Growing Your Own Salad Bar: The Ultimate All You Can Eat Treat is Just a Few Steps Away!

In the Beginning:

Someone created soap. Trust me on this one. Even if you plan on wearing gardening gloves, you’ll go through a pair a day during the initial digging and turning of the soil so before getting down and earthy, rub a few layers of bar soap under your nails and into the creases behind your knees and ankles. Dirt will stay for days whereas if you use soap beforehand, it is much easier at the end of the day to wash it away if the creases are already full. Soap and the bug repellant. The number of times I could have taken any eye out while swatting at gnats and flies while holding a garden trowel in my hand are countless….and no doubt entertaining to prying eyes. A journal book or calendar to keep specific planting notes on, even a hand sketched diagram map as to where you’ve got everything planted will come in handy for next season. Keep any seed packets for information and don’t forget to make a few garden stakes to place in each section as well, each with the name, variety and start date.

Are vegetable gardens worth it?

• Yes. Especially now. Even though your local grocery store always has an endless variety on stock,
• the prices alone and availability of certain varietal species are astounding in cost and uncertain in variety. Growing your own staple guarantees a constant base right in your backyard and buffers the grocery bill in the end.

When is the best time to start a vegetable garden?

You can start a garden anytime if you have enough room and light indoors or even an outdoor greenhouse. (sturdy easy to assemble heavy-duty plastic ones are available for $50.00 and under either at overstock clearance stores or even Amazon) Once sprouted, your plants can remain in the warmth until their outdoor acclamation, generally the end of May, depending on your growing zone.

What should I plant in my vegetable garden?

Well, you can’t go wrong with the basics, as mentioned, although today we will be talking the green thumb intro to the easiest vegetables to grow; tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, peppers and carrots. Lettuce, as briefly touched upon, is a toss in. Once you’ve grown comfortable and have mastered the bounty proviso of the staples, you can add in the squashes, melons, pumpkins, pole beans, peas, green topped beets, radishes, asparagus (can take years to produce a single adult yields worth). If you’ve got the space, time and help (aka kids who are now socially distanced due to the recent medical epidemic), assign them the “fun” veggies; the long-term pumpkins, squashes etc as THEY need to be spatially distanced as well. Their vines grow long and expansive with maturation not until early autumn harvest time. Have you seen the cost of ONE grocery store pumpkin?????

How do you start a vegetable garden from scratch?

• Seed propagation is a simple process of germinating your seeds prior to earth planting and is best done between layers of damp paper toweling, transplanting to compostable containers like cardboard egg cartons, boxes, planter and seeding pots. From there, once your soil is ready, you can relocate them outdoors and also fill in with rows of other smaller seeds like carrots, that do wonderfully well as long as hand planted in a straight furrowed row. Choosing how to grow vegetables comes down to the simple question: “What will you and your family eat?” Don’t waste time and money on the ones you know are just not worth it; unless you are planning to open a small driveway market. If that’s the case, then you must have a pretty big plot of land and all the toys and tools to make it.
• The raised bed style is a mound of earth self-contained in its own planter box…like wooden crates, two by four boxes, old steel buckets, barrels, and are a perfect aesthetic that adds to curb value of any home. Easy to move and replace, these little gems are perfect for tomatoes, beans and sweet peas. Basically, anything that needs a vine to climb and keep out of the dirt to provide best results can benefit from raised bed planting.
• The flat field, or row planting garden takes up far more space but is more traditional. BY adding and mixing the correct earth, soil, fertilizers, composts for your ground type, build up a row for each vegetable desired (or two or three if have the room). Then it’s as easy as reading the back of your seed packet (which should NEVER be thrown away until next year’s replanting as it contains all the planting information you’ll need). Keep the seeds hydrated and sun warmed, the soil aerated and root free and get into that shower, grateful for the layers of soap applied earlier in the day.

The sweetest on the vine:

“You say tomato and I say tomahto”; GERSHWIN, George and Ira; circa 1937

What is the best way to grow tomatoes?

This perfect addition to any salad, sandwich, salsa, soup, stew, sauce etc grows aplenty in bushel or vine style. Room, aeration and bug free are the three top needs. You may want to consider keeping all of your tomatoes in raised beds, for example and companion plant them with some basil. Plenty of sun will ripen them deliciously with that firm green bulb ripening through yellow, orange and then the deep sumptuous red of your desire. Staking them either on sturdy poles, sunflowers or in metal baskets to keep them off the ground assures easier access for grub control during damp weather as well. Tomatoes are going to grow whether you ask how do tomatoes grow for beginners or a seasoned pro or not. Even the senior gardener can be let down by a bad year of tomatoes; so, it matters not how do you take care of your tomatoes, it’s how the maintenance you provide for it that will determine your success.

The great cucumber conundrum that can leave you in a pickle:

• Easily mistaken for young zucchini, the sweet, moisture rich firm buttery taste of a cucumber is brought out with a simple dash of cracked black pepper and adds a perfect crunch slice in salads, salsa, dips, pickled relish, dressings and even sandwiches and chilled gazpacho soups. Everyone’s fave go to on the veggie dip platter.
• How do cucumbers grow best?
• How do cucumbers grow for beginners?
• Can you grow cucumbers in pots?

