Many times when starting your own vegetable garden, you begin with less than perfect soil. The great news is that you can easily remedy this issue by making your own compost. Compost is an organically rich material made from organic matter that is allowed to decompose. The finished product is a dark soil-like material packed full of nutrients and beneficial microorganisms.

Making your own compost does not require any special equipment or tools; just the debris from your yard and vegetable scraps from the kitchen. Composting reduces landfill wastes and will decrease the need for fertilizers in your vegetable garden. Here are five basic steps for making your own compost.

Choose A Proper Location

When starting a compost pile, take into account the location of the pile. You want to locate it as close to the vegetable garden as possible in an area that is level and drains well. This will make transporting the finished compost to the vegetable garden much easier and allow for good drainage. The compost pile will not heat up properly if it’s too damp.

The area should also be convenient for adding new materials to the pile. Try to place the compost pile near a water supply so that you can moisten the pile on those hot, dry days.

Make sure to locate the pile in an area that is not unsightly for you or your neighbors. You don’t want the compost pile to be an ugly eyesore in your backyard.

Allow For Heat

As mentioned above, you must have proper heat for the compost pile to decompose into usable compost. If the compost pile lacks heat it will not decompose leaving you with just a pile of debris. You can improve heat and decomposition by building your compost pile on top of a screen-covered wooden pallet. You can also dig out a small pit and lay wood or metal supports across it to hold a screen. Build your pile on top of the screen. This allows for good circulation, improved drainage and a steaming hot compost pile.

Adding The Ingredients

Place twigs, branches and limbs at the bottom of the pile. This will also increase air flow and aid decomposition. The next layer should consist of equal parts of green and brown materials. Green materials are fruit wastes, untreated grass clippings, seaweed or kelp, vegetable peelings and coffee grounds. Brown materials include most tree leaves, corn cobs and stalks, straw and hay, wood chips and paper (like paper grocery bags).

Between each layer sprinkle soil to give the pile a dose of beneficial microorganisms. They will be the ones that perform the decomposition dirty work. Make sure to moisten the pile to the consistency of a damp cloth or sponge.

Turn or Rotate The Pile

Rotating or turning the pile frequently will increase air flow to the middle of the pile speeding up the decomposition of the compost. Use a broom handle to poke holes in the pile to give the inside a breath of fresh air. Turn the pile with a garden fork when it begins to cool. You should move debris that is not fully decomposed into the center of the pile.

Finishing The Compost

It can typically take anywhere from three months to two years to produce finished compost. The more attention you give your compost pile the better it will produce. Frequently turning the pile, adding the right mix of ingredients and maintain the correct moisture level will help to speed up the entire composting process.

Compost is ready to use when the dark, rich compost easily crumbles in your hand.

How do you make your own compost?

Do you use a compost pile or a tumbler?

I’d love to hear about your composting process!

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Whether you are a new vegetable gardener or a seasoned pro, we are all bound to make mistakes in the vegetable garden. I know I have made (and still make) my fair share of follies. Growing vegetables is an art that takes some practice, a little elbow grease and sometimes a bit of good fortune. Picasso did not paint a masterpiece his first time at the canvas, did he?

Probably not.

If you are new to vegetable gardening it is easy to become frustrated when something goes wrong, especially if you aren’t sure what or how it went wrong. Many times it all comes down to something that could have been prevented with a little planning. Here are some common mistakes that are typically made in the vegetable garden and how you can avoid them.

Starting Out Too Big

One of the most practical pieces of advice I can give new vegetable gardeners is to start out with a small garden. Many new gardeners will attempt to take on more than they can handle when starting their first garden. It’s easy to become very excited about having your own vegetable garden and not be realistic about the time and effort it takes to properly maintain a vegetable garden. It is much better to have a small, healthy garden than it is to have a large vegetable garden with wilting or dying plants. Take into consideration how much time you have to devote to your vegetable garden and plan accordingly.

Not Properly Preparing The Garden Soil

A typical mistake for new gardeners is to not give any attention to the garden soil. The garden soil is what feeds your vegetable plants, so you must have healthy soil in order to have healthy plants. The soil where you plan to locate your new vegetable garden should be thoroughly tested before planting that first vegetable.

