Whomever discovered that the
artichoke is edible once you break through to the heart is an absolute
genius. In my book anyway. Artichokes can be used in dips, boiled,
sauteed, stuffed or steamed. You can also consume artichokes in the
most simplest fashion and that is following the receipe, How to Cook and Eat Artichoke, which shows how to prepare your home grown artichokes for consumption in the simplest fashion.
But, before we can talk about consuming artichokes, we need to get you
growing artichokes. Artichokes thrive best in warm weather, but that
does not mean it won’t do well in cooler climates. In warmer climates,
artichokes will grow as a perennial. Artichokes can be a perennial in
cooler climates as well with some additional work. I will get to more
on that in a moment.
Starting artichokes from seeds is very easy. Whether you are in a
warmer climate or cooler climate, start your seeds indoors 10 weeks out
from when you plan on putting them in the ground. If you are planning
on growing your artichokes as a perennial (not removing the plant every
year), you will need to choose a permanent location. I will get more
more on location in a second. For those in cooler climates, you want to
start them a minimum of 10 weeks out from your final frost.
Sow your artichoke seeds to a depth of no more than a quarter of an
inch, in soil where the pH level is 6.5 to 8.0. So slightly acidic to
even a bit alkaline. You can expect your artichoke seeds to germinate
in ten to fourteen days.
Once your artichokes have grown indoors for 10 weeks and you are ready
to move them to outdoors, choose a location that receives eight or more
hours of sunlight. When transplanting your artichokes you will want to
space them out at least twenty-four inches. Artichoke plants will get
pretty big.
Once your artichokes are transplanted, be sure to give them a weekly
heavy watering and feed them constantly with a good organic fertilizer
such as compost or manure tea or fish emulsion. Artichokes require a
heavy dose of the big three nutrients, nitrogen, potassium and
phosphorous, so be sure to feed your artichokes weekly.
Your artichokes are ready to harvest when the buds are tight, firm and
an even green color. If you notice your artichokes are starting to
open, you will want to harvest right away as they will begin to lose
some of their flavor.
If you plan to grow artichokes as an annual, they will grow better if you do not follow sunflowers or Jerusalem artichokes.
Now back to growing your artichokes as a perennial. If you live in a
warmer region, zones 8a and higher, simply cut the artichoke back to
ground level and lightly cover with some compost or organic mulch. In
cooler zones, cut your artichoke plant back to twelve inches above the
soil and mound some mulch such as straw around the artichoke base, then
cover your artichoke plants with bushel baskets. You will want to place some more straw around the baskets.
Additional Resources on How to Grow Artichokes
Artichokes: From Seed to Harvest
I have read that brussels
sprouts are one of those vegetables that not only survive the cold
weather, but the flavor of brussels sprouts will improve with a light
frost. Brussels sprouts are definitely a vegetable that gives cooler
weather gardeners a boost for their gardening buck so to speak.
Brussels sprouts seeds are fairly small so make sure you plant them no
deeper than a quarter of an inch. While brussels sprouts may do well in
the cold, brussels sprouts seeds will need it to be a little warmer in
order to germinate. You can start brussels sprouts seeds indoors before
your last frost, but unless you have an extremely short growing season,
there really is no need since brussels sprouts will still grow in the
colder months.
A slightly acidic soil (6.0 to 6.8 pH) works best for brussels sprouts.
First take a pH reading of your soil. It may be fine as is. If you
find that your soil is too alkaline (above 7.0), check out the article How to Lower Soil pH. In there you will find some excellent tips to adjust accordingly.
If you need to raise your soil’s level because it is too acidic, the
rule of thumb is to add lime or bone meal. For more information on
raising your soil’s pH level, check out How to Iprove Acidic Soil in Your Garden. There you will find more tips on your soil’s pH level.
Now that you have the sunny location in your garden picked for your
brussels sprouts, you need to know how to plant them. Brussels sprouts
are very large plants. Many varieties can grow up to three feet tall
with a wide, but shallow, root base. I have read a few spacing options
for brussels sprouts. One technique suggests you space out your
brussels sprouts every eighteen inches leaving three feet between rows.
That is a lot of space especially if your space is limited.
In my experience growing brussels sprouts myself, and watching some
friends grow them, planting just a few brussels sprouts plants eighteen
inches apart in a square pattern will suffice. Think square foot
gardening when picturing what it looks like.
