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Wednesday, March 23, 2011
News Got seeds?
Posted By Rhiannon Fionn-Bowman on Wed, Mar 23, 2011 at 10:34 AM
The Charlotte Observer posted a couple of great articles about backyard gardening recently, so I thought I'd share them with you. (Below.) After all, backyard gardening is all the rage these days, what with food prices up and overly processed food padding our already fat asses.
I'll tell you, this year is the third year for our backyard garden, which we share with a few of neighbors. We've had some big successes and some big failures, but every year we learn a little more and get a little better ... and a little more daring. (This year we're planting a wide variety of hot peppers. Whoop, whoop!)
If I could go back, I'd take the advice found in one of these two articles and start slower. You don't have to have a big yard to grow a tomato, for instance; you can cut an "X" in a bag of potting soil and plant a tomato on any porch.
So, that's my suggestion to new gardeners: Start slow. And, plant stuff you like. A little gardening success will be enough to propel you toward a bigger, better garden next year. You'll see.
Happy planting and good luck. P.S. If you're wondering when to get started: NOW!
Did you know this area has two planting seasons?And in the South, two growing seasons means twice the tomatoes, cabbages and cucumbers.
Bonny Romberg, a master gardener in Iredell County, said the time to plant a new spring garden begins in late winter, usually around February or March. For new gardeners interested in planting for the autumn season, Romberg has a few simple steps to follow for getting your garden off to an ideal start.
Select your garden site carefully. It should see eight to 10 hours of sun.
"You can't get too much sun," said Romberg.
Try to arrange it close to the house so you are more apt to tend to it. Keep it near a water source as well, but away from trees, whose underlying roots could wreak havoc below.
"As far away from trees as you can get, it is better," said Romberg of Huntington Ridge Place in Mooresville.
Read the rest of this article, by Lisa Thornton, here.
When planning your garden, think about the entire life cycle; think about also creating a compost pile. Your garden will thank you!
"It was like a light bulb went off," said Lisa Zerkle. "I thought, 'We can do this.'"Zerkle backed up her new fervor with classes offered by Mecklenburg County on native plants, the safe use of pesticides, and how to compost.
She started a compost pile at home and then, after taking a master composting class, started composting at both Elizabeth Lane Elementary and Randolph Middle School, where her children - Jackson, 15; Ivy, 14; and Eli, 11 - were students.
Armed with the knowledge that her composting would transform the dense clay into soil much more conducive to healthy plant growth, Zerkle decided to expand her garden again.
"Compost magically makes all soil better," she said. "It invites beneficial microorganisms into the soil and makes water available to the plant roots while also helping excess water drain away. And it gives lift to the soil so that plants can easily get their roots down."
Read the rest of this article, by Katya Lezin, here.
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