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| Tips for Successful Vegetable Gardening |
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Water each day keeps split skin away
Under dry conditions many vegetables develop a tough outer skin. After a dry spell, a rain or watering can result in a sudden increase in growth which will actually cause a split in the outer layer of the vegetable. This is what causes the cracks you sometimes see in tomatoes, potatoes and root vegetables. To avoid this, water your garden on a regular basis, never allowing the soil to dry out. |
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Bugaboos
If bad bugs are a problem (unlike lady bugs or other good bugs who feed on the bad ones) here's a simple organic potion to keep them away. In a blender mix 4 cloves of garlic with 1 chopped onion. Place this mixture in a large glass jar and add 2 cups of water. Add 2 teaspoons of bottled hot pepper sauce, stir ingredients together and steep for 2 days. Strain the mixture and add one tablespoon mild liquid dish detergent. Then dilute with 5 cups of water. Using a mister, spray plants once a week and watch the bugs retreat. See pests and disease. |
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The sun angle
Vegetable gardens need sun and lots of it. For best sun exposure, position your vegetable garden so that the rows run east to west, with the tallest plants on the north end. That way you will maximize sun exposure for each plant. |
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Harvesting tips
An easy way to ripen green tomatoes is to place a single layer of them in a drawer. Then add a couple of ripe apples. The apples generate a ripening gas called ethylene. So, every few days you'll have red tomatoes! |
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| There are numerous ways to preserve the fall harvest so you can enjoy eating food from your garden all winter long. Aside from the popular methods of freezing and canning, root cellaring is another easy way to keep root crops like potatoes and carrots all winter. All you need is a cold, dry place in the basement and a box full of sand. Set vegetables into the sand without them touching each other and they'll keep for many months. Winter squash also keeps well in cold storage. Broccoli is an excellent vegetable for freezing. Soak in salted water for 15 minutes, then rinse and dry. Blanch for 3 to 4 minutes, then cool and drain. Pack carefully, label and freeze in rigid containers. Follow this link for more vegetable preserving and canning recipes and tips. |
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