Veggie Gardener: Organic Vegetable Gardening Tips

Book Review: Complete Idiot’s Guide To Composting

Tee — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 15:05:32 +0000

I will be the first to admit I’m not the best composter in the world. For most of my gardening life I have ducked composting like it was the bubonic plague.

During my “early days” of gardening composting just seemed too complicated and just way too much work. Eventually, I broke down and began composting on a small scale because I understood the importance of it.

And I hated it. I never knew if I was doing it right.

Am I putting the materials in the pile correctly?

Is it wet enough?

Do I have enough browns?

When is the good stuff ready?

And Then I Read…

Chris McLaughlin’s The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Composting (Alpha/Penguin). If you have ever found yourself standing in front of a big heap of composting materials scratching your head wondering if you’re doing it right, then I highly recommend you pick up a copy.

This book breaks down the compost confusion in a way that’s easy to understand and really fun to read. Most books in the gardening world read like a car repair manual, but Complete Idiot’s Guide To Composting feels more like having a conversation with a good friend.

The thing I love about this book is how Chris tells the reader to throw out all the math and just pile up your compost materials.

Compost happens.

There’s no need to get wrapped up in formulas, ratios and calling NASA for help. Building great compost is simplified so it doesn’t seem like a hassle, and actually becomes an activity you look forward to.

The book offers very useful sidebars throughout, such as the very cute “Wise Worm”, which gives fun and informative facts during each composting subject. There also sidebars called “Prickly Problem” that help you to avoid composting mistakes, “Digging Deeper” provides more advice on composting tips, and sidebars that contain definitions on some tricky composting lingo.

There is also a section on teaching children how to compost and activities for teaching composting and vermicomposting in the classroom.

Composting is a very important, if not the most important, element of growing a healthy and productive vegetable garden. If you are confused by composting then The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Composting will help you to become a composting guru in no time.

Chris McLaughlin writes about gardening for publications such as Urban Farm Magazine and The Herb Companion. She is also a regular contributor on VegetableGardener.com and FineGardening.com, plus she’s the feature writer for vegetable gardens at Suite101.com and the editor for Home Gardening at Foodie Mama.com.

You can also find Chris online at her blog www.asuburbanfarmer.com and Twitter – @Suburban_Farmer.

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6 Steps To Growing A Greener Vegetable Garden

Tee — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 10:32:00 +0000

As we are going through the tasks of caring for our vegetable gardens, it is a great time to find some ways we can not only grow amazing organic food, but also find ways we can grow a bit greener.

I don’t mean lush growth exactly, I mean do a little more to recycle, reuse and repurpose items that we use in our every day life. In other words, how can we grow a little bit greener? What are some little changes we can make to help save costs, save time, and more importantly save our planet as we grow our gardens.

Here are six steps we can take to grow a little greener in our vegetable gardens.

Recycle, Reuse, Repurpose

Take products from our every day life and reuse them in the garden. For instance, use old soda bottles to water plants at the roots, use paper towel holders to create a cutworm-proof collar, add shredded newspaper to the compost pile.

Get creative, get inventive and before you chunk it in the trash ask yourself, “Can I use this for something in the garden that will save me time, save me money and make my garden easier to maintain?”.

You would be surprised at the things you can use for other purposes that end up being quite helpful.

Compost

Begin a compost pile! I don’t care how big or how small, if you just use grass clippings and shredded newspaper, whether you live in a mansion with twelve bathrooms or a 500 square foot apartment, you can compost.

No. Excuses.

If you live in a small dwelling, there are small composter crock you can use for vegetable peels and raw leftover vegetables for composting.

So, I don’t want to hear it. Stop moaning. Stop making excuses. Stop putting it off. Start doing it.

Stop with the Chemicals!

Stop using harmful, expensive chemical fertilizers. All the nutrients your plants will ever need is right under your nose – right in nature. If nature doesn’t produce what your garden needs then you are doing something wrong.

Remember that compost pile you just started? It’s all right there. Use that compost to make compost tea.

Use well-aged herbivore (grass-fed cattle, horses, rabbits, alpaca) manures to amend your garden soil. This will give your plants a nutrient-rich soil that will have them bursting with produce much better than any blue-powder concoction man can ever develop.

