Spring Gardening Tips

So its Spring. Hopfully you were a Good Gardener and put at least 6 inches of compost material onto your Vegetable Garden bed at the end of last Fall. If not thats a big Ooops! QUICK...run to your nearest Garden Center and purchase as much as you can! Incorporate it into your soil before planting.

In some parts of the country you've Already planted. But for those of us who live in regions that seem more like the Artic Tundra...its time to plant your cold hardy greens. Yep, thats right...SpINaCH, Kale, Lettuce, Swiss Chard, Collard Greens, Asian Greens, etc... No need to water your seeds during Spring if you planted in the ground. Mother Nature is a better gardener than you are. You can reserve your water usage for Summer.

 

Be sure to check out my previous Blog Post about Butterflies, "Plight of the Butterfly." It contains tips and tricks about how to invite Butterflies into your vegetable garden. 

 

Gardening Tips, Growing Corn

Thinking of Spring?

So you want to plant corn. Corn requires a lot of space to grow. Here's a way that you can better utilize your space while detering Raccoons from feasting on your harvest.

Keep in mind that corn must be planted in rows of atleast 10 plants per row, with atleast 6 rows of plants that are spaced about 2 feet apart....these are minimum requirements and it doesn't guarantee that you will produce corn...you may need more plants and more rows. Gardening is done by trial and error.  

After you have planted your corn, and it has grown to about 3-6 inches tall...you can plant pole beans and squash/pumpkins too  :)

Very C A R E F U L L Y plant your pole bean seeds in a circle around each corn stalk. The corn stalk will act as a trellis for your beans. As they grow train your beans to grow up the corn stalks.

AND

then plant your squash/pumpkin seeds in a circle around your pole bean seeds. As the squash grows you will have to train it to grow in a circle around your corn stalk. When the plants produce flowers and later fruit you must be Super C A R E F U L when moving the vines...OR your flower/fruit will fall off of the vine  :(

Raccoons little padded paws are sensitive. They don't like stepping on the pricklies that grow on squash vines. So this helps to keep them from feasting on your corn. Its a better way that you can co-exist with these cute little critters  :)   After all we have moved into their Front Yard!

Raccoons and Skunks also like squash/pumpkins  :)   Sprinkle Cayenne pepper around the fruit to help deter them. This will need to be refreshed often. You can also try spraying Fox pee near the fruit...but NOT directly on your plants! 

Happy Gardening!

Plight of the Butterfly part 1

Here's something to think about while planning your vegetable or herb garden. Don't forget to invite the Butterflies! So many Butterfly species are endangered or in trouble, due to chemical flower/lawn/garden/crops sprays, as well as loss of habitat. Something you can do to help out the (Blue, Yellow, Black) Swallowtail Butterflies is to plant Carrots, Parsley and Dill. The females lay their eggs on these plants and their caterpillars feed on them, ex. they feed on the carrot tops. Don't worry...they don't eat much :)

These plants help you too in more ways than one! They're a great source of nutrition. You can cook them or eat them raw in salad. Plant them along your garden border to help keep the grass out. So you see its a win win proposition :)

Sorry I don't have a photograph of these Beautiful Butterflies.

Gardening Tips, Compost and Early Spring Planting

So its Spring. Hopefully you were a Good Gardener and put at least 6 inches of compost material onto your Vegetable Garden bed at the end of last Fall. If not thats a big Ooops! QUICK...run to your nearest Garden Center and purchase as much as you can! Incorporate it into your soil before planting.

In some parts of the country you've Already planted. But for those of us who live in regions that seem more like the Arctic Tundra...its time to plant your cold hardy greens. Yep, thats right...SpINaCH, Kale, Lettuce, Swiss Chard, Collard Greens, Asian Greens, etc... No need to water your seeds during Spring if you planted in the ground. Mother Nature is a better gardener than you are. You can reserve your water usage for Summer.