Gardens Blog » Vegetable garden

Cultivation and care of the vegetables

admin — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:39:16 +0000

To create your own vegetable garden is not difficult. You have to think of space, dimensions, soil type and vegetables which you want to have them in the new garden.
When the cold season is coming it is indicated to cover the ground and test the PH. Find everything you need in the stores and gardening. After you follow the instructions, the ground will be prepared to provide healthy vegetables. Even if pH testing indicate that there is no need to add soil fertilizer you can add some organic fertilizer because it takes time to decompose and so it must be replaced.
Check the soil moisture content to keep its structure at an optimal level. Make a plan for how do you want your new garden to look, where to be located, if it is part of the shade or in a sunny area , which would develop better crops of vegetables, etc.. Consider all the details necessary to have a garden just as you dreamed.

Make sure that when planting the seeds, they cannot come into direct contact with fertilizer. Maintaining a garden requires extra work from you, especially when problems arise concerning insects or other pests.
Seedlings should be vigorous, healthy, with dark green leaves and strong roots. Planting period depends on the species. At planting, the soil around the roots are well plant so that no gaps remain in the dry outside air to penetrate. If land has been gained, it is good to put 300-400 g of manor in the nest, mixing it with earth.
Planting depth it is important, if it is too deep, plant growth will be hampered by lack of air, and if the planting is too on the surface, the seedlings will dry out. Watering is done according to the requirements that crop.

Obtaining seedlings

admin — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:36:01 +0000

Vegetables that grow more frequent in transplants are: tomatoes, eggplants and peppers, which have higher requirements in regards of heat and requires a longer period of vegetation until it is harvested. Through seedling are grown also less demanding plants , such as: cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi, to obtain early productions. May also be grown leeks, water onion, celery, cucumber, and squash, all the same purpose.
Making seedbeds implies to have the following materials: fresh unfermented manure, land for shelter (the “celery”), wooden heels, glazing, matting. Manure is used for heating (constituting a warm shelter).
The best is fresh horse manure, it is quickly entering into fermentation and provides the greatest heat. It can be used fresh cattle manure, were shown to interfere with horse manure.
The advantages of using manure are numerous, including: low cost, requires no special installations and after it was used can be employed to produce additional fertilizer.
Sowing can be done to shelter in rows or as uniform spreading. Over the seeds you can sprinkle a layer of 1-2 cm thick of manure. You can easy puddle the earth and moisturize it with a watering can with a fine sieve with warm water. Seedlings can be planted in boxes, in pots or plastic cups, failing wooden heels. The bottom of the boxes have to have some little holes that permit water excess to flow. You can set a layer of sand of 1 cm thick, then put the mixture of land. Sowing is done in rows at 4-5 cm distance. The boxes can be kept in a heated room and sit near the window after sunrise, to have light. When seedlings have reached the optimum period, are planted in the garden. Pricking to vegetables in pots is applied to the plants that supports hard transplanting in the garden ( cucumbers, zucchini), so that they can be planted in the garden with the soil, without their roots being affected .
Care of the seedlings until they rise, is made in a shelter covered with glass and matting. Once the plants begin to appear, remove mats for light penetration. Shelter will take air over the day, even when is cooler, suddenly raising the glass and leaving it in place immediately. And during the heats, will have to be airing more often.
If the soil tends to dry the seedbed is slightly wet with warm water. There should be neither too much moisture because plants grow too much, they get sick and fall. If this happens, it is the better to ventilate the seedbed and to rip the sick plants.
Hardening seedlings is done in order that they get used to the harshest weather conditions when planting them in the field. For this, with 10-15 days before planting you have to raise the windows, at first only during the day, and then over night. You don’t have to water the plants too much . Planting the seedlings will be considering through the specific periods of each vegetable, considering the characteristics of that crop.

Culture preparation

admin — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:33:40 +0000

Preparing the culture is a very important aspect for obtaining good and healthy vegetables, and must follow three steps: preparation of the soil, the seeds and the fertilizer.
The soil on which plants will be grown must be rich in nourishing substances, with groundwater in at least 1 m from the surface and protected from flooding. It is advisable to find land near a water source for wetting. If the place is straight or slightly tilted to the south irrigation will be easier. The land chosen for the crop is good to be sunny, protected from winds or storms (bordered by a skirt of trees). It is preferable that the land be easily accessible (close to roads, roads), to help with transport. The land have to be ploughed from fall at a depth of 25-30 cm. In the spring, after it is dried, the ground must to be worked with a rake not to form crust. In one part of the garden will reserve a place for crops that remain in place for several years. Spatial land consists in the execution of irrigation ditches.
The division of land parcels shall be considered by way of watering vegetables on those parcels, as well as requirements related to the development of vegetables (light, shelter, etc.).. For early crops can be made lowered or high layers of 10-20 cm and separated by paths 1-1,3 m wide with a width of 30 cm.

It is recommended not to grow the same plant 2 years in a row on the same spot as next year’s production will be much smaller and more low quality, mainly due to multiplication of diseases and pests, specific to that crop. It is good for a vegetable to be grown on the same plot again after 2-4 years. Very great importance is the land fall fertilization (fertilization base), ensuring the need for food for the next 2-3 cultures . Fertilizing the land is made along with the fall plowing, spreading manure very uniformly .
The seeds:
To obtain large vegetable production and the quality to be better you can use seed in certain conditions, like :
- Vegetable variety to be indicated for the specific soil and chosen land.
- Period of vegetation of the culture (varieties early summer, late, etc..).
- Germination quality of the seeds and their age.

