Wednesday, April 17, 2013

How does your garden grow?

Have you started your garden this year? Our wonderful maintenance staff tilled our community garden this week so we've had a few people start planting (including myself).



So far we have cucumbers and tomatoes poking out of the ground, and some onions and carrots have been planted.

I have even started my bell peppers inside which is a new venture for me.


There are a ton of places on the internet that you can find to give you good tips on your garden. I use sproutrobot.com (the free version). You can type in your zip code and it will let you know the best time to plant your seeds. This week (if you're in the 40299 zip code) it would be good to start planting your cabbage, chard, turnips, or start your eggplant inside.

Here are some more tips that you can use around the garden:

-Use leftover tea and coffee grounds to acidify the soil of acid-loving plants such as azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias, gardenias and even blueberries. A light sprinkling of about one-quarter of an inch applied once a month will keep the pH of the soil on the acidic side.

-Vegetables need lots of water, at least 1 inch of water a week.

-Here are the essentials for tools: spade, garden fork, soaking hose, hoe, hand weeder, and wheelbarrow (or bucket) for moving around mulch or soil. It's worth paying a bit extra for quality tools.

-Don't grow too much of one thing. Growing more would be a waste of time, space and precious soil resources. Unless you sell at a farmers market stand, aim to grow only as much as you can use.

-Aim to harvest in the morning, which is when plants are plumped up with nutrients and moisture. Preserve the flavor and nutrition of leafy greens, root crops and many other vegetables by refrigerating them, but don’t chill storage onions, sweet potatoes, shallots or tomatoes. 

-Harvesting early and often helps keep vegetable plants in reproduction mode longer, which in turn increases yields.

If you have any tips, feel free to share with us! And also, let us know how your crops are going!

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