In the garden, I have a rustic looking fence made of landscape timbers. The Carpenter Bees have drilled holes in those too.

I’ve found that Wasp and Hornet killer spray is effective. However, I have so many that there’s no chance of controlling them with those little spray cans, not to mention it would cost a fortune. So, here’s what I’m going to try.

Permethrin 10% 32oz

Charles

Here are some key planning considerations for your vegetable garden.

·       Location You need to consider the slope of your plot/s. It’s best if they are South facing in the northern hemisphere, North facing in the northern hemisphere

·       Water—have it handy. Of course, an automatic irrigation system is best but if that’s not an option, drip tape with emitters or soaker hose is good too.

·       What to plant—knowing your family’s eating preferences is important.

·       How much to plant—how much to plant depends on how big your family is, of course, and whether you plan to preserve enough harvest to carry over to the next growing season.

If you are planting trees and shrubs, check what their mature size will be. Many established shrubs and trees are difficult to move. As trees grow taller they will create shade, so don’t forget this will happen and expect your sun loving vegetables and flowers to still thrive in the shade.

2. Not Checking Your Soil – Test your soil. You can pick up a pH testing kit from your local nursery outlet or hardware store. They are cheap and easy to use. Another resource is your University Extension Service. Where I live (Columbia Missouri), the University of Missouri offers soil testing. But without getting technical, no matter what your soil is like it will benefit greatly with the addition of organic matter. Over time you will achieve the right pH, just by continually adding compost.

You’ll also benefit by understanding a little about your soil type. No matter what type of soil you have, most soil problems can be overcome with the continual addition of organic material. A professional soil test will let you know what additional organic amendments are needed. Some common ones are agricultural lime, phosphate, potash, trace minerals, etc.

3. Not Using Mulch – Mulching is a great way to prevent soil erosion, add organic matter to the soil and reduce evaporation. However, you need to leave space around the base of each plant. Mulching right up to plant stems encourages disease and rot to set in. Leave 2 inches between the mulch and the stem. You don’t need to mulch any deeper than 3 inches. 

In colder climates you can leave the mulch on the ground over winter. In warmer climates however, you will need to remove the mulch to the compost pile because a plethora of insects will breed, multiply and over-winter in your garden.

4. Using In-organic Fertilizers. Many inorganic fertilizers are heavy on salts. Salts discourage or kill earthworms and soil micro-organisms, and only supply the major nutrients to plants. They do not feed the soil. These nutrients give your plants growth, but not necessarily healthy growth. The fast, sappy growth is very attractive to pests.
Then you start wondering about pesticides (organic or other). Always remember that it is better not to have a pest problem than try to solve it. Natural predators will build up with time, but not if you blast everything with pesticides. 

5. Overuse Of Fertilizers

6. Over Watering

7. Under Watering – Under watering dehydrates your plants, which also creates stress and can lead to weakened and struggling plants, leaving them susceptible to disease. Water your plants deeply once or twice a week, depending on rainfall – more often in really hot weather. Make sure the water penetrates the soil. Mulching can help with both of these problems. I like to mulch each spring. 

These issues and many more essential to growing a successful organic garden are covered in much greater detail in the Organic Food Gardener’s Beginners Manual“.

While this series was produced with California Gardeners specifically in mind, you will find information and inspiration applicable to any garden anywhere.

I hope you enjoy and I invite your comments or questions.

 Happy Gardening!

Either or both, rising food costs and/or your desire for the highest quality food for you and your family are VERY GOOD reasons to have an edible landscape.

Most residential neighborhoods look, basically, the same. A few shade trees, green lawn and foundation shrubs around your house.

You could have the same attractiveness while adding some extreme practicality and very high value to you and your family with an “edible landscape.”

Fruit trees do not require much more maintennce than ornamental trees and they bloom just as beautifully! So, plant fruit trees instead of ornamental ones!

Producing your own fruit, eliminates the necssity to ship it to your retailer from far away. And the best part is: you can harvest YOUR fruit at its peak of flavor because it doesn’t have to travel 1,500 miles before it reaches your local store.

If you and your family like salads, tomatoes, peas, potatoes, lettuce, spinich, chard, okra, eggplant–what have you; it’s easy to incorporate all of those into your landscape without having the traditional square plot with ugly stakes, strings, things to climb on, etc. Use just a little imagination. Keep in mind the light requirements. Most vegetabes require at least, 6 hours of sun per day. More is generally better.

Of course, if you have the space, there’s no reason you can’t grow for the entire year. There are many ways to do this:

1. Grow enough during season and preserve via freezing or canning.

2. Use season extenders (a later topic) or

3. Build a greenhouse where you can grow your own year-round.

For most things, I prefer to grow and preserve. But for things you want always fresh such as salad greens, etc. a greenhouse, season extender or hot bed will do the trick.

If you live in an apartment or condo, there’s always container gardening. I will write future articles about this but it is really a very viable way to produce much of your own home-grown.