It is good that you get the seeds from authorized manufacturers or specific stores. Of great importance is the seed treatment against diseases and pests. Seeds purchased from manufacturers are already treated in this respect.
Fertilization of the land is better to make using only organic fertilizer because it is healthier for your customers and for amateurs of vegetables that will appreciate this. The soil rich in nutritious substances will give a higher production and vegetables will be more palatable and better quality. Therefore vegetable garden must be fertilized every year.

What kind of manure to use in your vegetable garden

admin — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:30:13 +0000

Composting organic waste from your household waste reduces pollution, reduces the cost of fertilization on the soil and sanitation Nature converts organic residues into humus in a few years. Man may get a much shorter time with a comparable quality which is the compost.
The vegetables produce more if they are grown in rich soil, so you should apply fertilizer in your garden. The organic fertilizers that can be used in your vegetable garden are:
Rotten manure
Usually, this fertilizer is applied in autumn, with digging the land. Sow from late spring crops, well rotten manure may be given in early spring too. How much is used? If crops are on land that will squirt, 4-5 kg of waste is spread on each square. If crop requires no wetting, then are sufficient 2 kg per square meter. Manure is so good to be used in cucumbers, eggplant, cabbage, cauliflower, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, .
Organic waste
With minimal self-imposed discipline, every household could get compost, humus that is so nourishing like the one in the forest. The first condition for achieving the composting process is selective collection of garbage in your household. This involves collecting plant and animal remains separated from other garbage. Also, some basic knowledge is strictly necessary, and consultation, to require from a specialist. Compost recipe includes three basic ingredients: brown – dead leaves, twigs and dry branches, “Green – grass cut, plant debris, pieces of fruit, water. Also, grinding all the ingredients is very important, and placing them in alternating layers, “brown” and “green”, of comparable thickness, forming a 1 cubic stack directly on the ground. In order to alleviate the salinity, in the composition will be added manure. Once a week, the components have to be mixed, so to replace the wet material dried. The rest of the time, the stack may be covered with a plastic sheet. After one to two months you can obtain compost, but before use as fertilizer in the garden, allow to rest one to two weeks.
The muck
You can obtain well rotten manure in 2-3 year. It is used in smaller quantities (1-2 kg / m). It can be used at the nest of the plant (tomatoes, potatoes) or at sowing (the cucumbers, melons, ).

Poultry litter
It is a fertilizer richer in nutrients comparing the manure. The most appropriate use of this fertilizer is in the form of solution, applied during the vegetation period of the plant. Just days before the general use , the powdered garbage it have to be mix with water, one part of manure and two parts water. The day you want to treat the plants add water treatment plant at a rate of 1: 10 if used for tomatoes, kale, onion and 1: 20 if used for cucumber, carrots, leeks. For one plant you can 0,3-0,5 liters of solution.
Ash
Gather ash wood, straw, maize stalks, etc.. Attention! Do not use coal ash in soil because it contains substances harmful to plants. You can use it especially for cabbage, eggplants, cucumbers, potatoes. You can give about 15-29 g of ash, preferably mixed with manure for every nest.

Organic gardening

admin — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:48:41 +0000

Organic gardening often includes a number of ways to improve the quality of garden soil with natural organic substances. Among others, this type of gardening aims to build an ecosystem where plants are sufficiently resistant to pests and diseases. Even if the chemicals are widely used in gardening, interest in organic gardening is increasing. Why? There are several reasons.
First of all remaining pesticides on fruit and vegetables have sometimes seriously affected the health of consumers. In addition, many people consider organic gardening as a way to protect the environment. Some pests have become immune to chemical pesticides having been applied repeatedly, which led scientists to find new toxic substances that are dangerous. These powerful chemicals entered the groundwater and pollute our precious water sources.
Another advantage of organic gardening is that the waste storage pits will throw less trash. Remnants of food and garden waste is a big part of our garbage. Instead of being discarded, the organic remains can be collected and left to decay, resulting in compost, a natural fertilizer. It might not be so nice idea to get such a fertilizer, but for a plant it is a delight!
Finally, some believe that organic gardening is an opportunity to move, to enjoy the sunshine, working the land and watch seeds turn into little healthy plants.
Soil is very important because it provides to the environment what plants need to grow. Feed it with manure, humus, garbage, grass, dry leaves etc.. This organic mixture will function as a permanent revitalizing soil, and hence the plant. It is advisable to test your soil before you decide what kind of fertilizer will feed your soil. This step is good for plants: for example, nitrogen, nutrient beneficial for healthy leaf, can be harmful if it exists in soil in a big quantity . Some secondary plants in symbiosis with nitrogen fixing bacteria can feed the soil so that it is sufficiently healthy for plants. Other necessary plant nutrient, found in animal manure phosphorus and potassium are beneficial for root growth, the bulbs, ensuring the health of the entire plant. Also, the soil should be rich in calcium, magnesium, zinc.
To combat pests in the garden and some plants you can use certain plants . Plants were grown near plants that need protection to avoid pests. For example, nematodes, which attack the roots of many plants, causing them to dry, are very careful to stay away from marigolds . And cabbage butterflies don’t go near the cabbage and around if you grow rosemary, sage or thyme. A practical method for pest and diseases is crop rotation. Instead grown year after year the same type of plant in the same place, it would be good to do a rotation of plants that grown in the garden. In this way you stop the cycle of disease and pest infestation.
Organic gardening can be a difficult task that requires time and patience. To bring the soil in a healthy state turning to organic it is a process that take several months.