Vegetables Vegetables are one of the most rewarding things to grow in a garden because you get to enjoy the end result of your hard work by eating it! Read the directions for each vegetable carefully to get the maximum yield from each plant and watch over them for signs of disease or bugs. A little TLC (Tender Loving Care) will go a long way to make your veggies the best on the block. Beans The Musical Fruit No matter which variety of beans you want to plant they all have similar requirements. They prefer slightly acidic soil that is warm and not too dry. Too much moisture will rot the seed and plant. If your soil is very clay wait until June 7 before planting the seeds to allow it to dry out. Plant bean seeds 1 to 2 inches deep (2 to 5 cm) and 4 to 6 inches apart (10 to 16 cm). Keep the plants covered with a layer of thin, lightweight clear plastic until they produce flowers. Once they start flowering then you can uncover them, as they have to pollinate each other. Low varieties will reach 12 inches in height (30 cm) while the climbing varieties like Scarlet Runners can reach 6 feet tall (2 m). You will need to support the plants them to keep them from trailing on the ground where they can get damaged. Pick the ripened beans before the seeds show their shape through the pod Remove any old bean pods or the plant will stop producing new beans. All its energy will be spent preparing the seeds, which is what beans really are. If your garden has earwigs use a floating row cover. Carrots Carrots
No matter what type of carrot you plant they all have the same requirements. The seeds need a slightly acid soil with ph between 5.5 to 6.5. They prefer loose soil high in organic matter. The seeds will find it hard to grow through clay soil so it’s best to cover them with a non-crusting material like compost or sawdust ½ to ¾ inches thick (1 to 3 cm). The seeds are very small so you can try either the mini-row method or gel method to make seeding easier. Carrots need to be thinned once the leaves grow to 8 cm high (3 inches). You can transplant the seedlings, spacing them 1 to 2½ inches apart (3 to 6 cm). When the carrots grow to the size of your finger they should be thinned again 2½ to 5 inches apart (6 to 8 cm) for nice large carrots. You can eat carrots at any size but the bigger they grow the woodier they will taste. If your garden has earwigs use a floating row cover. Corn
Kandy Korn is a variety of corn that has an attractive plant with extra tender ears that mature in 90 days. The soil needs to be warm so don’t plant too early. It prefers rich soil just below neutral in acidity with high moisture-holding capacity but well drained. Plant the seeds in blocks, not long rows because they are cross-pollinated by the wind. Plant the seeds 1 inch deep (2 cm) and 6 inches apart (15 cm) or farther apart if your soil is average. CAUTION: Most corn seeds are treated with a pink fungicide so wash your hands well right after planting. Apply mulch when the plants reach 8 inches high (20 cm) and keep them well watered and fertilized. When silk appears apply a few drops of mineral oil in the silk to prevent worms in the corn ears. Corn is ready to harvest once the silk is brown and dry. Raccoons love corn. If they bother your garden ask your parents to set up a spotlight or motion detector in the corn patch to scare them away. If they persist ask your parents to wrap an old radio in plastic and turn it on each night when your corn is just about ripe. Don’t have it loud enough to bother your neighbours, though. Cucumber
Most cucumbers mature in about 65 days. They grow on a vigorous bush with 2-inch (5 cm) triangular leaves. Each blossom produces a vegetable that can be eaten raw or pickled. The Arkansas Little Leaf variety will mature in 62 day and is great for big, juicy pickles. Make sure the soil is warm and all danger of frost has passed, usually around June 10, before planting otherwise the seeds will rot in the soil. Plant the seeds in rows and thin the seedlings to 6 inches apart (15 cm). Once well started the plant will tolerate a wide range of weather conditions. If you need to save space in your garden train the plants to grow up a trellis. Alternately, you can plant seeds in hills. Once each seedling has 6 leaves thin the hill to just 4 seedlings. Don’t allow cucumbers to get overripe or the vines will stop producing more cucumbers. If your garden was part of the lawn the year before you may need to watch for cutworms and treat your garden for them. If you spray with any type of fertilizer be sure to WASH and PEEL any cucumbers you eat raw. Peanuts Peanuts need good, soft soil mixed with compost but not too high in Nitrogen with full sun. In Canada’s climate, peanuts they need to be started indoors by the end of April. Carefully remove a peanut from its shell without breaking the thin pink skin. Plant it in a peat pot 1" deep (2 1/2 cm) and put it in front of a sunny window. Water it and watch for the seedling to grow. When all danger of frost has passed and the soil outside is warm, usually June 7th, plant it in the garden. · You can warm the soil with black plastic for a couple of weeks before planting. · If you have clay soil use black landscape fabric because it breathes. · Plant the seedlings 12" apart (15 cm) and cover the peat pot rim with soil or the plant will dry out. Water it well. · If your garden has cutworms put toilet paper roll collars around each of your plants. · Peanut plants will grow to about 18" tall (45 cm) and then flower. · The yellow flowers will be pollinated and the stems elongate and grow toward the ground. · Once the seed pods go underground they will form into peanuts. This usually takes between 60 to 80 days. · Keep the plants well watered until the end of August. In September, listen for frost warnings. · Before the first hard frost, pull up the plants and your clusters of seed pods will be ready. · The nuts in the centre of the cluster will be ripe but some from around the edge may not be ripe enough to eat. · Store the ripe nuts in a warm, dry place and turn them every day to make sure they don’t go mouldy.
