I am going to give you all my secrets of how I plant my vegetable garden. I wasn't going to reveal these secrets but I want to try to help everyone be as successful as they can be. So here it is- I begin with amending my soil with good organic matter, whether it be leaves or plants left in to decompose over the winter or from my own compost pile. Any plants that may have had a disease the year before I tear out and dispose of, usually in our fire pit. I know that isn't the most Eco-friendly way of doing things but our fire pit usually ends up as my husband's cooking space and if he's doing the cooking, it gives me more time to garden. I do not put diseased plants in my compost pile. Mine just doesn't get hot enough to destroy diseases. I also work in 3-4 inches of good organic matter when my husband tills my garden. When I plant my veggies, I dig the hole deep and mix in worm castings with a slow release organic vegetable fertilizer. For broccoli, tomato, pepper and brussel sprout plants, I cut a piece of a paper towel roll or use a small piece of a paper bag to wrap around the stem of the veggie to protect it from the nasty cut worm. They come out at night and cut your veggies right off at soil level, leaving it laying there for you to find the next day. They want bunnies or birds to take the blame. Bury half of the stem with the cardboard or paper underground, leaving some sticking above ground to discourage the cut worms. I then top dress (sprinkle on top after planting) with a little more worm castings. If you have compost, you can top dress with that too. Water thoroughly. I always mulch my vegetables with dried grass clippings or straw. Never use hay, it has way to many weed seeds in it. I was given some free one year, let me just say “not a good idea!” I had more weeds then ever. Free is not always better. I carry a biodegradable product called Weed Guard Plus at my shop but you can also use old newspaper as a mulch. Lay either one down around your plants in the rows to keep weeds or soil borne diseases from splashing up on the plants. This will help to protect plants from bacterial leaf spots or disease. I do remove some of the lower leaves from my tomatoes as the plants grow. The plant will have more energy for setting fruit, plus any soil borne disease won’t splash up on the lower leaves. Never let the soil dry out during the time when the veggies are setting fruit (while they are flowering). Inconsistent watering and lack of calcium can cause blossom end rot on tomatoes as well as peppers. This is why I mulch and use a fertilizer designed especially for vegetables and tomatoes. For tomatoes, don’t forget to use a cage or stake your tomatoes to keep them off the ground. They need to have their heavy branches supported. I never water my vegetable garden with an over head sprinkler. I believe it spreads more diseases. I also have my friends wash their hands first if they are a smokers and helping me in my garden. Tomato tobacco mosaic virus is a devastating disease and I don't want to take any chances. Tomatoes are my favorite. Another disease we may need to watch out for again this here is “Late Blight” on tomatoes and potatoes. It has just been reported by Kate Everts, a vegetable pathologist with the University of Maryland that in some parts of Wisconsin late blight has been confirmed. There are a couple organic fungicides available to help prevent or control this disease. Serenade is one of these controls. If the insects and diseases are under control the next thing I need to deal with are the animals. I have a lot of bunnies in my garden. They are huge almost like Jack Rabbits! I solve this by putting down Rabbit Scram 2 -3 times during the growing season. It really works in my garden! I can't tell you how many times I've had to replaced my lettuce, broccoli and beans before I used this. I was completely impressed on how well it worked. There are many other organic animal products that do work as well.
Now you have all my secrets for a healthy garden. Happy Gardening! Patty
Now you have all my secrets for a healthy garden. Happy Gardening! Patty
RSS Feed
