There is no way to sugarcoat the challenges many of us in the Mid-Atlantic region have faced this summer. The inconsistency of rainfall and the extreme high temperatures have greatly impacted our efforts to garden successfully. Even with valiant efforts to apply supplemental irrigation, I have witnessed a wide range of plant material showing signs of drought stress that I have rarely witnessed in my 15-plus years of gardening in this region. To say it is cause for concern would be an understatement. As a result, in the last few months I have been repeatedly asked how we can prepare our beloved gardens to reduce heat and moisture stress for future growing seasons. One answer to this conundrum is to add organic matter to the soil in the form of compost.
How to Plant Your First Vegetable Garden | Gardener's Path
06.08.2024 - 13:07 / gardenerspath.com / Lorna Kring
Planting Your First Vegetable Garden: A Beginner’s Guide
So, you’ve decided to plant a vegetable garden.
Congratulations! You’ve made an excellent choice with far-reaching benefits.
Not only will you have a source of inexpensive, fresh vegetables, you’ll also be in complete control of how your crops are grown – so they can be as organic and natural as you like.
You can also plant surplus amounts to can and freeze, and make your own jams, jellies, pickles, and preserves – a great way to stretch your garden’s goodness (and food budget) into the winter months.
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On top of all that, working with soil and plants is an excellent stress buster. It’s one of the easiest activities to practice mindfulness, and working with the earth is a natural antidote to anxiety and worry.
Research even shows that children who garden eat more fruits and veggies. They also score better on science achievement tests, and significantly increase important life skills like self-understanding and the ability to work in groups – all good reasons to get the kids involved!
Clearly, there are a lot of positive benefits to the vegetable patch.
To get you off to the best possible start, in this article we’ll cover how to choose a location, the basic tools you’ll need, how to prepare your garden bed, plant selection, companion plants, successful planning, sowing, watering, weeding, fertilizing, small space gardens, and containers for veggies.
Let’s turn the sod!
Picking Your PlotIf you’re new to gardening, it’s a good idea to start small.
Preparing the soil and planting are just the first steps to a bountiful harvest. As spring and summer
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Join us this summer as we explore some of the UK’s best 2-for-1 Gardens to visit in August, for fun days out with all the family. Whether it’s an adventure playground or woodland trail for the kids, or a rose garden or restored Elizabethan garden for the horticulturalists, there is plenty to enjoy at these gardens. Visit using your 2-for-1 Gardens card to save money on your trips to all these wonderful gardens.
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It’s peak tomato season and if you’re lucky, you aren’t getting through them fast enough. While preserving the bulk of your harvest to keep from waste and spoiling is the best move, there are definitely times when you just want to hold onto that handful of heirlooms for a few days longer and enjoy the fruits of your labor fresh. Thankfully, how you store your tomatoes can buy you that extra time and it’s as simple as storing them stem-side down.
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Hi GPODers!
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