Ongoing research

As we get ready for this year’s vegetable garden planting season, I begin thinking about summer heat. Pretty much every year in late July, my family slides into a tomato depression thinking that all those beautiful green tomatoes will never get ripe. It depresses me to even think about it. However, this year…

After the frightening "summer is here too early; no, wait, it's going to freeze tonight" weather we had in March, April was lovely with its perfect spring blend of warm days, cool nights, moderate humidity, and a spattering of rain and snow. I hope this continues right through May, with a gradual warming…

Vegetable Gardening - Handbook for Beginners Chapter 2.5.The ideal time to water is before mid-morning. This avoids water waste through evaporation, and enables foliage to dry by sunset, thus precluding disease development.Fungal diseases thrive when temperatures remain between 70 and 80 degrees; they need…

Vegetable Gardening - Handbook for Beginners Chapter 2.4.Composting is a method of producing a nutrient rich soil amendment (plant food) by using naturally occurring beneficial fungi and bacteria to break down organic waste. The simple process of composting allows large amounts of household, yard, and/or…

Vegetable Gardening - Handbook for Beginners Chapter 2.3.Most vegetables transplant well. Exceptions include those with long tap roots like carrots, parsley, and cilantro, and also potatoes and corn, which should be sown directly outdoors where they will mature.Choose plants in 6-packs and 4” pots. The small…

Vegetable Gardening - Handbook for Beginners  Chapter 2.2.Starting vegetable seeds indoors early can reduce the cost of transplants and allow you to grow varieties that may be difficult to find in the nursery as transplants. To start you will need a soilless mix; growing containers; and the proper…