             The best way to grow cucumbers is in nutrient rich, WEED free mounds, hills, raised beds or pots. They are early risers and take advantage of the sun at first light. They crave the entire photosynthesis cycle and do best in heavily composted and aerated soil. Because of their water content, they are susceptible to wet rot so planting them in the raised position with their stems barely touching the ground is prime. Depending on what variety you choose, from baby spiky skinned pickling cukes to firmer nubbly fleshed English, seeded, lemon or Armenian, with pot planting you’ll always have space to grow cucumbers and to try different varieties without losing space in the garden bed. How to grow cucumbers shouldn’t be weighing on your mind. Leave the pickles for the deli.

Pepper Popping: A peck of picks.

Next to the pungent garlic, onion and chive family, when you think of the aroma that most stands out whether left raw or not, you think of the pepper. Julienned into thin strips for a stir fry, diced finely in a mirepoix or holy trinity, oven roasted, blistered on an open flame grille, the pepper is possibly the perfect pick for planting proficiency. Misconceptions abound these wonderfully sweet and crispy dipping delights; primarily regarding planting location.

How do you grow peppers at home.

• The main focus on how to grow peppers or how to grow peppers from seed is keeping them in a heated environment during germination and rooting stages until your outdoor weather warms up enough to transplant. Whether you’re using a gardening center purchased planting tray or recycling cardboard egg cartons, a good potting/seed soil/fertilized bed should be kept at a standard 75 to 80 degrees for a successful yield of peppers. A warming mat, solar blanket and a cover of Saran -type plastic wrap as a top sheet will propagate those peppers before you can pop out “Peter Piper!”

How long does it take to grow peppers from seed?

• If you follow the above tip and keep the soil well-watered but drained, provide the seeds with at least 6 hours of sunlight, lamplight and warmth, you should have hardy seedlings within a week or two; especially if you presoak those seeds for 4 to 5 hours before planting. From sprout time to full germination cycle should be a conservative 2 to 2 and half months so depending on your region, do the seasonal math when you think about when your last frost has come and gone before moving the babies outdoors. Hotter pepper efficienados will make use of longer growing time and excessive heat to get this chili peppers spiced up for the salsa season.

What month do you plant peppers?

• Pick one. No, really. Pick one. Peppers are one of those vegetables that you can continuously grow indoors in the perfectly lit surrounding. A good quality, heavy clay pot, a few fully grown peppers cut in half keeping seeds in-tact planted in indoor potting soil and lamp will give you a 365 day greenhouse.
  
  ~~pepper pick tip: indoor or outdoor, always remember to stake the fruit off the ground once it takes root. Wire tomato cages, a piece or two of doweling or even bamboo rods and string will save the tender flesh from water rot.~~

What’s Up, Doc?

The only time I can say that I enjoy a bit of grit in my teeth is from the fresh pulled baby carrot that I have barely taken the time to wash off under the garden hose. Deliciously sweet, crunchy, distinct in smell and toothiness, this little simple sugar carb filled potassium jolt will also stock you up with beta carotene, vitamin A, K and B-6 and will add a underlying sweet flavor to any acidic sauce or soup. The fiber will thicken root vegetable stews and will tame even the gamiest of red meat. One of the easy vegetables to grow. You’ll soon become a pro at how to grow carrots.

Can you grow a carrot from a carrot?

It’s a skip a generation plant. What I mean is, you can plant the carrot tops but you won’t get a carrot, you’ll get a carrot plant from which you harvest a new seasons worth of seeds.

How do you grow carrots successfully?

Carrots are like the soul food of a veggie garden. Very deep…to get the perfect carrot you should give them plenty of growth space with LOOSE soil. Count on at least 12 inches of root growth to assure for slender, perfect variety. Once you’ve loosened up that soil, fed it, mixed it well for good drainage, then you can sprinkle the seeds on top. How to grow carrots from seed is a terrific start for junior gardeners as well because carrot seeds are very tiny so don’t be afraid to literally sprinkle out the entire row. You can always thin them later if you wish. Cover the seeds with a dusting of soil and gently pat down and water with the lightest of flows. They will root down into that 12 inches while enjoying at least 8 hours of daily sunlight. You can always pre-germinate the seeds as well and transplant something a bit less fragile if the delicate touch of carrot Zen isn’t your thing.

How long do carrots take to grow?

Depending on variety and location, a full maturation cycle from sprout to harvest can take 2 to 4 months. Don’t forget to factor in a pre-germination for a second crop at around 5 weeks if you are in a warmer climate with a longer growing season. You can also get wonderfully creative with the different varieties now that offer vibrant colors and distinct flavor profiles. Roasted, steamed, shredded, broiled, seared…..any which way you choose, the new age carrot is a thing of beauty.

The Humble Spud: The eyes have it.

