GROW TO EAT

Is it the economy or the “Green Talk”?  My mailbag has been full of questions about growing fruits and vegetables.  This type of questions indicate that many people are interested in growing them for the first time.  Many indicate it is the economy.  Others say
they hope their children and grandchildren will start eating vegetables, if they help grow them.

One person indicated she turns green with envy while admiring her neighbor’s garden.  “But I don’t think my thumb is green enough”.  My answer, “Anyone can develop a green thumb as long as they’re willing to invest a little time, patience and energy”.

Good planning is essential to successful gardening.  Start your garden off right by selecting a location that receives at least six hours of direct sunlight daily.  Check the site for good drainage by making sure water doesn’t tend to stand after a rain or irrigation.  Try to steer clear of trees and shrubs that would compete with your garden plants for water, light and nutrients.  Walnut trees in particular produce a substance called juglone that is toxic to some garden plants.


If your vegetable gardening is limited by insufficient space or an unsuitable area, consider the
possibility of raising fresh, nutritious, home-grown vegetables in containers.  A windowsill, a patio, a balcony, or a doorstep will provide sufficient space for a productive mini-garden.

Many vegetables lend themselves well to container gardening.  With some thought to selecting bush or dwarf varieties, almost any vegetable can be adapted to growing in a pot.  Vegetables that take up little space, such as carrots, radishes and lettuce, or crops that bear fruits over a long period of time, such as tomatoes and peppers, are perfect for container vegetable gardens.

What you can grow in a container vegetable garden is limited only by the size of the container and your imagination.  How about a Summer Salad container?  Plant a tomato, a cucumber and some parsley or chives all in a large container.  They grow well together and have the same water and sun requirements.

Container gardening allows you a degree of control not available to those planting in the ground.  If the plant is not getting

enough sun, it can be moved.  If it is not draining properly, add more holes to the container.  Watering is more efficient, because it must be done by hand, making a patio garden ideal in a drought situation.

So is it the economy or green?  I don’t know, it probably is a little bit of both.  I think growing your own fruit and vegetables is a fun family activity that results in fresh, healthy produce and little harm to the environment.  This rewarding chore doesn’t require a
kit if equipment, experience or expertise, nor does it even require you to own or have access to any land!  As with  most things in life, you can muddle by as a beginner and your garden may still flourish if lavished with your love and attention.  Even if you’re all thumbs, they may become green thumbs.  Good Luck!


March Gardening Tips

•  If you’d like to try your hand at growing your own plants, March is the  time to start indoor seeds of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and other warm-season veggies.  Tomatoes are best started late in the month to avoid ending up with leggy plants come May.

•  Remove mulch covers from roses, azaleas, clematis vines and other tender shrubs once nighttime temperatures rise into the 30’s (be prepared to recover if a late cold-snap hits).  Leave mulch around spring flowering bulbs and tender perennials, however, as it will provide protection to emerging shoots against cold, crying winds.

• Trim back winter-killed rose canes to one inch below blackened area and all rose canes to about six inches above ground level.  Cut back any perennials that weren’t cleaned up last fall, as well as ornamental grasses.


Tom McNutt is a professor emeritus at The Ohio State University. and retired NBC4-TV resident green thumb