TEACHING CHILDREN GARDENING

A child is never too young to take out in the garden. They can help you plant and weed and they can even have their own garden space in your garden or in another part of the yard. If they want to try growing something new, let them !!! They may even be able to teach you something you haven't thought about.

It is best to work as a family when planning, planting, weeding and harvesting the garden. Work together, and make sure you make it fun for your family. Learn from each other and enjoy the time you spend together in the garden.
My parents always encouraged us to help in the garden, I’m sure it would have been easier if they just did it themselves. I’m sure greatful that they spent the extra time to teach me what they did.

I can remember my nephew helping me plant potatoes when he was only about 2 1/2 years old. He would crawl down the rows and put the potato sets in the hole I made with a shovel. I doubt he remembers that day, but I sure do. Thanks Chris !!!

ALL I KNOW ABOUT PEAS

I love peas, they are about my favorite vegetable. I plant lots of peas, most for eating right out of the garden, and some to freeze. Little Marvel Peas and Green Arrow Peas are some of my favorites. I plant them in a wide row. About 12" to 18" wide, this year I am trying a new method. I planted two 12" rows on each side of a ‘net wire’ fence. I’ll keep you posted on how this works.

Peas can be hard to come up through a hard crust. So here is a solution, my Mother told me about ten years ago. At that time I told her I couldn’t get my peas to come up, some years they were fine and some years they wouldn’t come up. So this is what she said. Dig a furrow for the peas, (I dig one anywhere from 4" to 18" wide), then flood the row with water. After the water sinks, plant a generous amount of peas. (We used to say ‘plant them thick’). Then cover the peas with 1" to 2" of dirt that is on one side of the row. (Here comes the biggest hint !!) Do not water or sprinkle peas after you have planted them. No matter what !!!! As my Mother told me "Do not water them, you’ll want to. But don’t water them and they will come up on their own." Even if you check them a week or ten days later and they seem to be lying in dry dirt - they have soaked up enough moisture from the water in the furrow for them to sprout. Give them a few more days and they will begin to come up — honest.

You can also soak them first, but I never have soaked my peas. Peas can rot easily if they have too much moisture. If you soak them first, then water the furrow, then it rains you will have a good chance to have rotting peas. I recommend watering the row first and waiting.

Do not water your peas during the heat of the day, or late evening. If you water peas during a hot day, the will scald and die. They are very sensitive to water when they are hot. If you water them during the evening they will have a greater chance of having fungus or mold problems. I water my peas during the morning, that way they are cool and will have all day for the leaves to dry off.

Did you know that peas have nodules full of nitrogen on their roots? The plant produces nodules on the roots and much of their energy is used to build these nodules. So they have their own built in fertilizer. When the pods are filling, the plant reduces the building and filling of nodules and spends its energy filling pods. Because the peas have built in nitrogen doesn’t mean they do not need fertilizer, they can become low in nitrogen. If the colors of your peas are yellow that may mean, they need a fertilizer supplement.

You can plant them thick and replant a second crop in the same place. But watch for nitrogen diffencency. I have replanted a second crop in the same place around July 24th or August 1st for a few years now, and have had good results.

PLANTS ARE PEOPLE TOO !!

A few weeks ago I stopped to visit with Della at the Willard Bay Gardens in Willard Bay, Utah. I always enjoy talking to her. She is so full of information, and so willing to share her expertise. I asked her questions about trellising, compost, soil for planter pots and several other things.

She told me about a great organic product called coconut fiber. It is ground up coconut shells. It is used to mix with your potting soil to soak up the moisture in your garden or flower pots. She recommended I mix it 50/50 with the potting soil I will use in my pots this year. It makes the soil so light and fluffy. I love the idea of having something in my pots that will soak up and keep the moisture more constant.

She told me about Hen and Chickens and how they grow. I wanted to transplant some of the small chicks that were around the outside of the plant into different areas of my garden. She said that was not such a good idea. She told me the center plant is the Hen and she has several chicks around her. As they get older, the Hen will grow a stem and a blossom and then after a few weeks the Hen dies. This allows more room for other Chicks to grow and fill in the large area where the Hen once lived. So they really aren’t meant to be divided, but grow in one area.

As we visited, we realized that each plant has its own story. We just need to learn what that story is. As we learn more about gardening, we will learn more about the plants we grow and how to learn to be more successful with each plant. We will try new techniques that may or may not work. The trick is to find out what works, what doesn’t and learn all we can about the plant’s story.

