GARDENING TIPS & TRICKS
Learn how to plan and produce your own garden
Planning a garden
Where should I begin?
The first step is figuring out the space you have. Everyone can have a garden. It doesn’t have to be on acres of land, it can be on your windowsill, in pots on your porch, or even on your counter. You just decide what space is available for your garden no matter the size.
How do I decide what to plant?
Start with figuring out what growing zone you are in. Trying to grow something that your climate does work with will only cause frustration. I am in zone 5a/5b so I can’t grow luffa (despite trying my best) but I can grow lots of tomatoes!
Once you know what you can grow, think about what you eat a lot of. Many people will start with a salad garden or a salsa garden. Salad- lettuce, cucumber, green peppers. tomatoes. Salsa- Tomatoes, jalapenos, and onions. Adding in a few flowers will help with pollination too!
When do I start?
If you are direct sewing (putting seeds into the ground) the back of the package will tell you if it can be planted before the last frost and how long the plant takes to produce fruit.
If you are planting starters (baby plants grown inside or at a greenhouse) they go into the ground after your last frost. Google will tell you when that is based on your zip code.
If you are growing inside and never plan to bring them outside. Anytime you want to as long as you water and give them enough light.
How do I know where to plant my plants?
Companion planting helps produce larger and healthier plants. For example, Basil and Tomatoes do well together. They help each other grow, one provides shade, and the other enriches the soil with the nutrients the other needs. But the opposite can also happen. Some plants hurt each other, some plants bring pollinators in, and some keep unwanted pests away.
I have a hard time remembering what plant does what so I got an app called “Seed to Spoon.” It explains which plants do well together and which are enemies. I highly recommend it.
Don’t be afraid to try something new
Gardening can be a lot of fun, but it can also be scary to start. Don’t be afraid to try something new and it’s okay if what you try fails. Tomatoes and zucchini are a great start to self-sufficiency. They are pretty durable and produce a ton. If you plant some of either of those you will be sure to have fruit of your labor. Add in lettuce or radishes, both can be a nice addition to a dinner and are low maintenance. Even taking one item off your grocery list will make a difference over time.
CABBAGES vs. Slugs
Slugs are invading my cabbages! They did this last year so I moved the location of my cabbages in hopes that it would deter the slugs but it didn’t work. There are so many slugs that I am starting to worry about not getting any cabbages this year…again! When I discovered the slugs, I was pretty angry so I took a day to think about how to approach the situation. First I tried Neem oil and sprayed the snot out of them but it didn’t work. I did some sleuthing and discovered that the slugs are only interested in the cabbages so that is a good start. None of my other plants are being bothered by the slugs. Other critters, yes, slugs, no. I kept thinking about what I had that could work and in the meantime, the slugs were basically at an all-day cabbage buffet and it was driving me crazy. So in a sudden burst of frustration, I took my hose, set it to jet, and shot those slugs full blast with water! I got right up in the cabbage and they all went flying! It was very satisfying… but they came back. So I started googling again. I found a blog that suggested beer, I didn’t think drinking would help but I kept reading anyway. She suggested putting beer in a bowl because the slugs can’t resist beer. We are Nazarene pastors and do not drink so this wasn’t an easy task to just accomplish by heading to the fridge but those slugs are driving me nutty and they have to go!! I asked my husband to pick up a beer on the way home, he asked if I was okay because he didn’t know about the slugs yet. After a bit of explaining he said he could get a beer so I could lure the slugs out of my cabbages. I have set the trap and now we wait to see if they fall for it. I will update soon.