First, remove the grass, rocks and other debris from the proposed garden space. Dig out a few spots of the soil and scoop some out into your hand. Give the soil a good squeeze. If it clumps up easily, seems gummy, and is hard to break apart you may have a high concentration of clay. Clay soils can lead to poor air and water circulation. If the soil breaks apart too easily and seems grainy, you may have a sandy soil. High levels of sand can cause water to drain too quickly leading to dried out plants. Typically sandy soils lack many of the nutrients for healthy vegetable plants.

Both of these situations can be remedied by adding copious amounts of organic materials such as compost. Sandy soils require a higher level of organic matter due to the lack of nutrients, while clay soils need a clay-to-organic matter ratio of about 1:1. Adding organic matter adds nutrients, improves soil texture, improves drainage, and adds beneficial microorganisms. A soil test should be performed on the garden soil by your local extension office. This test will tell you the existing nutrient andpH levels of your soil so you will know exactly what needs to be corrected. This is a very important step for growing a healthy and productive vegetable garden.

Planting In Shady Areas

The location of your vegetable garden is imperative for good production. Before planting your vegetable garden make sure it receives at least six hours of full sunlight a day. Planting a vegetable garden in an area that receives less than this can mean lower crop yields and stunted plant growth.

Track the sunlight in the proposed vegetable garden spot for about a week. This will give you a great idea of how well the area receives sunlight throughout the day. If you monitor sunlight in the early spring, make sure to watch for possible shady areas from nearby trees that have not fully leafed out. The area may receive good sunlight when the trees are bare, but when they fully develop leaves you could find your vegetable garden in the shade come summer. If you don’t have the time to check the sunlight in your yard, a Sunlight Calculator will help you monitor sunlight levels.

Over Fertilizing

A very common mistake many vegetable gardeners make is to over fertilize their plants. It can become easy to think that adding extra fertilizer will benefit the plants, but actually the opposite is true. Plants require a balanced diet of nutrients. When plants are over fertilized they can actually become over-feed leading to sick or dead plants. Plants can only intake so much nutrients before they become overdosed.

The best remedy is to follow the fertilizer instructions carefully. It is best to use organic fertilizers such as fish emulsion, seaweed fertilizer, or compost. Organic, natural fertilizers add sufficient nutrients, supply beneficial microorganisms and will not burn plants.

Over Watering

Many first time vegetable gardeners, eager for a wonderfully productive garden, tend to over water their vegetable plants which can frequently lead to root rot. Generally, vegetable plants require about an inch of water a week depending on rainfall amounts. Over watering can also promote diseases such as blights and powdery mildew.

To test soil moisture, simply stick your finger about an inch into the soil. If it feels dry, it’s a good idea to go ahead and give the plants a drink. If it feels moist, wait a day or so and check it again.

It is best to avoid watering vegetable plants from above. It is easier to water plants from above with a hose nozzle, but try to water plants at soil level. This will ensure water goes directly to the roots and reduces water waste. Just allow a steady trickle of water to be absorbed into the soil. Don’t use a heavy stream as this can cause some soil erosion and could expose roots.

Keeping a consistent watering schedule is also important for disease resistance and good root development. Watering deeply and less often, instead of shallow and frequently, encourages deep root growth.

Avoid These Common Mistakes For A Successful Vegetable Garden

Avoiding these common mistakes can help a heap towards growing a very productive and fun vegetable garden. What are some common mistakes that vegetable gardeners make when starting out? Please share!

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Yesterday’s post was about how to identify beneficial insects, now we need to know how to get them in the vegetable garden. Attracting beneficial insects can be a very tricky quest, but there are many ways to lure them to the pests that are hampering the garden. The best way to attract beneficial insects is to provide an environment suitable to the tastes of what you are attracting – providing favorable food, water and shelter.

