Yesterday, we were short on groceries; but not to worry! I went to the garden and dug up a load of potatoes. Mind you, I never planted potatoes, yet there they were. You see, we compost. And compost is one of the funnest ways of discovering the potential of your yard. It improves the soil dramatically, and has other, surprise, benefits.
Some people will tell you to invest in a compost barrel and fully degrade the organic matter before mulching it into your soil. That's one way of doing a nice, neat garden. But for the messy gardener, direct composting has its advantages. One of them is that it is far less work and far less cost. Another is that the things you compost tend to be the things your family likes to eat, and some of them will grow! We move our compost area periodically from one end of our front garden/planter (it's about 8x3), and we discover new foods growing where the previous pile was. Onions can grow out of the ends that you throw away. Potatoes can grow from the eyes you toss. It's very little work, and free food. And who doesn't like free?
Showing posts with label gardening. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gardening. Show all posts
Friday, July 27, 2007
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Planting tomatoes
A few tidbits about growing tomatoes, the favorite garden food in the United States...
If you plant starts, you will get a longer fruiting season but will pay more than if you start from seed. Bury your starts fairly deep. The more stem you get under the dirt, the more of it will become root, giving your plant a deep root system to sustain a bigger, more productive plant.
For best variety and longer growing season, plant more than one kind of tomato. Grape tomatoes are very sweet and fun to eat right off the vine, and beefsteak tomatoes will give you lots of "flesh" for cooking. Other varieties can be pretty, have unique flavors, or have earlier fruiting season. Experiment.
Tomatoes need support. A good steel cage will hold up much better than a cheap wire cage, and if you plan to grow tomatoes summer after summer, it's worth the investment. Also good is a trellis, or even a length of fence.
Don't plant tomatoes and potatoes together, because they are closely related and can share pests or diseases.
For real fun, plant onion, cilantro, and chili peppers also, and make your own garden salsa!
If you plant starts, you will get a longer fruiting season but will pay more than if you start from seed. Bury your starts fairly deep. The more stem you get under the dirt, the more of it will become root, giving your plant a deep root system to sustain a bigger, more productive plant.
For best variety and longer growing season, plant more than one kind of tomato. Grape tomatoes are very sweet and fun to eat right off the vine, and beefsteak tomatoes will give you lots of "flesh" for cooking. Other varieties can be pretty, have unique flavors, or have earlier fruiting season. Experiment.
Tomatoes need support. A good steel cage will hold up much better than a cheap wire cage, and if you plan to grow tomatoes summer after summer, it's worth the investment. Also good is a trellis, or even a length of fence.
Don't plant tomatoes and potatoes together, because they are closely related and can share pests or diseases.
For real fun, plant onion, cilantro, and chili peppers also, and make your own garden salsa!
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