It is always a good idea to keep a garden journal to write down ideas, techniques and dates. So try to remember what works and what doesn’t to improve your garden’s story book.

Once again, thanks Della for the visit and the advise !!! Barney and Della Barnett are located at Willard Bay Gardens, 7095 S. Hwy. 89, Willard Bay, Utah. www.willardbaygardens.com

Sharing is Contagious

Share your glorious garden with others.

My Parents were always sharing their produce and flowers with others. My Mother used to take a bouquet of flowers to church almost every Sunday. She worked hard on the bouquet to make sure it looked great. I know people appreciated her hard work and talent.

Sharing is contagious, if you give someone something from your garden, they will be more likely to share with someone or do something nice for someone else. Isn't that the way it should be? Besides, doing for others makes you feel good.

So share your garden with someone - anyone.

My Planting System

Okay, so it is getting closer and closer to the time to plant. Are you ready for my secret planting system? After gathering information from my Parents, neighbors, friends and books, I came up with this system. It is pretty simple and I use it for almost everything I plant.

First, make sure the ground isn't too wet to work and plant.
If you are planting in a wide or regular row, rake or hoe away the dirt to prepare the bed for planting. Remove all rocks and clods. Next, if you are using a fertilizer, sprinkle it in the prepared bed. Then water the bed, be generous with the water, allow it to soak in. Next, plant the seeds and cover with soft soil or compost, three times the thickness of the seeds.

IMPORTANT: WHEN YOU WATER THE ROW BEFORE PLANTING, DO NOT WATER THE SEEDS AGAIN UNTIL THEY ARE ABOUT 1" TO 2" TALL. IF YOU WATER THEM BEFORE THEY ARE 'UP', A CRUST WILL FORM AND THE PLANTS WILL HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME COMING UP THROUGH THE HARD CRUST.

If you are planting single plants, such as peppers or tomatoes, dig a hole about 8 to 12" deep. Put in about 2 tablespoons of garden fertilizer and then fill the hole with water. Next, plant the plant and give it a good drink of water.

When I plant, I work on several rows at a time. First I make my rows, a section at a time, then fertilize all of them, next water them and so forth.

Ready to plant?

Pam's Planting Plan
Now you have your seeds and are getting ready to plant. So how do you plant seeds anyway?

When you plan to plant your plants, planting can take some planning. Got that?

For example, how many seeds do I plant? How close to each other? How deep and how soon.
Always read the seed packets, there is lots of information there.

Let's start with how many seeds to plant. Radishes, lettuce, carrots, spinach and cress should be as thick as you would use salt or pepper. They shouldn't be overlapping but should be about 1/4 inch apart. I like to plant all of these plants in a 18" wide row. That will make the most of your space. Leave room to walk around the 'rows' or try two 10" rows with 24" or 36" between the rows.

Beets, beans and peas can be planted in a wide row too, or you can trellis the peas and beans. Plant beets and beans about 1/2 inch apart. I plant my peas much thicker, actually don't tell anyone, but I plant my peas so thick you can't see the ground. This year I am going to try to trellis my beans and peas. I will use a net wire fence and plant on both sides of the fence.

Planting peppers, tomatoes, califlower and cabbage are a little different. I plant peppers about 1 foot apart, tomatoes, califlower and cabbage about 2 feet apart.

A rule of thumb is plant the seed at a depth of three times the size of the seed. So if you are planting carrots or lettuce that is 1/8 of an inch thick, only cover it with 3/8 of an inch of soil. Peas are 1/4 of an inch, so plant them 3/4 of an inch deep. A note about peas, plant them thicker than it recommends on the packet. Peas are self fertilizing so they can be planted much thicker.

Cucumbers, squash, pumpkins and watermelon can be planted in rows about 36" apart. They should be planted in groups called hills. I plant 3 to 4 seeds per hill and then when the plants are about 3 inches tall, thin to the best 2 plants. A note about thinning, don't pull the plants up, pinch them off or trim with sissors. Then the roots of the remaining plants won't be disturbed.

Now the million dollar question, when to plant. You can plant by the moon, middle of May, after Memorial Day, or the first of June. Your guess is as good as mine. I usually plant all of my garden around the 20 of May, this year I will plant around the 29th of May.