Ladybugs, lacewings, parasitic wasps, assassin bugs and others like small flowers that are rich in nectar and pollen. Plants that these insects are attracted to are:

• dill
• fennel
• yarrow
• angelica
• caraway
• vetch
• marigolds
• tansy
• dandelions
• goldenrod
• nasturtiums
• bee balm

This is not a complete list of plants that will attract beneficial insects, but is a very useful list that might be in your vegetable garden anyway.

To help attract ground beetles you should provide two things – cover and water. Provide cover by setting out stones or bricks for the ground beetles to hide under during the day. Ground beetles also love mulch. Plant amaranthus and other ground covers, such as clover or vetch to help lure ground beetles.

Provide water by placing a shallow pie pan filled with gravel, then filling with water. Make sure to use the gravel – it will prevent them from drowning. The beetles and other beneficial insects will appreciate the drink. Ground beetles are also attracted to light at night. Placing solar path lights around the garden can help to attract these pest-killing beetles. Do not use bug zappers as a light source – that could end up zapping your helpful garden bugs.

Assassin bugs are attracted to Queen Ann’s Lace, alfalfa, and flowers in the daisy family. Mulch also helps to keep assassin bugs in the garden. Assassin bugs and praying mantis also like cover so they can sneak up and ambush prey insects.

When trying to lure beneficial insects plant the attracting plants as a border around the plants you want to protect. Interplanting some flowers in between your crops can also help to attract the pest-killers you want. Attracting beneficial insect can take some planning and a bit of trial and error, but is well worth it when it comes to naturally fighting vegetable garden insect pests.

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Some gardeners may get the urge to zap any insect they may see in the vegetable garden. Before ridding the insect from your garden, you may want to do some research – the critter just might be helping your vegetable garden. There are some insects that defend your precious vegetables by eating or infecting the naughty bugs that are out to destroy all your hard work. These beneficial insects are the unsung heroes of the vegetable garden.

The great thing about having beneficial insects in the vegetable garden is they are the best form of pesticides. Imploring practices to lure beneficial insects into your vegetable garden is a natural method of battling pests without having to buy expensive and harmful chemicals, keeping your organic garden organic. Let’s identify some of the most common beneficial insects you may find in your garden.The next post will describe ways to attract these great vegetable garden helpers.

Ladybugs

Ladybugs, also called lady beetles or ladybird beetles, are probably the most commonly found beneficial insect. They are the natural enemies of aphids, scale bugs, and other sap feeding insects. Adult ladybugs have hemispherical bodies that can be orange, pink, red, yellow, or black with distinctive spots. Do not get ladybugs confused with cucumber beetles. They look very similar to ladybugs, but cucumber beetles have longer antennae and are a bright yellow in color.

Adult female ladybugs usually lay clusters of eggs underneath leaves in the vicinity of prey insects. The alligator-looking larvae are also pest eaters, and can typically devour more insects than an adult. The larvae are spiny and black with bright spots. Although they look dangerous, they are harmless to humans.

Assassin Bugs

The assassin bug is very interesting insect that is a great warrior of the vegetable garden. There are many different species of the assassin bugs including the millipede assassin bug, the ant assassin bug, or the milkweed assassin bug. Some assassin bugs look similar to stink bugs while others may resemble a spider. Assassin bugs sneak up on their prey and attack using a three-segmented beak. They use this beak to puncture the prey insect and induce a toxic fluid. The toxic fluid breaks down the tissue of the prey insect and the assassin bug then sucks the fluid out.

Assassin bugs vary in color and can be black, brown, yellow, gray, green and some species have other very bright markings. They have long antennae and long, skinny legs. The assassin bug’s head has a long neck with the beak or sucker part underneath.

Try not to handle an assassin bug as they can have a very painful bite. The bite can cause some infections and has been known to spread disease in South America and other tropical regions.

Lacewings

Lacewings are a very delicate looking insect that usually measures about 15-22 mm long as adults with transparent, lacey-looking wings. These wings are where the lacewing get their name. Lacewings are either green or brown in color, with the brown types being the most predatory.

Lacewings snack on aphids, mites, scale bugs, and many other garden pests.

