumbers, melons and squash plants.

Plant marigolds in the vegetable garden to discourage pests. Plant herbs now such as

basil, dill, marjoram, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, summer savoury and

thyme.

Wait until April to plant the real heat lovers such as egg plant, lima bean, melon, okra,

peppers and pumpkins.

 

Each time you harvest a crop and you re-dig to plant another crop, don't forget to add more compost to replenish the spent soil.

“The Vegetable Garden” written by Ethelene, pertains to general gardening and planting in our association climatic area.  You can go the free Home Depot Garden Club web site (http://www.homedepotgardenclub.com) and get information on specific plants and other gardening information.

The Vegetable Garden

By Ethelene Owen

Chapter 1