Just remember to compost the manures before adding them to your garden. Manures should be composted at least six months before applied to your garden soil.

Stop With The Chemicals…again!

Before you pick up that 20 pound bag of Dyno-Whopping Bug Killer at Lowe’s because you found a few Japanese Beetles buzzing around, try an organic solution first.

There are many pests and diseases that have an organic solution. If you find Japanese Beetles use a beetle trap to catch them, hand pick them off or spread nematodes to kill the larvae that live in the soil.

If worse comes to worse and a pesticide is the only alternative left, use an organic, targeted pesticide such as Diatomaceous Earth, neem oil, or insecticidal soap. Use it in a targeted manner. Don’t just start spraying what ever you see flying around.

Grow Flowers That Attract Beneficial Insects

A great way to organically attract the insects that are beneficial to your garden. If aphids are typically an issue in your garden, plant flowers that attract ladybugs and lacewings.

Plant flower in big groups to attract pollinators such as bees and butterflies. Not only will you attract the good bugs which gooble up those that want to destroy your hard work, but you will also beautify your landscape.

Share Your Bounty

If you have more produce than you know what to do with share with neighbors, family and friends. Donate some to your local food bank or mission hall.

Check out AmpleHarvest.com to find food pantries in your area where you can donate your extra produce.

Not only will you help to feed someone that is hungry and feel great about it, but you will help to reduce waste.

Look For A Greener Alternative

So next time you need something for your garden, try to find a more environmentally-friendly alternative. You will protect your environment, save some money in the long term and have a better garden to boot. Sure, it is a bit more work and it might take a little thinking, but don’t you think it’s worth it?

I hope so.

What are some steps you take to grow a little greener?

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How To Keep Rabbits Out Of Your Garden

Tee — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 12:00:34 +0000

There is nothing worse than working hard to plant, water and maintain a beautiful crop of vegetables, only to go out one day and find a herd of rabbits that have destroyed most of it. Although rabbits are cute and adorable, they can be ferocious when it comes to dining on your vegetables.

Here are a few tips for keeping those pesky rabbits out of your vegetable patch.

Install A Rabbit-proof Fence

You can install a good fence around the perimeter of your garden made out of chicken wire, or similar fencing. This is probably the most expensive and most labor intensive of deterrents, but also the most effective. Remember to bury the fence 6 to 12 inches below ground so the rabbits can’t dig under it. This will also help to keep out any moles as well.

Deter Rabbits With Chili Powder or Blood Meal

You can sprinkle chili powder in a circle around plants to help keep rabbits away from your vegetable garden. The rabbits will get the chili powder on their whiskers and nose and usually stay well clear of your plants. You can also sprinkle blood meal around the perimeter of your garden. The rabbits will take offense to the smell and stay far away. Don’t worry – it doesn’t smell bad to humans. Both items will need to be reapplied after rain or heavy watering.

Use A Homemade Repellent To Keep Rabbits Away From The Garden

Mix 2 tablespoons of cayenne pepper, 2 tablespoons of garlic powder, and a squirt of dish detergent with 20 ounces of warm water. Shake the mixture well to incorporate. Let it sit outside in the sun for a day, then put into a sprayer and apply to plant leaves. This homemade rabbit repellent will have rabbits running the other way. The mixture will need to be reapplied after rain or heavy watering.

Use A Humane Trap To Capture Rabbits

You can humanely trap the rabbits then release them in another environment similar to the one they were in. This can be effective for a small number of rabbits. Personally, I would use this as a last resort. Although I don’t want the rabbits in my garden, I enjoy having them in my front yard. I don’t want to evict them, just keep them away from my vegetable garden.

Divert Rabbits Away From Your Vegetable Garden

One idea that works well to deter rabbits from the vegetable garden is to use a diversion. Take some cabbage or lettuce that you are not going to eat (it’s rotted or no good for consumption), and place it in a corner of your yard away from the garden. The rabbits will go after them for food instead of the vegetable garden.

Use A Liquid Fence Rabbit Deterrent

Liquid Fence makes a great deterrent to keep rabbits and other animals away from your yard and vegetable garden. It’s a natural product that is bio-degradable and safe for pets and children. Just place the Liquid Fence around the perimeter of your garden. It may need to be reapplied after rain or heavy watering.