Ground Beetle

The ground beetle makes up one of the largest families of beetles in the country, with over 220 different species. Most ground beetles are black and shiny with hard, ridged wing covers on the back. They also have short antennae and a small head. Ground beetles are easily confused with some cockroaches because they have a similar shape and size, but beetles have hardened front wings where as the roach has leathery wings. Most ground beetle species do not use their wings but will fly to lights at night from time to time.

Adult ground beetles are active at night, and mostly hide under objects during the day. The ground beetles come out at night to feast on unsuspecting insects. They feed on caterpillars, root maggots, snails, slugs, grubs, and other soft bodied insects. Ground beetle larvae are also important predators, since they feed on below ground pests.

Praying Mantis

The praying mantis is one of the most popular and intriguing insects in the garden. They are either brown or green in color, have a very long, stick-like body, and a triangular shaped head. The insects holds its front two legs in a bent position, and resembles a praying position – hence the name praying mantis.

The praying mantis will lie in hiding, using its color as camouflage, and ambush approaching insects for a quick meal. The down side to having praying mantis in the garden is that they will also eat other beneficial insects. The praying mantis will devour just about any insect it can get a hold of.

Parasitic Wasp

The Parasitic wasp doesn’t really eat bad bugs like the previously mentioned critters – they use the insects as nurseries for their young. Generally the parasitic wasp will lay its eggs in or on an insect so the baby wasps have food when they hatch. Having this wasp in the garden is a great solution for controlling caterpillars, weevils, cutworms, and hornworms. The parasitic wasp pulls double duty as well by being a good pollinator.

Parasitic wasp are very small and can be anywhere from 1/4-inch to 3/4-inch long with long, thread-like antennae. You will usually see the work of a parasitic wasp before you actually see the insect itself. Parasitic wasps have a wide range of colors from black to yellow and red.

This is just a handful of the beneficial insects you may find working hard in your vegetable garden. If you come across an insect that you are unsure of its identity, you can collect it in a jar and take it to a local nursery. The fine people there might be able to identify it.

You could also buy an insect field guide to help identify the beneficial insects from the bad insects. There are also some very good online resources such as bugguide.net, and whatsthatbug.com. Both of these websites are invaluable for identifying beneficial insects.

Now that we have covered how to identify some common beneficial insects, next we’ll find out how to attract these vegetable garden soldiers!

What are some beneficial insects that you have found in your vegetable garden? Please share!

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A new vegetable gardener may find there are endless vegetable possibilities available to grow and choosing the best ones for your first vegetable garden can seem a bit daunting. Do not let this stop you from starting your own vegetable garden. Most vegetables are fairly easy to grow with just a little TLC. It is best to choose vegetables that are not only easy to grow, but are quite prolific producers. Here are seven of the best beginner vegetables to grow for a new gardener.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are very easy to grow and do not require much attention other than the occasional watering and maybe some light pruning. There are many tomato varieties to choose from, but the tastiest tomatoes are typically heirloom varieties.

For a beginner, I recommend you start with Brandywine Organic Heirloom Tomatoes

Peas

Peas are very delicious and a snap to grow. Just sow the seeds in the vegetable garden, supply water, a little fertilizer and a trellis for support. You can also grow bush varieties of peas that do not need support, such as the Organic Cascadia Bush Snap Pea.

Radishes

Radishes are one of the easiest and quickest vegetables to grow in the garden. They typically mature in 20 to 30 days depending on the particular variety you grow. Just directly sow the seeds in the garden, provide water and you’ll have some great radishes in no time! I suggest you try Organic German Giant Radishes for some really big and really fun radishes.

Green Beans

Green beans (sometimes referred to as pole beans or bush beans) are a great vegetable to grow if you are just starting your first vegetable garden. Pole beans typically grow as a vine and need some type of a support, such as a trellis. Bush beans grow just as the name implies, as a bush. Both types require little know-how and attention.

For a fun and easy variety of bush beans, try Organic Blue Lake Bush Beans.

Yellow Summer Squash

It is hard to beat yellow summer squash for its intense growth and good production.It is very easy to grow, but can take up a lot of space. The plants can take up as much as four feet square.

