6 Reasons You Should Start a Vegetable Garden

Growing your own vegetable garden has so many benefits and rewards. And in case you're not yet convinced, here are a few:

Fresh food Instead of buying produce that has been traveling the country (or world) for weeks, you can eat your veggies within hours of picking, when taste and nutrition are at their peak.

Safe food You know where your food has been, what's been applied to it, and who's been touching it.

Economical Food No question about it, you can grow your own food for less money than it takes to buy it.

Improved Diet Studies show that families that grow their own vegetables and fruits eat more vegetables and fruits.

Exercise Have you started working in your garden yet? Then you know what I'm talking about!

Stress Reduction Research tells us that the physical work of gardening, combined with the fresh air, and the satisfaction of seeing your garden grow, are good for body, mind, and soul. Gardening gets us out of the building, out of the car, out of our busy, harried lives into a place that has its own rhythm, its own time.

So if you haven't made the decision to start a garden, I encourage you to give it a try. Container gardens are every bit as satisfying as a big plot in the back yard, as are community gardens; so if you have a little patch of sunshine somewhere, plant a garden in it!

Next time we'll look at some ways to nourish and protect your garden safely. Happy gardening!

Things being what they are, many of us will being spending more of our time in our own back yards this summer. We're planning "staycations", entertaining at home, and enjoying low cost weekends in town. Here's an idea that will make your outdoor living at home extra special. Plant a fragrant garden.

Think how wonderful it will be to sit on your patio in the evening, or stroll through your garden in the morning, inhaling the sweet and spicy fragrances of everything growing around you. We often think of our gardens only in visual terms, but scent adds an extra richness and luxury to your landscape. So here are some things to consider when planning your own fragrant garden.

Location

Plant your fragrant plants where you will most enjoy them- close to or on your patio, porch or deck, or along a garden path. If possible, shelter them from winds that will whisk the scent away. Planting in a courtyard or against a wall will keep the fragrance close.

Keep in mind that the leaves of many plants are fragrant when touched or crushed. Consider planting them at the edge of walkways, where contact will release the aroma. Some can even be planted on paths, and will survive light foot traffic, delighting passersby with scent when stepped on.

Time of day

If you use your deck or patio in the evenings, look for plants that release their fragrance late in the day. If you enjoy your morning coffee near an open window, or like spending your days outside, plant accordingly.

Season

With some research and planning, your garden can be rich with fragrance almost year round. There are flowers, shrubs, herbs and trees that will keep your garden aromatic through the seasons.

Nighttime Scent

• night scented stock
  
• Nicotiana
  
• Four o’clocks
  
• Moonflower vine
  

Fall & Winter Fragrance

• Nicotiana
  
• Four o’clocks
  
• Moonflower vine
  
• Autumn Clematis
  
• Evergreens such as fir, spruce, juniper

Fragrant herbs. Most herbs are fragrant. Here are a few I love:

• Lavender
• Lemon Balm
  
• Mints
  
• Scented Geraniums

Of course, I've left out some obvious fragrant delights like Lilac, Roses, and others. I knew you'd remember them on your own! What are some of your favorite fragrant plants? Share!

Dependable Daylily

Hemerocallis is the scientific name for the daylily, but whatever you call it, this perennial has so much to offer, it should be included in any garden. So what is it that makes the daylily such a "must have"?

• It comes in many colors shapes and sizes.


• It will tolerate a wide range of conditions


• It thrives with very little care, and are drought tolerant.


• It is resistant to disease and pest problems.


• It produces the most exquisite blooms, each one lasting only one day.

You are probably most familiar with yellow and orange daylilies, but that's just the start. There are lilies in every hue, and shades from pale pastels, to the deepest reds.

While daylilies will tolerate poor soil, you'll be rewarded for giving it the best conditions you can. Here's how to have a happy daylily:

• Plant in full sun, or mostly sunny locations


• Plant in well drained soil.


• Improve your soil with compost before planting.