Pets Are Great For Keeping Rabbits Away From The Vegetable Garden

One of the best ways to keep rabbits away from your vegetable garden is a barking dog or a cat. I have two small dogs in my yard (really they lay around the house most of the time) that love to chase rabbits, squirrels, or anything else that moves. Maybe the fence isn’t so expensive after this one, huh?

If you have some tips on keeping rabbits away from your vegetable garden please share them!.

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Mr. Stripey – June Tomato of the Month

Tee — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 12:40:08 +0000

The June Tomato of the Month is the Mr. Stripey heirloom tomato. Mr. Stripey is also sometimes called ‘Tigerella’. Mr. Stripey is an indeterminate tomato that can grow to a height of almost 9 feet and produces fruit that weighs over one pound.

The fruit is typically reddish-yellow with distinctive vertical yellow and red stripes, which is where it gets its name. The fruits are mostly more yellow on top, near the stem, but more reddish on the blossom end. Mr. Stripey tomatoes are considered to be in the Beefsteak family.

Mr. Stripey has a sweet, mild flavor that makes it perfect for sandwiches, salads and mixed with basil for a wonderful pasta sauce. The fruit matures in about 56 days and the plants feature small, dark green leaves.

The Mr. Stripey Heirloom tomato is a perfect addition to many vegetable gardens for the tomato lover.

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3 Must-Have Garden Power Tools

Tee — Fri, 28 May 2010 14:59:18 +0000

The great thing about using power tools in the vegetable garden is they help to save time, not to mention make gardening tasks a bit easier on your body. Their are many power vegetable garden tools that make the most difficult tasks a snap. Of course, power tools are a bit more expensive than hand tools, but they are worth it for the savings on your back and knees.

Although power tools can with a higher price tag they generally last several years and are worth their weight in gold for saving time in the vegetable garden.

Here are five must-have vegetable gardening power tools you can add to your tool arsenal.

Mantis Gas-Powered Cultivator/Tiller

The Mantis Gas-Powered Cultivator/Tiller has become one of the most popular cultivators and tillers available to home vegetable gardeners. It is lightweight, easy-to-use and does a great job. The Mantis can till up a 500 square foot vegetable garden in no time and is small enough to get in between rows for easy cultivating. The Mantis will keep your vegetable garden looking great all season!

Black & Decker Cordless Garden Cultivator

The Black & Decker Cordless Garden Cultivator is like a dream come true for easily cultivating in your garden. This cordless cultivator runs off an 18-volt rechargeable battery and is very lightweight. I love not having to drag a cord around and worrying if the cord may accidentally damage surrounding plants. If you are interested in a tool that quickly and easily bust up the weeds, this cultivator might be the answer!

Weed Claw and Bulb Drill

The Weed Claw and Bulb Drill is not really a power tool in itself, but of course you need a power tool to operate it. This is a two-piece set that comes with a handy weed claw and a bulb auger. The Weed Claw easily and quickly snatches weeds up by the root and is perfect for grabbing weeds in tight spaces. If you have a weed growing right next to a plant, it will grab the weed up without damaging your precious plant.

The Bulb Drill is an auger that quickly creates a planting hole for bulbs and other plants. Although it is made for planting bulbs it work great for creating holes for seedlings.

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Controlling and Treating Flea Beetles On Eggplant

Tee — Tue, 25 May 2010 13:22:49 +0000

If you have ever walked out to the vegetable garden and seen many holes in some of your vegetables it is most likely the result of flea beetles. Flea beetles are very tiny (about 1/10 of an inch in length) insects that chew holes in the leaves of many plants. They are called flea beetles because they can quickly jump out of sight when the plant they are damaging is suddenly disturbed.

Flea beetles have some vegetables they prefer over others, especially eggplant. They also enjoy bok choy, mustard greens and radish leaves. Typically mature eggplant can handle the attack of a few flea beetles, but young seedlings can be quickly devastated by a small swarm.

There are some practices you can use in your vegetable garden to protect your young eggplant from these ruthless leaf munchers. Here are a few tactics for preventing and treating flea beetles on eggplant.