As a side note, just because you live in a warmer climate (Florida, the
gulf coast, etc.) does not mean you can not grow these tasty treats.
Direct sow brussels sprouts seeds into your garden from mid-October
through Christmas.
Fertilize every few weeks with fish emulsion or compost tea to keep
feeding your brussels sprouts. Brussels sprouts are ready to be
harvested when the buds are firm. They will usually be the size of
large marbles (one inch).
A good companion plant for celery, cucumber and lettuce, one cup of
brussels sprouts contains 124% of the daily recommended amount for
vitamin C.
My wife is more of a fan of
eating beets then I am, which is why I continue to grow the many beet
varieties available. Combined with beets’ ease of growing, this root
crop can be a staple in anyone’s home vegetable garden.
Not only is the root edible (the part everyone calls the actual beet),
but beet greens are a tasty treat as well. If you weren’t sure what to
do with beet greens, be sure to check out the article 7 Things to do with Beet Greens.
If your growing season is extremely short, you can start your beet seeds
indoors about two weeks prior to the last frost in your area. However,
direct sowing your beet seeds after your final frost should suffice.
Plant your beet seeds in a pH neutral soil about a half inch deep. Your
seeds will germinate better when the soil temperature is 75 to 85
degrees Fahrenheit (24 to 29 Celsius). If it is still cool in your
area, and you have decided to direct sow, try a cold frame, or hoop
houses to increase the soil’s temperature.
Be sure to space out your beets no less than four inches, especially
when it comes to the varieties where the diameter of the beet root
itself will be two inches or larger. Give your seeds a good amount of
water in the early stages and then level the watering off to a more
moderate amount as the beets continue to grow.
Beets do not require a lot of nitrogen. In fact, beets do not do well
when exposed to a lot of nitrogen, so be sure to use a fertilizer to
feed your beets that is low in nitrogen but high in phosphorous and
potassium. There are plenty of organic varieties on the market.
Beets make for great companions to beans, members of the cabbage family and lettuce.
Additional Resources on How to Grow Beets
Beets: From Seed to Harvest
On our Vegetable Gardening Facebook page
not too long ago, someone posted that they planted 9 bush bean plants
in a single square for their square foot garden. If you are not
familiar with square foot gardening, you read up on it here.
If you have ever planted bush beans then you might be thinking, wow that is quite a bit.
I agree as well that does seem like a lot for such a small area, but
some square foot gardeners swear by it. I have not tried it yet myself,
but planting 9 bush beans in a square foot area is something I am going
to experiment with in the future. For now I want to concentrate on the
basics of how to grow bush beans.
There are a large number of bush bean varieties available for your
vegetable gardening pleasures. The colors of bush bean plants are
extensive as well. You do not need to simply default to planting green
beans. Obviously whichever bush bean you choose to plant is up to you,
but the growing instructions for bush beans, will be, for the most part,
the same for all bush bean varieties.
Unlike the pole bean variety, bush beans are determinate. That means
they will grow to a certain size and then stop. In other words, bush
beans, grow in a bush. Go figure. However, also, unlike pole beans,
bush beans do not last very long. They are great producers, but if you
want beans from your bush plants all season long, stagger your bush bean
plantings every 7 to 10 days. This will give you great production
throughout your season.
Bush beans are quick growers, so in many areas of the world, starting
bush bean seeds indoors is not really necessary. Some “experts” even
say you should not start bean seeds indoors, however I have started bush
bean seeds indoors in the past, and have not seen any ill affects on my
bush beans. If you have a very narrow window of growing opportunity in
your area, starting inside is not such a bad idea. Just do not move
your bush bean plants outdoors until all frost subsides.
Bush beans love slightly acidic to neutral soil. That is 6.5 to 7.0 on
the pH scale. Take a quick reading of your soil’s pH level and adjust
accordingly.
You will get the most production from your bush beans if you plant them
in area that receives a full day’s worth of sunlight. That is at least 8
hours. Bush beans will tolerate less, but your production may not be
the same. Although, as mentioned earlier, square foot gardeners like to
plant them 9 to a square foot, I like to take a more conservative
approach and space my bush bean plants out every 6 inches in my
vegetable garden.
When the bush bean plants are small, keeping the water moist will
suffice. However, as they start producing beans, you will want to water
them a bit more than usual.
