Add Some Grapes to your Home Vegetable Garden

Every year I try to add something new to my vegetable gardening experience. Whether it is building a new raised bed, growing a different variety of fruit, vegetable or herb, I am huge fan that expanding one’s vegetable gardening knowledge will go a long way to a more successful garden.

Over the past three years I have made a conscience effort to add a new fruit. Three years ago I made an attempt at raspberries which did not pan out very well so I will put them back on the growing block for next season. However the one fruit that seems to be doing well are my grapes.

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I purchased two different varieties at the end of last season on closeout at a local home and garden center for a buck a piece. This season they really took off. The vines have grown thick and healthy and have taken over the trellis that I set up for them. The questions that popped into my own head were “what do I do now?” Do I trim it back? If so, when? Should I expand my trellis and did I even plant the correct variety to begin with? I mean, after all I made a huge investment of a dollar (ok it’s not that huge).

When it comes to growing grapes where else would you to turn for expert advice then someone who grows them for a living. John G. Kramb of Adams County Winery in Orrtana, PA, started producing wine from grapes in 1998. Today they produce over 30,000 gallons of wine from their 15 acres worth of grapes they grow on their farm.

According to Mr. Kramb, the biggest challenge someone can face in growing grapes, “is finding a grape variety that that will grow in their region. Some grapes, like vinifera, will not do well in cold climates. Some grapes, like American varieties, will grow anywhere.”

I asked Mr. Kramb what he would recommend as a good grape variety to grow and he said, “It all depends on what the grower is going to do with the grapes once they are producing a crop. If they want to make wine at home, they need to grow a variety which will produce a wine that the grower knows he/she enjoys. If they are growing table grapes, they probably want a seedless variety like Thomson.”

As of right now in my second year with the grape vines I purchased I have not reaped any fruits of my labor so to speak. Mr. Kramb says that is normal. He doesn’t expect any significant production until after the third year. In fact if the grape vine does produce any fruit prior to the third year that fruit is removed so the plant can develop a stronger root system.

As far as pruning the vine is concerned, he said you should wait until all of the leaves have fallen off and if you live in a colder climate wait until the spring to make sure your plant has not experienced any winter damage.

On a final note, when in doubt check with your local agricultural extension agent to get advice on varieties that should grow well in your area and don’t forget to ask commercial growers in your area to see what they do to get some advice from them. But above all, be patient. Good quality grapes takes a few seasons.

About the Author
Mike Podlesny is the owner of Mike the Gardener Enterprises, LLC, the exclusive home for the Seeds of the Month Club, which has appeared on NBC, ABC and MSN Money as a great way for consumers to save money.

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Extend Vegetable Gardening Season with a Cold Frame

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Many of us live in climates where the weather changes from hot to cold in a matter of days. We are the unfortunate many that can not grow peppers and tomatoes year round, but with cold frame gardening we can extend our season through the cold winter months with great tasting lettuce greens, kale, spinach, chard and broccoli to name a few.

A cold frame is a way to protect what you are growing from the harsh cold winds that old man winter blows in. At the same time it allows plenty of sunlight to get in, and if designed correctly will give your plants plenty of air through proper ventilation.

There are a number of websites and gardening centers that sell cold frames. They range from the inexpensive to the “very” expensive. I find, however, the most rewarding cold frame is one that you can build yourself.

Roger Marshall, author of the book How to Build Your Own Greenhouse, agrees.

Roger does his gardening in Rhode Island, and having been in the great Ocean State myself during a winter a few years ago, I know it can get very cold there. In the coldest of winter months of January and February, Roger has grown various greens and broccoli in a cold frame he built himself out of some old storm windows.

Here are photos of Roger`s cold frame:


He recommends a number of ways you can build easy to use cold frames, such as using straw and hay bales as well as using a side of a wall of your house. You simply use these items to form a garden bed. Just be sure to cover with some clear plastic to let the light in but keep the cold out yet easy enough to open up for daytime ventilation.

What about watering methods and other tips to make cold frame gardening a success? According to Jana Vanderhaar of Verdant Connections Landscape Architecture, “Water your veggies by hand, and don’t forget to open the cold frame during the day for ventilation and close again in the evening.” He continues on, “We grow many lettuce varieties, kale, chard, arugula, bok choi, tat soi, parsley, green onions, cilantro, and mache. The greens taste best once a frost has passed, because the nutrient density is increased. Yum!”

