Here are some tips I've been collecting- if you have advice for new gardeners, feel free to send it in!
- Our soil gets really dry and compacted. When you get a new plot, and once or twice a year, you should plan to really dig down and mix/ fluff the soil. This is also a good time to really water the soil. Add a good 4-6 buckets of compost to the top few inches of the soil. Then plant immediately or within a few days.
- Compost is great! If you can't meet me to get free compost, plan to purchase some. It acts as a slow release fertilizer, adds water holding capacity, and beneficial microbes. Your organic soil is alive and needs to be nurtured just as much as your crops. Consider a winter cover crop of fava beans to add nitrogen, or an organic fertilizer during the growing season.
- How much can you grow? Quite a lot, but there is a fine line between an empty plot and one that is too full. Consider if the crop will give you a one-time harvest (i.e. beets) or is a continuous producer (i.e. kale, lettuce). Do you like the crop? How much can/ will you eat? How much space does that plant take up? Pumpkins will take over your whole box for 5 months, but beets can be grown 4-6" apart. I would recommend only 1 plant of the larger veggies like zucchini and tomato.
- Always water after you plant- it helps settle the soil around the roots and helps avoid transplant shock.
- If you are planting 6-packs of veggies that you purchased, there are almost always more than one plant per "cell". You need to pull them apart (gently!) and give each plant space to grow. If you plant the whole "cell" of beets you end up with this:
- Planting seeds is economical, but they take a lot longer to come up, you need to water more frequently, and they often need to be thinned. Some crops you can only grow from seed- carrots and many root crops. And some just do better from seed- cilantro comes to mind, as it is often quick to bolt when planted as a seedling.
- Get to know our climate and what grows well here. It's not hot in the summer so crops that need heat to grow and ripen fruit often under perform. These include: peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, tomatoes, melons, corn and also basil. Visit the farmers market for these summer favorites and be glad you can grow lettuce, broccoli, and kale year-round. Most places are too hot for these in the summer!
- You're in charge of your plants! If it's too big, prune it back. If you don't like it and it's taking up space, pull it out. You also need to be OK pulling them once they start bolting/ flowering at the end of their productive cycle- think of it as an exciting time to plant something new!
- Stressed plants (lack of water, nutrients, space) are much more susceptible to insect and disease attack. Keep your plants healthy and happy. I've also noticed that very young and very old or flowering plants are more susceptible to attacks- especially aphids. If you have aphids, your neighbors will have aphids- be a considerate community gardener!
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| fuzzy grey aphids attacking a kale that is flowering |