For an abundance of summer squash in your vegetable garden, try Early Summer Crooked Neck Squash.

Zucchini

Zucchini are also considered summer squash and grow much the same way as yellow squash. They are also very prolific and can grow very large.

A great variety of zucchini to start with is Organic Black Beauty Zucchini for good size and taste.

Eggplant

Eggplant is in the same family as tomatoes and are just as easy to grow. Eggplant can be grown from seed, and may require some support when they get very large.

One of my favorite eggplant varieties is Organic Black Beauty Eggplant.

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There are literally hundreds of blogs online today offering an endless amount of great vegetable gardening tips and advice. You can find a cool trick or two at just about every click – anything from how to grow tomatoes to how to set up a worm composting bin – on the various vegetable gardening blogs available on the net.

If you are new to the vegetable gardening blog scene, it can be a long trial and error process to find the best ones of the bunch. To help you discover new and exciting blogs, I decided to compile a list of my favorite vegetable garden blogs. These blogs are packed with valuable information, great photos, awesome tutorials, and very helpful bloggers that will most likely try to help you with any vegetable gardening questions you may have.

My Top 15 Best (& Favorite) Vegetable Gardening Blogs

1. Veggie Gardening Tips



2. A Way To Garden



3. Skippy’s Vegetable Garden



4. Tiny Farm Blog



5. Get In The Garden



6. A Suburban Farmer



7. In My Kitchen Garden



8. Gardener To Farmer



9. Roots & Flowers



10. Gardening For My Family



11. The Yarden



12. Our Little Acre



13. Life On The Balcony



14. In The Garden Online



15. The Cheap Vegetable Gardener

These are just fifteen of my favorite vegetable gardening blogs, but there are many more that I love to read. If you have a favorite vegetable gardening blog, or a gardening blog in general that you feel should be mentioned, please mention it. I would love to hear about it!

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One of the most wonderful things about growing a vegetable garden is that you have the flexibility of growing what you like to eat the most. You can also control exactly how the vegetables are grown. A few weeks ago, I featured a post on creating a salsa garden as a part of your vegetable garden. If you have a specific purpose for your home grown vegetables, you can tailor your vegetable garden, or a part of your vegetable garden, to fit that purpose.

One purpose for my vegetable garden is providing fresh ingredients for a great salad. If you love a good salad perhaps you should dedicate a portion of your vegetable garden for a salad garden! You don’t need a ton of space, a small 4′ x 4′ or 4′ x 8′ raised bed will be plenty of room to grow a great salad garden!

Let’s go over a couple possible salad garden designs that you can easily implement as a part of your vegetable garden.

Salad Garden Design for a 4′ x 4′ Raised Bed

If you visit Veggie Gardener enough you will soon learn that I love to create my vegetable garden designs using GrowVeg.com. GrowVeg is very simple to use and easily creates fantastic vegetable garden plans and lists. Here is a very easy four foot by four foot salad garden design.

This four foot square salad garden design is packed with all types of fresh salad goodies. Here is what this design contains:

1. One cucumber plant
2. One tomato plant
3. One Bell Pepper or other pepper plant
4. Two Lettuce plants
5. Two Baby Spinach plants
6. One Arugula plant
7. Five Radishes
8. Three Onions

When I think of a delicious fresh salad these are some of the first vegetables I think of. The four foot by four foot size is perfect for almost any sized vegetable garden space. This salad garden design should be enough to provide a good amount of ingredients for a salad lover.

Salad Garden Design for 4′ x 8′ Raised Bed

If you have a little more space in your vegetable garden, you can grow a little bit bigger salad garden and add a few more possible salad veggies. Here is a salad garden layout for a four foot by eight foot raised bed.

Here’s a list of the vegetables included in this salad garden layout:

1. Two tomato plants
2. Four lettuce plants (head lettuce such as Mesa)
3. Twelve radishes
4. Four lettuce plants (leaf lettuce such as Romaine)
5. One bell pepper or other pepper plant
6. Two baby spinach plants
7. One cucumber plant
8. Two arugula plants
9. Two radicchio plants
10. Five onions or shallots
11. One swiss chard plant

As you can see, this salad garden is packed with eleven great tasting salad ingredients! This garden layout will produce a huge amount of salad greens that is fit for a king. The larger layout should easily provide enough salad offerings for a small family.

