March 23
Growing Veggies

Growing vegetables can be easy and fun! Many of you already grow a few things, but for those of you who have not, “Don’t be afraid!” It’s actually quite simple, depending on how many weeds you are okay with in your garden! And I say that last thought about weeds because I am okay with some weeds. Who has time to keep a ‘Weed Free Vegetable Garden’ anyway? Though, it is in your best interest to keep many of them at bay. Weeds steal nutrients away from your vegetables and can also harbor insects and diseases. Aesthetically, weeds really aren’t that pretty to look at either. There are many solutions to keeping weeds down in the garden, including pre-emergent herbicides, fabrics and/or mulches; however, it may just come down to a little bit of work and sweat. And trust me, you’ll work up a sweat! Don’t worry, it’s good for us to do once in awhile!

Working towards a weed free garden is possible; it just takes a little bit of time and creative solutions. In the garden center, garden club meetings and visiting with friends and family members, I come across many great ideas for gardening. Over the years, I have tried to incorporate or practice some of those ideas, and the following tip is the best one I’ve ever received. Last year, I created a large vegetable garden with an area that used to be a pasture. As I tilled the soil, I knew I would be creating havoc with all those weed seeds being unearthed and giving birth to a fresh crop of weeds, but it was necessary to work the land to produce an area that I could work with easily. After tilling and transplanting numerous vegetables, including tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and several herbs, I mowed the lawn and raked up the lawn clippings. In the garden rows, I laid several sheets of newspaper and topped it with 4-5 inches of lawn clippings. That was the best form of weed prevention in my garden! My only regret was not doing the entire garden. Those rows were free from weeds all summer, with the exception of maybe 10 weeds that were easy to pull. Will I do anything different? Yes, this spring I will do the whole garden, and I will water down the newspaper first, because the windy spring day last year made it a bit difficult. And maybe I’ll grab my younger friends, Taylor and Morgan, to help, because they enjoyed helping me can tomatoes last year. The more the merrier in the garden…and the easier!

Now what if you don’t have a big space for the vegetable garden? That’s as easy as watering your containers, because you can grow anything as long as you keep an eye on it. Simply grab a few containers and add potting soil and seeds or plants. Bigger vegetables will need a 10-14” container, while smaller vegetables, like radishes, green onions, lettuce, spinach and herbs, will all grow in something a little smaller. It’s actually quite fun to grow in containers, just remember to water (that’s my weakness.)

Not sure what to do? Sign up for a seminar on growing veggies.
Have fun planning the garden!

Let me know if you have any questions or have an interest in something you'd like to read about. I can be reached at wajasper@sargentsgardens.com.

Happy Spring!
Wendy Jasper
MNLA Certified Professional

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