Like labradoodles (a cross between a Labrador retriever and a poodle), plants that have been deliberately cross-bred are expensive to buy. And when you buy a cross-bred cauliflower you are probably only buying the seed or potential for a better plant. This is a good thing, though, because you know exactly what you will get with hybrid seed and exactly how the seed will perform in your garden. Cauliflower varieties have known and grown
I am grateful for all bugs even though many gardeners at large only like good bugs. And these people do everything in their power position to get rid of the bad guys. I had a neighbor once who hired a killer to eliminate all the young ladybugs on her tree because she thought they were pests. And this is not unusual. I encounter bug squeamish-ness among friends and family all the time….
If you want to be a money winner at lotto you have to buy tickets. Ok – got it. But if you want to be a winner in the garden all you have to do is weed consistently. Or at least pull out things that are about to bloom and remove them from the property. Do not, I repeat, do not put the blooming weeds in your compost pile. This will just multiply your problem
Timing/Planning: remember some plants are cool season crops (radish, spinach, leaf lettuce, mustard greens, peas and everything in cabbage family) while other are warm season (Tomatoes, corn, potatoes, cucumber, squash, beans). Cool season crops can start going into the ground shortly both as direct seed and as transplants. I often start peas by early April and Spinach in the fall so it can come back as early as March. Transplant your peas but start others directly in the cold soil. See what works best in your microclimate.
Are you wishing for pretty and tasty strawberries in your garden? If so, you need bugs and wind and maybe a little luck. Improperly pollinated strawberries have crooked or only half-formed berries. In other words the kind of berries you don’t see at the store are the ones you will grow if you don’t get a little help….
Want to start a vegetable garden but short on money or soil? Gather up your organic materials and start a Hugelkultur today. Donna Balzer and her students Ben and Lisa show us how it is done!