These salad garden designs are very customizable to fit your specific needs. I placed the most common vegetables used in salads, but you can place what ever you like in your salad garden plan.

My Favorite Garden Planner

Once again, I used GrowVeg.com to do all of my garden plans, including the snapshots of the two above. GrowVeg is a very easy tool for creating very detailed and informative garden plans.

For more information on using GrowVeg to plan your gardens, please review the following articles:

Using An Online Garden Planning Tool

My Garden Plan – Revision 1

You can learn more by visiting the GrowVeg.com homepage, or you can watch the GrowVeg.com demo. The demo will quickly show you just how easy and valuable the GrowVeg Online Garden Planner is! You can give it a try for Free for 30 days!

I highly recommend it for all your garden planning needs. Give it a spin today!!

Include A Salad Garden In Your Vegetable Garden

If you really enjoy fresh, homemade salads then you should add a salad garden to your vegetable garden. Just think – you could have a terrific salad along side your meal at a fraction of what a supermarket salad would cost, and it will be more nutritious and better tasting!

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After giving 20 tips for starting seeds indoors, I figured it would be a good time to also discuss some items that make it much easier for sowing seeds. Sowing seeds can sometimes be a tedious task, especially for those very tiny seeds. Seed tapes can help aid with sowing tiny seeds outdoors, but when sowing indoors it is usually done by hand. It can be very easy to drop seeds, spill seeds and accidentally sow too many seeds in one place. Fortunately, there are some great tools available that can help you to avoid these common problems. Here are six items for easier seed sowing.

Dial Seed Sower – This handy seed sower is very easy to use and will precisely sow the tiniest seeds. It features five hole settings to accommodate various seed sizes. Save time and money by never wasting seeds again.

Mini SeedMaster Seed Planter – You can easily sow seeds that are typically hard to handle with this seed planter. It works much like a syringe, making sowing seeds a snap. It can be used to sow directly in seed trays, flats, pots or directly in the garden. Using this will dramatically cut back on the need for thinning out seedlings.

Speedmaster Garden Seeder – Quickly and efficiently sow seeds with this ingenious tool. The Speedmaster Garden Seeder features three separate dividers for different seed sizes and will cut your seed sowing time in half.

Precision Garden Seeder – This tool won’t do much for indoor seed sowing, but for those gardeners that sow rows of vegetable seeds in their gardens, the Precision Garden Seeder is just the tool you need. It features six seed plates for different seed sizes and automatically spreads seeds at the determined spacing. Not only will this seeder save you money, but will go far for saving your back.

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If you haven’t started your vegetable and herb seeds indoors yet, it is slowly getting near the time to start. Starting seeds indoors is a great way to get a jump on the growing season, especially if you live in a short season climate. Some vegetables, such as eggplant, take quite a bit of time to germinate, so starting seeds indoors is almost essential for those in colder zones. Starting seeds indoors can be very fun and is the perfect activity to shake off those winter-time blues.

20 Easy Tips For Starting Seeds Indoors

1. If reusing containers from the previous year clean and disinfect them properly using a solution of vinegar and water. A ratio of 2 parts vinegar to one part water should suffice. Vinegar can also be used full strength but make sure to rinse the container thoroughly.
2. Use high quality organic and heirloom seeds for your vegetables and herbs. Buying seeds that are deemed organic is crucial to ensure no chemicals were used on the seeds or the parent plant. There are several good sources for heirloom and organic seeds such as Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Seeds of Change, and Territorial Seed Co.
3. Seeds can be started typically 6 – 8 weeks before the last frost date depending on the vegetable. Carefully read the seed packet for the best times to start the seed for your zone.
4. Use a high quality seed starting mix for optimum germination and growth rates.