If you were thinking about hanging up your gardening gloves for the winter, think again. Cold frame gardening is a great way to keep going. Use some of these tips above to create your own cold frame and have a winter garden for yourself.

About the Author
Mike Podlesny is the owner of Mike the Gardener Enterprises, LLC, the exclusive home for the Seeds of the Month Club, which has appeared on NBC, ABC and MSN Money as a great way for consumers to save money.

Watch the video below to learn more about the Seeds of the Month Club:

What is Listeria and How do you protect yourself

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Last month experts confirmed nine cases of Listeria in the state of Colorado. First indications point the outbreaks to have occurred from infected cantaloupe, although one family member of an infected person claims it had to be the salmon she ate. Officials are still gathering information as to its cause, but as of right now, cantaloupe seems to be the culprit.

With that said, what is listeria and how do we improve our chances of not being infected by it?

“Listeria is a bacterium that causes listeriosis, a disease that usually causes flu-like symptoms, muscle aches, fever etc.”, says Biomedical Sciences Editor Dr. Kara Rogers. “It can also affect the heart and produce symptoms of meningitis, including headache, confusion, and stiff neck.”

In the recent cases that have occurred in Colorado it has been the cause of individuals lapsing into a coma up through two reported deaths. According to Dr. Rogers an outbreak in Canada a few years ago caused a mortality rate of 40% of those infected.

The transmission of this bacterium usually occurs through contaminated foods such as meat and unpasteurized dairy products. Dr. Rogers says it is rarely found on produce which makes the recent outbreak in Colorado involving cantaloupe so unusual.

You can take steps to reduce your chances of infection. Make sure you wash your produce thoroughly and just as important, dry your produce. Any and all meats should be cooked thoroughly as well and the consumption of unpasteurized dairy products should be completely avoided.

“As far as cantaloupe is concerned, it should be washed and dried and either eaten right away or stored in a refrigerator. Proper refrigeration, with temperatures 40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, is important for preventing the growth of Listeria,” says Dr. Rogers.

About the Author
Mike Podlesny is the owner of Mike the Gardener Enterprises, LLC, the exclusive home for the Seeds of the Month Club, which has appeared on NBC, ABC and MSN Money as a great way for consumers to save money. A special thank you to Orly Telisman, the Director of Media relations for the Encyclopedia Britanica, for the contributions to this article.

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4 Ways to Piss Off Rabbits with a Vegetable Garden

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In your neck of the woods you may never see a rabbit. Your fuzzy vegetable garden predator may be a deer or woodchuck, but here in the good ole Garden State of New Jersey where I grow my vegetables, rabbits are the pain in the rear of choice. Or should I say, not really of choice, but forced upon me.

My kids absolutely love them and from a non-gardener point of view they are cute, look cuddly and lets face it, they are harmless. When was the last time you heard on the news about a killer rabbit wiping out a family of four or a crazy wild rabbit runs loose through Chicago, causing chaos and millions in property damage?

However, as cute and harmless as they are, they would just eat the `bejesus` out of my vegetable garden if I did not take the necessary steps to keep them out. Over the past 10 years I have come up with a simple way to do just that, which I will get to that in a moment, but what I have also come up with are great ways to really piss them off, or so I think.

Fence the Garden
Ok this is an obvious one and for 10 years it has worked for me. I use poultry fencing and make sure the height of the fence is no less than twelve inches. For some reason in the back of my mind I have this notion that the rabbits can leap like deer, so I don`t take any chances. God forbid they get a hold of some genetically modified clover on my neighbor’s lawn, I would be in trouble.

Close to the Fence
I love this one. I know that the rabbits absolutely love to feed on my tomato plants, lettuce, peas, beans, well, ok, pretty anything I plant. I found this out the hard way when I first moved into my house. We didn’t have rabbits in Trenton, where I am originally from, so it never occurred to me that I would need a fence. Needless to say the rabbits had a field day. I think they put on 10 pounds that day. What I do now is, after the fence goes up, I plant items near the fence as a tease. Try as they might to stretch and stick their noses through the poultry fencing, they can’t quite seem to get at my plants.

