MARCH 31, 2000
"Tell me what you eat and I will tell you who you are."
- Anthelme Brillatsavarin
" Eating well gives a spectacular joy to life and contributes immensely to goodwill and happy companionship."
- Elsa Schiaparelli
Either due to convention or fear of failure, many of us practice only one kind of horticulture, and cannot be persuaded to try any other. Given enough time and space, I will try to grow anything and everything. Although the color from flowers is indeed rewarding, why eat frozen vegetables or market produce three days removed from real freshness?
Vegetables are easy to grow in your own garden, cost less than store bought, and will never be fresher than picked from the vine. Home grown vegetables can and should be literally enjoyed within seconds of harvest.
What then, do we grow? Before you ready your gardening implements, make a list of vegetables you really like and call your local nursery for their availability and appropriateness to our local clime. I prefer "starters" to seeds (early tomatoes, Chile peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, and eggplant are a few of the vegetables I spotted this week) because they're already growing.
Vegetables are generally classified as either cool season or warm season types. The warm season (spring and summer) are vegetables that are grown for their fruit, rather than the leaves, roots or stems. Cool season vegetables are generally leaf or root crops although peas, broad beans, artichokes, broccoli, and cauliflower are exceptions.
Plan carefully, as it is easy to over plant and produce a larger crop than you can consume. Some vegetables, such as corn and melons occupy more space than their relative edible yield. Others, like tomatoes and zucchini can overwhelm you with a few plants.
Vegetables require at least 6 hours of sunlight to prosper. Avoid shade and possible root competition by locating your vegetable plot away from trees and large shrubs. Select a spot that is protected from winds and avoid low-lying areas that can become "frost pockets" in the winter.
Vegetables thrive in rich soil. The addition of the fertilizer, Gro Power, will ensure that your vegetables begin with the proper diet. Heavy clay soils should be made lighter by the addition of gypsum and humus-forming organic material like redwood compost or planter&Mac226;s mix. A soil test kit will reveal any serious deficiencies that might exist.
Once the plants are established, watering should be applied slowly and deeply to soak the soil to the depth of several inches. Withhold water until the plants need it again. Drip irrigation is the most desirable irrigating method... water is applied deeply and evenly, sun scald of tender foliage and fruit is avoided, and runoff waste water is kept to a minimum. Steady watering and proper fertilization will allow a vegetable garden to flourish.
Vegetable plants cannot compete successfully with weeds, insects and diseases. The garden should therefore be kept "clean" by removing weeds before they become well established. All cultivation and hoeing should be shallow to keep root damage to a minimum. Pests can be identified by visual sighting or by the damage they leave. Hand picking, spraying with water, or the application of soap and oil products are your first steps in combating insects and mites. Consult your local nurseryperson for proper selection and use of pesticides only if all else has failed.
The home vegetable garden has not one harvest time but many. Crops are harvested throughout the growing season as they reach edible maturity and are either consumed at once or can be canned and preserved (does anyone do that anymore?). Some crops, such as asparagus, peas and sweet corn must be harvested soon after they reach edible maturity or they deteriorate in quality.
Other crops like snap peas and tomatoes remain "tasty" for several days; carrots, eggplant and green peppers for several weeks. However, the length of time that any of these vegetables remain in edible condition depends on the temperature. In general, the warmer the weather, the shorter period any vegetable remains of good quality.
Crops such as spinach, chard and leaf lettuces may be harvested anytime after they reach sufficient size, until they become old and tough or they set seed. The root crops, beets and carrots may also be harvested at any stage after they reach edible size. Eggplant and peppers do best if harvested when the fruit develops to full size and tomatoes should be left on the vines until color is well developed.
It would never occur to Catharine, that anything other than eating well is essential for a meal... she eagerly makes a meal of tofu and bean sprouts whenever she can. However, I am not convinced that vegetables alone contribute to a marriage or a tasty meal. Sensing by skepticism, my sweet wife has offered to add chicken broth to the stir-fried veggies this weekend. That is a true offer to ensure domestic harmony. See you next time.
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