Crop Rotation

Try growing vegetables in different areas of your vegetable garden each year. This is simply called crop rotation. Avoid growing eggplant in the same general area year after year. A good way to track your crop rotation from one year to the next is to develop a solid garden plan each year. By going back and looking at your garden plan from the previous year you can strategically rotate crops. This can play an important role in controlling flea beetles on your eggplant.

Use Plastic Mulch

If you lay down black or red plastic mulch in your vegetable garden in early spring, it can help to control flea beetle larvae from coming back up. The plastic mulch will block the larvae and thus help to control their populations. Using some straw or bark mulches around eggplant can give the flea beetles a good place to hide. If using straw mulches pull the mulch away from eggplant seedlings until they begin maturing. Once the eggplant has matured to a well established height, replace the straw mulch around them.

Plant A Trap Crop

The idea behind using a trap crop is to plant something near the eggplant that the flea beetles find more desirable. As mentioned previously, flea beetles love radishes, mustard greens and bok choy. Plant these near, or around, your eggplant to help keep the flea beetles preoccupied. The flea beetles will pounce on the trap crop and forget about your precious eggplant.

A great trap crop for flea beetles is radishes. Radishes grow quickly and they are small enough to be grown between eggplants. It’s a good idea to sow the radish seeds and allow them to sprout before planting the eggplant. If you go out and see holes in the radish leaves you know flea beetles are present. This is a great way to check to see if flea beetles may be a problem before you transplant the eggplant seedlings.

Use Sticky Traps

You can also use yellow or white sticky traps around your eggplants to catch the flea beetles. Use some sticky fly paper cut into small squares and place around your eggplant. Give the eggplant a gentle shake- the flea beetles will jump off and land on the sticky paper squares. Place several of these around your eggplant for a good trapping system.

Apply Nematodes

A good organic solution is to apply nematodes to your vegetable garden area. The nematodes will attack and kill the flea beetle larvae and eggs in the soil. The best way to prevent flea beetles is to get them before they have a chance to hatch and spread. Nematodes will get the flea beetles before they even have a chance to jump on your eggplant.

Use Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous Earth is an organic powder that can be effective in killing flea beetles. Just sprinkle the eggplant with this powder and it will kill the flea beetles. Make sure to cover the top and bottom of the leaves as flea beetles will be on the underside of leaves many times.

Organic Pesticide Sprays

As a last resort, or for heavy infestations of flea beetles, you can use a liquid rotenone/pyrethrin spray that is quite effective for getting rid of flea beetles on eggplant. Although these sprays are organic in nature, they are still a pesticide and can affect the good insects if used in an irresponsible manner.

Growing Great Eggplant

Although flea beetles can be a huge problem for eggplant seedlings, using these preventive and control techniques can greatly reduce or eliminate their affect on eggplants in your vegetable garden.

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Veggie Gardener Is Now Available On The Kindle

Tee — Sun, 23 May 2010 14:57:16 +0000

We are pleased to announce that Veggie Gardener is now available on the Kindle. Kindle owners can enjoy all the content here at Veggie Gardener right on the very popular electronic book reader produced by Amazon. Now you can receive all the articles and how-to’s here at Veggie Gardener even while on the go.

How Does It Work?

The Kindle is an awesome wireless electronic book reader that enables you to read books, magazines, newspapers and now blogs from anywhere. You simply subscribe to the Veggie Gardener blog at Amazon and the content is delivered straight to your Kindle.

You will be able to read all the articles and view images on the Kindle just like visiting the website. The Kindle updates throughout the day so you will always have fresh vegetable gardening content available to you when you need it.

How Much Does It Cost?

Amazon sets the price for the subscription at $1.99 per month. Since Amazon is hosting the subscription and downloading it to their device, they charge a small fee for the subscription. I was hoping to make it available for free, but it’s Amazon’s rules.

Subscribe To Veggie Gardener On Your Kindle Today!

Give Veggie Gardener a try on your Kindle today for a 14-day free trial when you subscribe. There is no obligation to purchase and you can cancel at any time.

I hope you enjoy reading Veggie Gardener on your Kindle and look forward to giving you the best vegetable gardening tips and tricks throughout this growing season and beyond.

