Vegetable gardening is making a
comeback, and this new fascination is like the Victory Garden rage of
yesteryear. Not just because of COVID-19, another contributor to this
fascination is the fact that more and more people are concerned with what they
put on the family table. When you grow it yourself, you control what goes in
the soil and on the plants, and you get to pick a much broader selection of
vegetable varieties. They taste a whole lot better home grown.
If you’re thinking of growing a
vegetable garden this year, you are not alone. Start small and expand as your
interest and time permit. No summertime garden is complete without tomatoes. Also,
bush cucumbers will fit in small gardens, and so will the bush summer squash
varieties. They can be planted in nontraditional garden areas like flowerbeds
or as a small addition to the landscape. You can interplant lettuce plants with
your impatiens and harvest them long before the impatiens covers the area.
You’ll get some salad greens and kill two birds with one stone. Taking care of
the impatiens ensures the lettuce is never neglected. In short, a vegetable
garden can find its way into every area of your home’s landscape - whether it’s
confined to its own area, combined into the annual or perennial gardens that
you already have, or planted in containers on your deck or patio - it will
provide the ultimate in fresh vegetable taste, and the safest vegetables you
can produce for your family table.
Hang out your hummingbird feeders
the first of this month. Use a solution of 1-part sugar to 4 parts water for
the nectar. Change the solution frequently to keep it from fermenting. Food
coloring is NOT needed, nor is it recommended for the birds. Asparagus and
rhubarb harvest can begin!! Keep your hoe sharp. Start cucumber, squash, and
cantaloupe and watermelon seeds indoors this month. The last week of April is a
good time to try an early sowing of warm season crops in the garden such as
green beans, sweet corn, etc. You can begin to plant transplants of tomatoes,
eggplants, peppers, and sweet potatoes outdoors now. This can continue through
the month of May. This is truly the year of the garden. So, reap your own
harvest and enjoy the scrumptious flavors of your own produce. Remember, that
Natural Gardening will keep your family safe, so check out what organic options
are available to you! There are many.
Enjoy! See you in the garden……Sandi
Hillermann McDonald
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