While spring is a time to start planning fun activities and vacations, it’s also a time to think about starting a garden! There are so many positives to having a home garden, such as having a free supply of fresh fruits and vegetables. Not only is it an excellent way to get physical activity, but it is also a family activity that can be repeated every year:
Strawberries:
Perfectly ripe strawberries are unbelievably sweet, and the plants are surprisingly hardy. Buy bare-root plants in early spring. Put this perennial in a sunny spot and keep it well weeded.
A great way to grow strawberries, is to plant in narrow planter boxes that are approximately 6″ to 8″ deep by 5″ to 7″ wide by 18″ to 4′ long. Use fresh, not recycled potting mix mixing in additional fertilizer as directed on the fertilizer label. Thoroughly incorporate fertilizer into potting mix. Plant so crowns are not buried by time you water in. Keep moist but not soggy. Grow in full sun all day and expect luscious berries in 3 months.
Tomatoes:
There’s just no substitute for a perfectly ripe homegrown tomato, and it’s hard to go wrong when you start with strong plants. If you get a big crop, consider canning or freezing.
After the last frost of winter has thawed, pick a spot in your yard that receives ample sunlight and test the soil’s pH level – you want between 6 and 7. (To increase the Ph level, add lime. To decrease it, add sulfur.) Spread compost over this area and mix it with the soil. Dig a hole for each seed, leaving at least a foot in between for growth, cover them and firmly pat down the soil. Water them with a spray bottle a couple times per week.
Sweet Peppers:
Sweet peppers come in all shapes and sizes. Bell peppers are the most popular garden variety of sweet peppers, and are an easy-grow plant. Left to ripen, they turn red, purple, orange, or yellow and contain various amounts of sugar depending on the variety. Paler green and yellow elongated sweet pepper varieties often have a more intense flavor.
Till the soil with both compost and Epsom salts, which will make it rich in magnesium to help the peppers develop healthily. Since they grow best in warm soil, sow the seeds a foot or more apart in raised beds. Water them frequently, keeping the soil moist, or they may taste bitter once harvested.
Cucumbers:
A couple of cucumber plants will easily produce enough fruit for a family of four—you might even have some extra bounty to share with friends and neighbors. Easy to grow and vigorous, cucumbers thrive in the heat of summer. Their trailing vines can sprawl across the garden, or they can be trained onto a sturdy trellis.
Plant seeds 1/2 to 1 inch deep and thin the seedlings to one plant every 12 inches in the row or to three plants every 36 inches in the hill system. If you use transplants, plant them carefully in warm soil 12 inches apart in the row.
Growing a garden in your backyard is an economical way to use your space. After a little work and elbow grease, you will be enjoying fresh produce for months!
Insurance
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The information in this article was obtained from various sources. This content is offered for educational purposes only and does not represent contractual agreements, nor is it intended to replace manuals or instructions provided by the manufacturer or the advice of a qualified professional. The definitions, terms and coverage in a given policy may be different than those suggested here and such policy will be governed by the language contained therein. No warranty or appropriateness for a specific purpose is expressed or implied.