5. Make sure to label your sowed seeds with the name of the plant, the variety and the date sowed. This is a must if starting a lot of seeds at one time to avoid confusion. Putting the date on the label of when the seeds were started will help you keep track of what is supposed to be germinating and when it is supposed to germinate.
6. If using small pots or containers to start your seeds make sure you have drain holes in the bottom to allow good drainage.
7. Avoid overcrowding by using wider flats or pots. Overcrowding can stunt the growth of seedlings causing weaker seedlings that can struggle once transplanted in the vegetable garden. Using a wide seed starting flat can ensure a good start for your seedlings.
8. Lightly tamp seeds so they make good contact with soil. Lightly tamping the seeds once sowed can help speed up germination by making sure the seed is coming in good contact to the seed starting mix. You can use your finger or a plastic spoon to lightly tamp the seeds after they are sown. Do not tamp too hard, just a light pat or two will suffice.
9. Most seeds need temperatures between 60 to 70°F in order to properly germinate. If it is difficult to keep these temperatures, use a seed starter heat mat to maintain proper temperatures.
10. If the seed has a hard shell or coating gently sand one side of the seeds with a fingernail file or fine sandpaper. This will encourage faster germination times and increase germination rates. Soaking seeds in warm water will help aid germination as well.
11. Use a plastic wrap (like saran wrap) to cover small pots when starting seeds. This will help to keep a consistent moisture level. Using a seed tray with a greenhouse-style cover works well too.
12. Place seed trays near a south facing window for the best light.You can use grow lights if a well-lit window is not available.Try to keep grow lights about 12 inches above the seeds. Move the lights up as the seedlings grow to maintain a 12 inch distance.
13. Rotate the seed tray a quarter of a turn throughout the day. This will prevent the seedlings from leaning to one side following the sunlight and will help encourage stronger stems.
14. Give seedlings nutrients once they have established their true leaves. Lightly mist plants with a compost tea or diluted fish emulsion spray.



15. It is best to water seedlings from underneath. You can accomplish this by sitting seedling trays in a shallow container of water and let the water seep up through the starter mix. This will encourage the roots to grow deeper and develop a much stronger root system. The Burpee seed starting system does a great job of keeping the starter mix damp by using a water absorbing mat underneath the seed tray.
16. Once the seedlings have sprouted, use a small fan (set at low speed) to improve air flow. This can decrease chances of disease and encourage the development of stronger stems.
17. When seedlings reach about two inches tall, gently pat them with the palm of your hand a couple times a day. This will encourage stronger stems and bushier growth.
18. About a week before planting outdoors harden your seedlings off. Set the seedlings outside for a couple hours each day, gradually increasing the time over the course of the week. This will prepare the seedlings for the great outdoors and helps to prevent shock.
19. Gently remove seedlings from seed trays to prevent damaging the roots. You can use a small plastic fork or spoon to remove the seedling from the tray cell. Slide the plastic spoon down one side of the tray cell and gently pop the seedlings (start mix and all) out of the cell.
20. Many vegetables are more productive when sown directly in the garden. These are mostly beans and peas, cucumbers, squash, okra, pumkpins, and melons.

Do you have any suggestions for how you start seeds indoors? Please share them!

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The Tomato of the Month for March is the Old German Heirloom Tomato. This tomato was a favorite of Mennonite families from the Shenandoah Valley area of Virginia, and dates back to the mid-1800’s. It is in the beefsteak family and can grow to a robust size of almost 2 pounds. The Old German tomato is bi-colored, featuring golden yellow and reddish stripes.

The Old German tomato can be started indoors six to eight weeks before the last frost date (depending on your zone). It is an indeterminate tomato plant, and is not heralded as a heavy producer. The large size and excellent taste of this tomato more than makes up for its sometimes lack of production. These tomatoes are generally ready to pick about 75 to 80 days after the seeds germinate.

The Old German Heirloom tomato has more of a oblong shape rather than the typical round tomato. It is ideal for slicing and can be preserved by canning or freezing. The Old German Tomato would be a superb addition to any tomato garden!

Have you ever grown Old German Heirloom Tomatoes? If so, please tell us about it!

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