This Spring has been a cool wet one and if a garden is planted too early it won't grow too quickly. The ground needs to be warm before the seeds and plants can grow with vigor. Plant early if you want, but notice the same plants planted later usually mature just as fast. I can remember planting potatoes in March and they did just fine, but with a wet Spring you take the chance of seeds rotting in the cold wet ground.

Vertical, Vertical, Vertical

If one cucumber plant grows 3' X 3' and you have 4 plants, that adds up to a lot of space. But if you grow them on a trellis you can grow the same number of plants in a much smaller area.
Build a homemade trellis, or use a manufactured trellis, but try the vertical method. They claim cucumbers, cantalopes and even watermelon will grow on a trellis. Cucumbers will be straighter too. The pruning is kind of tricky, but they say the vines will be stronger to handle the weight of the fruit. I plan to try it this year and I will keep you posted. I will plant on both sides of the trellis, to make the most of the space. Try to trellis peas and beans too.

Garden Creating

Okay so this is probably the first time you have heard the word creating when talking about gardening. Sometimes you just need to be creative. Like starting seeds in the bathtub (more about that later).
This may be your first garden, if so, congratulations !!! What a big step. A garden will be a great improvement in your garden and on your table. Start small and do some research. You will have so many decisions to make. Such as where to plant, what to plant and how much to plant.

Lets start with where to plant.
1. Choose a sunny location.
2. Well drained soil
3. Keep your first garden small.
4. Plant it in a close, convenient spot, one that you can see from your kitchen window.

Next, what to plant.
1. Vegetables your family likes to eat.
2. Lots of veggies for salads.
3. Plant a variety.
4. Have fun with your garden, try something new.

Last, how much to plant.
1. Plant in a compact area, make the most of your space.
2. Decide if you plan to eat the vegetables fresh or do some canning too.
3. Estimate how much you will harvest from a certain vegetable and then plant accordingly.
4. Try this, keep track of what vegetables you buy for a few weeks. Then plant what you think you will need. Keep in mind that you will eat differently out of your garden than out of the store. For example, you will probably use radishes and green onions from your garden in a salad, but may not go to the extra expense if you buy them at the store.

My Mother used to say, plant too much so you will have enough.
Plant what you eat and eat what you plant.

Four-O-Clooks, My Favorite for the Week

Four-O-Clocks
Four-O-Clocks are a flower that grows about 3 feet tall. I first tried these last year after finding an old seed packet of my Mothers. It quickly became a favorite of mine. They come in yellow, red, pink and striped colors.
They are also self-seeding, in other words, the flowers go to seed and the seeds drop to the ground. If the conditions are right, they will grow the following season.

SAVING SEED

http://www.croptrust.org/GlobalSupplyFood/index2.html
This is a link for information about saving seeds in a seed bank in the Arctic. Also, a little about the huge variety of beans and rice. It has a very interesting information about screening seeds and seed banking in the Arctic. It made me realize the importance of saving seeds.

Did you know that if you save your own seeds, (peas for example), that they will become acclimated to this area and will become tougher (more resistant to frost) and earlier (have a shorter growing season)? Pretty interesting huh?

So after learning about the Arctic seed bank and how the seeds you save will be acclimated to this area, I decided to learn more about saving seeds. This is what I know so far:
1. You shouldn’t save seeds from Hybrid plants. More about this in a later post.
2. You can save the seed from Heirloom plants only if they are pollinated from the exact type of plant or self pollinating. More about this later too.
3. Decide before you plant which seeds you would like to save. This will determine how much you plant and the location. For example, to save bean seed, so you will plant the seed you want to save far away from any other bean plants. Mark the plants you want to save and choose not to pick any of the produce until it is time to harvest the seed.
4. Some seed saving is a two year process. For example, carrots are harvested the first year and then re-planted the second year. The second year the carrot will go to seed.
5. Lots of useful information about seed saving is available on the Internet. Search for more information about particular plants there.
6. Seed saving is exciting and learning to be self-reliant is a relief to me.
7. Heirloom plants may not be as attractive as Hybrids.
8. Heirlooms may not be as disease resistant as Hybrids.
9. Heirlooms usually taste better than Hybrids.
10. I have saved Cress seed for about 20 years, and it hasn’t failed me yet.

So, consider saving some of your seed this year. It will be interesting, plus save money too.