This is the third day of my Counting Down to Earth Day 2013 Series.
Today’s Tip: GROW SOMETHING
Any gardener will tell you that there are few things in life more rewarding than harvesting something you grew yourself.
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| My friend Pam's garlic scapes in a photo taken by her husband John. |
You don’t have to start with seeds.
You can transplant a plant,
or two.
Don’t worry if things don’t turn out exactly as they appear in the seed packet photo.
If you have plenty of sun [All vegetables need quite a bit of sunlight — ideally 8-10 hours of direct sunlight a day. Some leafy vegetables will tolerate partial shade, but even they will not thrive in less than six hours of direct sunlight.]…
adequate space [even a large container or two]…
and the time, patience, and commitment to water and nurture your plants…
you have all you need.
If you are planting directly into the ground, test your soil before you start, especially if you live in the city, or if your lot was once an orchard. You could have high levels of lead.
For inspiration, visit my friend Rachel’s blog.
Rachel was my master gardening mentor. For weeks she has been busy. Inside she has been planting seeds, growing the plants under lights, and experimenting with grafting, explaining all she’s been doing along the way. She began sowing outside in late March. The air temperature was in the 40°s, but the temperature in the soil was 50° the day she started. How did she know it was time to plant her seeds? You will have to read her blog to find out.
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| Rachel used a soil thermometer. |
My advice? Start small. You can always do more later in the season. Have fun getting dirty!
Come back tomorrow for a new tip as we count down to Earth Day on April 22.
Love Your Mother (Earth). Pass it on. Together we can make a difference. Yes, we can!
And the garlic is coming up again this year! In a different spot, of course, as the bulbs cannot be planted in the same place year after year. But it's always exciting to see that they have survived the winter and in a couple of short months, scapes and bulbs will be available for culinary delights!
ReplyDeleteGardener's Joy! Just like I said. Hope you have enough to share. ;-)
ReplyDeletePam is so right! it's very important to rotate your crops, especially garlic. The fungi that affect garlic will over winter and infect your new crop if you plant it in the same place year after year. Think i'll post about that on my own blog, thanks Pam! : )
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