Hoe no! Avoiding garden pitfalls

Welcome, everyone. When we fail to plan, we plan to fail, so let’s plan to avoid these common garden blunders.

• Garden in the wrong location: Align or orient the garden in an east-to-west direction. Make a sun map of your yard by checking the sun position at 9 a.m., noon and 3 p.m. to track sun and light for the most advantageous garden location. Most vegetables require 6-8 hours of sun.
• Growing in poor soil: Clay or soggy soils will not yield abundant harvests. Start with a garden soil test to determine pH and what specifically your soils are lacking. Add soil amendments or compost to achieve quality soil.
• Choosing the wrong plants: Check with family members for their choices of vegetables or fruits, then plant accordingly. Err on the side of caution, so start small and don’t set yourself up for failure. For example, don’t plant something that will need harvested when you’re starting a two-week cruise vacation.
• Overcrowding garden beds: Give plants their space and necessary breathing room. Overcrowding leads to stunted plants and increased danger of mildew or disease.
• Planting at the wrong time: It’s a waste of precious time and money. Be sure your plants will ripen or mature before fall frosts because timing is everything.
• Hardening seedlings: If you have started vegetable seeds indoors, be sure to properly harden those tender seedlings to the outdoors and the less-than-ideal climate. Gradually take them outside, helping acclimate them and avoid the dreaded transplant shock.
• Watering too much or too little: Water in the morning when evaporation rates are lower. When the top inch of soil feels dry, the rule of thumb is 1 inch of water per week. Direct water to the plant and soil line to avoid runoff.
• Fertilizing: Do your homework and discover the proper nutrients or fertilizers for optimum harvest. Try a balanced liquid or granular fertilizer. Some vegetables are considered heavy feeders because they deplete soil nutrients quickly. Tomatoes, corn and squash are heavy feeders, to name a few.
• Weeds in the garden: Weeds can rob soil of nutrients, moisture and garden space. Spread 1-3 inches of mulch to smother weeds, use cardboard or newspaper as a weed suppressant or use the old-fashioned method – pulling weeds by hand.
• Pest control: Try companion planting, such as herbs and flowers around susceptible vegetable plants, creating a biodiversity area. Rotate crops each year or try hand-picking those nasty bugs.

Realize these tips will help you and your family save money, eat healthy, fresh, nutritious food, while enhancing your body, mind and spirit with outdoor exercise.

Bang for your buck

More money-saving tips come from planting dual-use plants — plants that are both herbs and spices, or “two for one.”

Herbs are the green leafy part of the plant and can be more potent and longer-lasting than spices.

Spices come from the fruit, seeds, roots, flowers or bark. Typically, these are dried, crushed or ground. They can be used for everything from cooking to cleaning.

• Lovage: Leaves are the primary herb, while dried seeds are used as celery seed.
• Dill: Dill weed and dill seed. It is very prolific and readily self-sows.
• Cilantro: Leaves are the herb, while coriander is the dried seed.
• Fennel: Feathery fronds are the herb and dried seeds are the spice.
• Celery: Leaves are the herb, while the tiny pungent seeds are the spice.
• Fenugreek: Leaves are used in Indian cuisine, while the hard amber-colored seeds are the spice.
• Turmeric: Leaves are used as a wrap for cooking, while the spice is the powdered orange root.

Two individual harvests of herbs and spices can come from one plant.

As we close the garden gate today, we ask this question: What type of tree fits in your hand? A palm tree!

Until we meet again — peace.