You can save the seeds for planting next year or eat them raw or cooked: Shell the nuts and rub off the pink skin. Roast the nuts on a cookie sheet in the oven set at 350°F (180°C) for 15 minutes Shuffle them and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes. If they need more time, shuffle them again and test them every 5 minutes to make sure they don’t get overcooked. Let them cool before you eat them because nuts hold the heat really well. Potatoes Potatoes like acidic soil (pH 4.8 to 6.5) because it prevents a disease called scab. Don’t add lime to the soil, as it will promote scabs on your potatoes. Planting is done as soon the soil can be worked in the spring. There are several ways to start potatoes: Cut the eyes out of a potato and let it dry 2 to 4 hours before planting it in the soil OR Take cuttings leaving the eyes in. Each eye should have a piece of potato the size of a small egg attached to it which will increase the size of your potatoes. Let it dry 2 to 4 hours before planting it in the soil. OR Pre-sprout a potato in a bright but not directly sunny spot for a few weeks. In the 1st week of June cut off a chunk of potato the size of a small egg with a sprout or eye on it. Place cuttings on the soil 12" apart (30 cm) and let them dry for an hour or 2. Then cover them with 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) of straw or hay. After you sprout your spuds plant them 3 inches deep (8 cm) and 6 to 12 inches apart (15 to 30 cm). Add a thin layer of mulch and keep them watered. When the shoots and leaves eventually poke through the mulch add another 6" (15 cm) of mulch around the plants without covering the leaves. You can peek underneath the mulch to watch the tubers develop and make sure they aren’t turning green, which is a signal to add more mulch. When plants reach 9 inches high (15 cm) hill the potatoes with another 3 to 6" (8 to 16 cm) of soil, hay or straw. Mulching will keep the potatoes from turning green. Green spuds produce an alkaloid poison. Watch for potato bugs while they are growing and treat them if necessary. In September, carefully dig up your potatoes or pull the mulch back to expose the tubers. Brush off any loose dirt, let them dry off and store them in a cool, dry place. Tomatoes
Tomatoes prefer soil that is just below neutral in acidity (pH 6.0 to 7). Make sure the soil is warm because tomatoes hate getting cold feet. Choose a cloudy day or late afternoon to plant your tomatoes because the seedlings are a little delicate and will wilt in too much sun from transplanting shock. When planting seedlings, remove the bottom leaves halfway up the main stem to help develop a larger root system. Tomato plants should be put in the ground at a 45° angle and the hole filled with soil. Water them right away. If you had lawn in this area last year, put a toilet paper roll collar around each tomato plant to stop cutworms from damaging the stems. For larger tomato varieties like ‘Burpee Big Boy’, you will need a good support system because regular tomato cages will be too small for them. Your tomatoes will ripe from late summer through autumn. In September listen to the weather reports for frost warnings. Once frost hits the plants they will turn black and you can pull them up and compost them. You can harvest the ripe, red tomatoes and even the green tomatoes to make Green Ketchup or mincemeat. |