It’s hard to imagine something as plain, mundane and well, truthfully aesthetically boring has become an historical study in survival. Famines, plagues, rots, frozen crops, draught ridden…the potato has taken the brunt of so many disasters, yet it remains. I like to refer to it as the boomerang veggie. You can toss one away into the back yard and it will come back…with a dozen more. Rounding out the top five veggies to get you started down the introduction of vegetable garden planting, the potato is as common in every household due to it’s neutrality. Consider it to be the Switzerland of the garden. 

How to grow potatoes:

Starting with a visit to seed store, garden center or in your own kitchen, choose the seed potato you wish to work with. Again, so many varieties. Do you grow po A seed potato is highly recognizable by the sprouting “eyes”. Keep them dry until your soil is ready and either mounded in furrow rows or laid out in a field area. The planting depth for each spudding should be about 4 inches. Now, you can adapt the question further to how to grow potatoes from potatoes right in this next step. Slice your seed potatoes into quarters and drop them into the four-inch holes allowing at least 12 inches between each one, keeping the “eye” up, add 2 inches of fertilized soil and another inch of loamy, loose topsoil. 8 hours in the ground…with the sun above, moist but not water-logged. Within 5 or 6 weeks, you should have plenty signs of life sprouting up indicating that it’s time to start hilling the dirt higher around the sides of the plants to keep any erosion from damaging the roots. Hilling can be done every 7 to ten days and within 80 days or so, the potato leaves will start to lose their color, vibrancy and the flowers will die off. That is how long it takes to grow potatoes. The timer has gone off and your spuds are done and can be harvested with a simple light dig of a pitchfork. To grow potatoes depends on how do you grow potatoes. They don’t cry out those eyes, so they don’t really care if you toss them randomly or row them like soldiers.

Your Family Roots and Shoots: The genealogy of gardening

Just like you’ve got those who came before you, vegetables also lay down traceable branches and by what means “heirloom” is quite a title to bequeath, but why are heirloom vegetables called heirloom? Because the seeds have met certain criteria. To be considered within the echelon of the heirloom vegetables, the seeds have to be self-pollinated by wind or insect and have been kept in the same growth region for at least half a century. Talk about shelf life! Here we are in 2021 and I’m eyeing a tomato ripening on the windowsill which conceivably could have started growing in 1971. And sold for 19 cents a pound. Even with difference in price, are heirloom vegetables more nutritious? Yes indeed thanks to the organically modified seed. Mother nature did the work when creating the pollination, using the sun, the wind, the bumble bee and other au naturel measures. Because of the organic nature, the vegetables that are considered to be heirloom have an exceptionally fresh taste, contain more nutrients and vitamins and are well cared for during the growth process. If an heirloom tomato tastes better than a modified hybrid, people will eat more vegetables….and yes….that includes fussy kids. Talk about a win win! So, what vegetables are heirloom? You would be hard pressed to find a vegetable that ISN’T or DOESN’T have an heirloom pedigree of sorts. Seed companies alone can tout over 40 different seed packets that produce broccoli, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, beans, peas, squashes, pumpkins, melons, different colors levels of sweetness, treat yourself one day and find a local seed store and start there…I think you will be amazed to discover what vegetables are heirloom and how beneficial heirloom vegetables really are.

A Garden Legacy of my Own

Just as choosing the best fertilizer for the vegetable garden or the best insecticide for vegetable garden is as important as opting for the best organic fertilizer for vegetables so you can keep it as green as possible. You’ll find the easiest vegetables to grow are the ones that offer a decent variety and are fairly stalwart to set you off down the positive side of outdoor backyard gardening. The best way to grow tomatoes is by learning, watching; grow tomatoes from seeds, learn how long does it take to grow tomatoes, learn how often to water vegetable garden and the best buy on fertilizer for vegetables. JUST grow vegetables. Don’t worry about the fence. It isn’t there to keep your garden contained, it is there to keep your legacy strong.

 As a child, I was given the “responsibility” of being in charge of the lettuce daily and report in any changes. As I grew older, carrots, cucumbers and zucchini helped me earn a couple of weekend dollars as the squash-like plants grew like wildfire. We all kept an eye on the potatoes and the tomatoes? Well, that another story. Tomatoes are the blue ribbon of every level of gardener’s delight, with different breeds, seeds, and tastes to appeal to. My mother, for example, swore by her father’s side and their lineage on the beefsteak and “natural” fertilizer for vegetables while my father preferred the smaller, firmer, less fluid and a bit salty plain old generic fruit.  How to grow tomatoes became almost a friendly war as one would argue the assets of the etiquette to grow tomatoes from seeds while the other would rebuke with why to grow tomatoes plants was best. Yes…the age old question….the tomato, according to science and botany, IS a fruit. It grows FROM and flower and contains a seed.  Which brings me back to squash……anybody want some? PLEASE! Help yourself. They all make wonderfully sweet muffins. Pssssttt!!! I lean on the side of how to grow tomatoes from seed and you can never go wrong with companion planting some nice fresh peppery basil with them. Natural best insecticide and makes for a fantastic bruschetta bread. Hmmm….sounds like pasta for dinner tonight may be in order….