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Caring For Tomatoes After Transplanting

Tee — Sat, 22 May 2010 13:00:15 +0000

Tomatoes are one of the easiest plants to grow in the vegetable garden. You can practically stick them in just about any soil and they will produce fruit. This is one of the reasons why growing tomatoes is so popular in most home vegetable gardens. Of course, you want the most optimum conditions you can possibly provide in order to allow the tomato plant to reach its full potential.

To help your transplanted tomatoes reach their greatest performance some tasks are necessary. Here are nine tips on caring for tomatoes that will have them bursting with big, beautiful globes come July and August.

Provide Mulch

Mulching around your tomato plants is key for several reasons. Adding mulch will help to conserve moisture in the soil, suppress weeds and help to warm the soil quicker in spring. This is a good way to get your tomato transplants growing quickly in slightly cooler weather.

Another advantage to adding mulch is it helps to keep soil from splashing up on the plant during storms or heavy rain. This can be a key element for preventing soil-born diseases, such as blight.

Provide Support

You can buy some pom-poms and do a cheer for your tomato plants, they might enjoy it, but that’s not what I really mean.

What I’m getting at is to provide stakes or a tomato cage for your tomatoes. Tomato plants are really considered a vine and vines needs something to keep them off the ground. By supporting your tomatoes with a stake or cage, they will live longer and produce much better. Tomatoes that are left on the ground will usually rot before they become ripe, and noone wants to pick up a gorgeous tomato just to find it rotten on the bottom.

Prune Suckers and Bottom Leaves

While the tomato plant is still young and growing, prune any suckers you may find. Suckers are those little branches that form in the “Y” of the main stem and a limb. You can simply use your thumb and forefinger to pinch these off. Pruning the suckers forces the tomato plant to concentrate more of its energy towards developing a stronger root system, which is better for long term production and growth.

I also like to snip off the very bottom set of limb from the plant, especially if they are touching the mulch/soil. These limbs will typically turn yellow once the plant matures and are usually the first to get disease, such as blight. Much of this is due to its contact with the soil or mulch.

Once the tomato plants begin maturing you can stop pruning suckers to avoid sunscald.

Pinch Any Early Blooms

Pinch off any blooms you may find until the plant reaches at least 30 to 36 inches tall. You may think you are in tomato heaven when you see blooms on a 16 inch tall tomato plant, but if you allow the tomato to continue the plant could suffer in the long run.

You want the tomato plant to concentrate on developing a strong root system before it begins setting fruit. Setting fruit early may cause lower production throughout the overall season.

Watch For Wilting

Wilting is typically associated with a lack of water, which could very well be the case. Make sure you water new transplants well the first week after transplanting into the garden. Wilting could also be due to very high temperatures. If your springs are anything like mine, a few 90°F days in early spring is very likely.

During times of high temperatures, you may need to provide the new tomato transplants some shade during the hottest times of the day – generally from noon to about 3 PM.

Watch For Leaf Roll

Leaves that look like they are curling, or rolling up, are a sign of stress. Stress can be from a lack of water, too much water, or from recently being transplanted. Monitor the tomato plants for leaf roll and adjust watering levels, if possible. Transplant shock can be helped by providing the correct amounts of water and by adding phosphorus to the soil. Phosphorus will help to strengthen the root system and get the tomato plant out of its funk.

Avoid Over-fertilizing

It is tempting to add a bunch of fertilizer in order to cause your tomato plants to grow bigger, faster. Fertilizing tomatoes too much is going to do the opposite. The plant can only absorb so many nutrients so hold off on the fertilizers. Tomatoes should really only be fertilized three times per year at the most – when it is transplanted into the garden, when it begins to bloom, and finally when it begins to set fruit.

If you are unsure about fertilizing it is actually better to not fertilizer the tomato plant.

Add A Watering Bottle

A simple way to easily water your tomato plants is by adding a watering bottle. The watering bottle will reduce the need for overhead watering, thus reducing the chances for certain diseases. The watering bottle gives the plant water where it needs it most – the roots.