Fertilize your bush bean plants every couple of weeks. Fish emulsion is a great organic fertilizer to use on your bush beans (as well as other plants in your vegetable garden).
When to harvest your bush beans will be based on the variety you chose
to plant as the sizes will vary. So be sure to check the back of your
seed packet for more harvesting information. As a decent rule of tumb,
when the pods are a quarter inch to three eighths of an inch in
diameter, they are about ready.
Because bush beans are prolific producers, you will have plenty to
consume right away, and plenty to preserve for consumption, later in the
year when you can not grow beans. If you are going to can beans, you
must use a pressure canner. You can also freeze bush beans, however you
will want to blanche them first. For either preservation method be
sure to check the section below Additional Resources on How to Grow Bush Beans.
Additional Resources on How to Grow Bush Beans
How to Pressure Can Beans
How to Blanche Beans
Bush Beans From Seed to Harvest
Blanching Your Vegetable Harvest
How to Adjust Soil pH for Your Garden
I did not like the taste of
asparagus until I was in my mid twenties. Not sure what happened to my
taste buds that year, but all of a sudden, out of nowhere, asparagus,
was not only tolerable, but I absolutely loved the taste and flavor,
both raw and cooked..
Fast forward years later, and now asparagus is a staple in my home
vegetable garden. Asparagus is fairly easy to grow, and because it is a
perennial, asparagus will yield returns for many years to come. Some
15 to 20 years. The drawback, if you start your asparagus from seed, is
that it can take up to three years before you get quantifiable
production.
So, if you love asparagus like I do, and want to add it to your home
vegetable garden, like I have, there are two questions that you need to
address before you begin. First, do you have an area in your yard or on
your property that you can dedicate the next 15 to 20 years to?
Second, are you going to grow from seed or use asparagus crowns from a
local garden center?
Keep in mind, that since asparagus is a perennial and that is has a long
life span, that you will need to pick an area of your property where it
can reside for the next 15 to 20 years. To me the longevity of
asparagus is one of the positive factors since I do not have to replant
it every year. When choosing your location make sure you pick a site
that will receive at least 8 hours of sunlight daily. Many varieties of
asparagus will tolerate, and grow well with less than 8, but if it gets
less than 4, you won’t get much asparagus production.
You will also want to make sure the soil is slightly acidic to neutral (6.5 to 7.0). You can pick up a low cost pH tester at any garden center for a few bucks. See below in the section titled "Additional Resources on How to Grow Asparagus" on excellent, organic ways, to lower or raise your soil’s pH level.
Now that you have the spot picked out and your soil is all set, are you
going to grow asparagus, starting from seed or already established
asparagus crowns. The advantage of starting from seeds is that you
control the environment from their beginning and the upfront cost is far
lower than crowns. For example, in a pack of asparagus seeds we sell
in our online store, you’ll get anywhere from 50 to 100 asparagus seeds, depending on which variety you choose.
The advantage of asparagus crowns, depending on where and who you buy
them from, is you can get edible asparagus spears in the first year,
although year 2 is more the norm. Crowns cost a little more upfront and
you really have no way of knowing the methods that were used to get
them to that point, so those are some drawbacks. Not really show
stopping though.
Regardless of whether you are planting asparagus seeds or asparagus
crowns, wait until fear of frost in your area has passed. When planting
asparagus seeds, plant them no deeper than a half inch. With asparagus
crowns, two to three inches deep. Cover with soil and give your new
asparagus plantings a good watering. As a side note, you can also start
your asparagus seeds indoors to give them a head start, however you
still do not want to move them outdoors until frost has subsided.
When grown from asparagus seeds, let your asparagus simply grow for the
first 2 years. Do not harvest any spears (if they form at all). Your
asparagus will look like fern plants. Just let that grow. For crowns,
let them grow through for year 1 and begin harvesting in year 2.
Keep your asparagus beds weed free. Asparagus will need all of the
nutrients it can get and if your asparagus has to compete with weeds,
chances are it will lose that competition.
By year 3 your asparagus will be ready for harvest. Asparagus is one of
those vegetables that will start to quickly lose it’s flavor once
picked, so make sure you harvest only when you know you going to consume
them, can them etc.
Additional Resources on How to Grow Asparagus
How to Grow Asparagus Part 1
Asparagus: From Seed to Harvest