• Once plant is established, use a balanced fertilizer


• Mulch to retain moisture, and keep down weeds.

Since I am an undiscplined gardener, I get a huge return on my inconsistent investment! I have about a half dozen varieties in my yard, that is one of mine at the top of this post. It is a Viette daylily, the Viette's have been growing and hybridizing daylilies for 3 generations. You can see some of their beautiful hybrids at their website: http://www.viette.com.

Keep Those Seedlings Strong!

How are your seedlings doing? Do you have things sprouting? I don't think it matters how many years you do it, there is something so exciting about seeing those little green seedlings start to emerge.

I have tomatoes and zinnias that are ready to go outside. They are tall, and leafy and look great right now. Unfortunately, it will be another 6 weeks before I can risk putting them out. In the meantime, I'm going to put them in bigger pots, plant them deep, give them as much light as I can, and try to keep them happy indoors.

The rest of my herbs and flowers look good, most have their first set of true leaves. I don't plant any other veggies from seed because my gardening space is so limited in my shady yard.

If your seedlings are progressing, there are some things you can do to keep them in peak condition until it's time to plant them outside.

1. Thin ruthlessly. I know, it's hard. But you don't want too many seedlings competing for space and water in those tiny peat pots. Keep one, ok, two if you must, and pull the rest. You'll be happier with a few strong healthy plants than dozens of scraggly ones.


2. Transplant if needed. Move tall leggy seedlings into 3" peat pots. Give them a little room to stretch, and as much light as you can manage. Keep them under the grow lights if you have them, to grow sturdy stems and not leggy ones.


3. Soon, on warm days, move plants outside to a sunny, but sheltered area. Start with a couple of hours, and increase as weather allows. Don't forget to bring them in!


4. Water. Enough, but not too much, and preferably from the bottom.


5. Be patient. It's been a long winter hasn't it? But May is coming, and before you know it you'll be moving all your little seedlings to their permanent homes in the garden. I can't wait how about you?

What are your favorite seed starting secrets? Write and share them, or send us pictures of your set up.

It's Spring. Yes, spring officially arrives this morning, and even though this was the coldest morning we have had at my house in over a week, I am very encouraged.

Because it is going to get warmer

the days are going to get longer

the leaves will turn green

the grass will grow

and the gardens will flourish.

It may feel like winter at your house today, it may even look like winter, but take heart! Spring comes every year, and it will come this year too.

Happy First Day of Spring!

I'd prefer to find almost anything in my garden over a slug. They're gooey, and slimy, and you can't shoo them away. You're likely to touch one before you even see it. They squish if you stop on them. Just writing about it makes me want to say "yuuch!"

Lucky for me,I've found something to keep me from having a slug experience. Sluggo is an all natural, organically certified slug control. The active ingredient is iron phosphate, which kills slugs, but decomposes into a soil component. There is absolutely no risk to people, pets wildlife, or plants. It is perfectly safe to use in vegetable gardens right up until harvest. So I can sprinkle with abandon, protecting myself from slugs, and feeling secure that I'm not harming any of the beneficial residents of my garden and soil

This is what it looks like:
and this is where I get it: www.harvestsafe.com

It's Earth Day again! Seems like I just wrote about Earth Day 2007! I'm sure you have been inundated with ideas, warnings, facts and figures, most of them depressing.

As a gardener there is one thing you can do to have a tremendous impact on your surroundings, and it will be FUN! Plant a tree! There are so many positive benefits of planting a tree, and here are just a few:

• They help control pollution. Trees absorb carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. leaves also absorb other air pollutants - such as ozone, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide
• They prevent soil erosion. Their roots hold the soil in place, and their canopies soften and disperse the impact of raindrops hitting the soil.
• Trees will keep neighboring buildings cooler, lessening the need for air conditioning. Leaves provide a cooling shelter from the sun's rays.
• They provide habitats for wildlife, and they provide soothing, peaceful, eye-pleasing spaces for humans as well.

So this Earth Day, take a break from all the bad news and do something happy.....

Plant a Tree!