Use Compost Tea

Compost tea is an absolute must for healthy, vibrant and productive tomato plants in my book. Give the tomato a nice drink of compost tea at least once a week. This is the one time I will say to use overhead watering. By watering the entire plant with compost tea, it can drastically reduce the chances of insect pests and diseases.

Using these eight tips on caring for tomatoes will ensure you have great looking and fantastic tasting tomatoes through the whole summer.

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Differences Between Hybrid and Heirloom Tomatoes

Tee — Fri, 21 May 2010 11:41:53 +0000

There are literally thousands of different varieties of tomatoes available for the home vegetable gardener today. With this huge assortment of tomato varieties comes a little confusion between what is a hybrid and what is a heirloom tomato. Here is some information on what is meant when someone says a tomato is a hybrid and when they say it’s an heirloom and what the differences between the two are.

Heirloom Tomatoes

Although tomatoes are probably the most commonly referred to crop in the “heirloom versus hybrid” debate, nearly all vegetables have, or at one time had, heirloom varieties.

A tomato is considered to be an heirloom when the seed has been saved and grown at least 50 years or more and has been passed down from generation to generation. An heirloom is also open-pollinated, which simply means the plant is capable of producing seeds that will grow a new plant identical to the parent plant the seed came from.

Some examples of heirloom tomatoes are ‘Black Krim‘, Cherokee Purple and Brandywine.

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Hybrid Tomatoes

Hybrid tomato varieties are generally produced by plant breeders. These plant breeders select two compatible tomato varieties and cross-breed them to create a new tomato variety that features traits from the two parent plants.

For instance, a plant breeder may select a particular tomato plant because of its resistance to blights, and another tomato that produces very early. The plant breeder cross-pollinates the two tomato plants to create a new variety. The new tomato variety now has the two traits from the parent plants – blight resistance and early production.

You will see many hybrid tomatoes labeled F1, which means it is a new tomato variety, or first generation. A tomato labeled F2 simply means it is the second generation of that tomato variety.

Unlike heirlooms, seeds collected from a hybrid will not grow into an identical of the parent. It will grow with the traits of one of the parent plants, but not both. Many hybrid seeds are sterile and will not germinate.

Some examples of hybrid tomato varieties are ‘Better Boy‘, ‘Early Girl’ and ‘Celebrity’.

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How To Transplant Eggplant

Tee — Thu, 20 May 2010 12:00:02 +0000

Many vegetable gardeners love to grow eggplant. Eggplant is very easy to grow and tend to love warm temperatures. As a matter of fact, eggplant thrive as the temperatures begin to climb into the summer haze of heat. Eggplant is actually in the same family as tomatoes and have many of the same requirements as far as nutrients and soil are concerned.

A great way to grow eggplant is by starting the seeds indoors four to six weeks before the last frost and then transplant into the vegetable garden. Do not try to transplant eggplant too soon; they need soil temperatures in excess of 70° in order to thrive. Transplant any sooner than that and you can end up with unhappy or even dead plants.

If you are interested in transplanting your eggplant into the vegetable garden, here’s how:

Transplanting Eggplant Into The Vegetable Garden

As mentioned previously, the soil temperatures should be at least 70° before transplanting eggplant. Once the soil has reached the minimum temperature, prepare the eggplant seedling for transplanting.

I will be transplanting ‘Rosa Bianca‘ eggplant in my vegetable garden this year. ‘Rosa Bianca’ is an old heirloom variety that produces lavender and white-striped eggplants that are just as beautiful as they are delicious.

The first thing I do with the transplant is to remove the peat pot from around the seedling. It is important to do this carefully so the soil around the roots of the seedling does not fall away.

With your hand, dig out a small hole for the eggplant seedling. The soil of the seedling should sit about level with the garden soil height, so don’t dig the hole too deep. With a seedling of this size, you only need a couple inches. Once the hole is formed, simply place the eggplant seedling in the center of the hole.

Now cover the seedling with a mixture of soil and a little compost, covering the seedling at the same height as the existing garden soil. Make sure to add mulch around the seedling to help retain moisture and suppress weeds.

Water the newly transplanted eggplant seedlings well with water and compost tea. After a couple weeks, these eggplant seedlings will need to be thinned and then should supply us with great looking and tasting eggplants well into early Fall.

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