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Vegetable
gardening doesn’t have to be tedious or a chore. It is the ultimate in
fresh eating and if you grow your own vegetables, you will be certain
they are chemical-free. But best yet, if you include your children,
they will be more inclined to eat what they grow.
Raised
beds are one solution. By building a 24-inch tall structure that lasts,
gardening can continue worry-free for many years. Let’s look at
materials.
Materials Cedar: Cedar is naturally insect-resistant. If you choose to vegetable garden for only a few years, it’s a good choice. With our rainy winters, cedar will eventually decompose. It will last about 5-9 years depending upon weather patterns.
Concrete Block Not
only are they affordable, but they can be faced or
stained if you don’t like the way they look. They can also be capped,
producing a seat wall.
Steel or Aluminum Sheeting Steel and aluminum sheeting are not as expensive as you may think and can be bent into flowing shapes. Supported by rebar, they go in quickly.
Containers Herbs make fabulous companions to a perennial or two in containers. And, tomatoes prefer the warmer soil of a ceramic container in the sun and will grow more quickly. Don’t forget that larger containers hold more soil; more soil holds more water; you water less with larger containers.
Starting
Seedlings If
you are growing cool weather crops, you may consider planting carrots,
radishes, kale and chard in February. Peas like it cool, too. I start
the bulk of my tomatoes indoors in mid-March. Use sterilized soilless
mix to keep soil-borne diseases at bay.
To
facilitare speedy seed starts, use a heating pad designed for
seedlings--especially if you keep your home on the cool side. These
pads can be obtained on-line. A 9” x 18” pad will be large enough to
start 18 4-inch pots which can hold three or four seedlings. Keep your
soil damp until seeds have germinated.
Hardening Off Before
planting outdoors, plants have to acclimate to cooler temperatures.
Move your seedlings to a protected but unheated place like a garage or
shed for the evenings and return to their sunny window for the daytime.
Then start leaving them outdoors for increasingly longer periods during
the day. On the last day, you should be approaching the no-frost date
(here it's May 15th) and you will be able to leave your seedlings
outside around the clock.
Planting Outdoors Plant outdoors after the last hint of frost has vanished. You can go earlier if it seems to be a warmer year--but you are taking your chances. Have your soil ready to go, with a ratio of 50 percent compost added to 50 percent 3-way mix.
This should
get you going!
~ Nancy Tom is an environmental horticulturist who designs, installs and maintains landscapes for Down-to-Earth Gardens, Inc. This article was written in 2010 for the Redmond Reporter and the Kirkland Reporter. ~ Archived
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