Vegetable crops and other plants get most of the nutrients they need from the soil; the nutrients are dissolved in soil moisture and taken up by roots (other nutrients come from the air and are taken in by plant leaves). A plant root’s ability to absorb mineral nutrients is affected by the chemical balance of
You can improve your vegetable garden soil with organic amendments. Organic materials such as aged compost will add nutrients to the soil. Organic matter will also help the soil retain moisture as well as help it to be well-drained. You can add amend the soil with organic matter any time of the year. Good times
Once you have decided on a site for your vegetable garden and know what kind of soil you are working with and what amendments can make it better, it will be time to work the soil, to prepare for planting. Digging and tilling is not necessary in fertile well-structured soils. Good soils can be lightly
FacebookTweetPin You will only need a few tools for your vegetable garden chores, so choose good ones: Spade and spading fork: used to turn the ground and break up large clods.Steel rake: used for smoothing the soil after spading as you prepare the seedbed. Later used for clean up at the end of the season.Hoe:
You’ve decided that growing your own vegetables, herbs and small fruits is exactly what you want to do. You know that growing your own crops means fresh, flavorful, and healthy food will come to your table directly from your garden. You will save money. You will be enjoying the outdoors. You will be learning and
Here are basic elements needed by every vegetable garden: Sunlight is a must Vegetables need a lot of sunlight to grow well. The most productive vegetable garden must receive no less than six full hours of sunlight each day; eight hours is best. Your vegetable garden should not fall in the shadows of trees, shrubs
A vegetable garden can be any size and shape. In one season, a garden as small as just 4-by-4 feet can produce a head of cabbage, a head of broccoli, a head of cauliflower, four heads of romaine lettuce, four heads of leaf lettuce, nine bunches of spinach, nine bunches of Swiss chard, sixteen baby
Success growing many vegetable crops is driven by warm temperatures. Not surprisingly, warm-season vegetables grow best in warm weather. Here are the key temperatures you need to keep in mind to successfully grow warm-season vegetables: Soil temperature: Warm-season crops require a minimum soil temperature of 60°F (16°C) but 70°F (21°C) is optimal.Air temperature: The optimal
The three most active planting periods in the vegetable garden are: Early spring before the last frost when hardy frost-tolerant cool-season vegetables can be planted for late spring and early summer harvest.Late spring to early summer, 2 weeks or more after the last frost when tender crops can be planted for summer harvest.Mid to late
Good King Henry is a perennial green sometimes called “wild spinach” or “poor man’s asparagus.” It is grown for its juicy and flavorful arrow-shaped leaves which can be cooked and eaten like spinach and for its young shoots which can be blanched and eaten like asparagus. Good King Henry has been grown in kitchen gardens