Vining Plants
I am still bumbed that I missed out on this one not having my video camera with me that day. But I had some cantaloupe growing in one of my garden beds last year and the vine made it’s way along the top of the poultry fencing. I woke up one morning to find a rabbit, trying with all its might, literally standing up as tall as it could to try and get the leaves from the vine. Tried and tried he might, he never succeeded. So now I make it a point with my vining plants to do this every year and one of these days I will have that camera with me so I can post the video on Facebook for the world to see, well, at least all of the members of the vegetable gardening page anyway.

My Dog
Finally, last, but not least, my faithful man’s best friend, my dog Bear. He is as loyal as they come. Follows me everywhere, barks when a stranger walks by the house, really barks when a strange dog walks by the house, but, beyond all that, he despises rabbits. Although he has never caught one, try as he will, I do my best to at least let him give it a go. When a rabbit is out in our back yard and he can see it through our sliding glass back door he whimpers and cries as to tell me, “Please, please, please, let me go chase him. I swear I can get him this time.” So I open the door, out Bear goes, and the rabbit scampers away. He has only been close once in the five years since Bear has been a part of our family, and when I say close, I mean I had a better chance of catching the rabbit then he did.

Ok so I know what the rabbit lovers are saying as they read this article, `How Cruel!`. So let me add this disclaimer, no rabbits were harmed in the making of this article...only my vegetable garden.

About the Author
Mike Podlesny is the owner of Mike the Gardener Enterprises, LLC, the exclusive home for the Seeds of the Month Club, which has appeared on NBC, ABC and MSN Money as a great way for consumers to save money.

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Canning Vegetables from Your Garden

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Every year when the spring vegetable gardening season rolls around my wife always tells me to tone down the amount that we grow. Not because we do not have the room or that we take away space from the kids play area, but because we end up with so many fruits and vegetables that even after donating them to a local food pantry and giving them away to friends, neighbors and family, we always have way too much.

I can not disagree with her assessments. By mid July we do have a lot. But come December I would love nothing more than to eat a tomato from my garden. Unfortunately here in NJ we are unable to grow tomatoes due to the cold. That is where canning comes in.

My grandmother was an expert in canning. Unfortunately I did not get a chance to learn her skill set so to me canning is still fairly new but I am finding that it is easy. To get a better understanding of canning, I turned to canning expert Linda Amendt.

Linda is an award winning cookbook author and also the winner of the international book awards for canning and preserving. So who better to get the dirt (or jar in this case) on canning.

Canning is the process of preserving vegetables in jars. You place the vegetables in jars specifically designed for home canning and cover them with liquid. The jars used, I will get into in a moment where you get these jars, are then fitted with a special two-piece closure consisting of a canning lid and a screw band.

A piece of equipment that Linda says you will need is a pressure canner. This helps create a vacuum inside the jar and tightly seals the lid. This process helps make the jars of vegetables safe for shelf storage. As a side note, Linda says, “A pressure canner should not be confused with a pressure cooker. They are not the same piece of equipment and are not interchangeable. A pressure canner is specifically designed for home canning and has a gauge that allows you to monitor and adjust the amount of pressure inside the canner to ensure safe canning.”

According to Linda canning is an easy skill to learn. Just follow a few basic safety rules and techniques and you can create an array of preserves from summer produce to enjoy throughout the winter and into the spring months.

I asked Linda where does she find the supplies needed to properly can vegetables grown in one`s garden. She says that beyond the normal tools most people have in their kitchens currently, such as a cutting board and knives, the canning supplies such as jars, lids and screw bands can be found at most grocery stores, Walmart, Target and Kitchen stores, as well as online through website like Amazon.

One final note on canning. Canned vegetables are at their best when used within one year. In that time that is when they will have the best flavor, color and texture. After that, although they will be safe to eat (so as long as they are well sealed), the flavor and appearance will begin to deteriorate.

Be sure to store your canned foods in a cool, dark, dry location. Heat can cause the seals to fail which could cause the food inside the jars to spoil. Also, exposure to light will cause colors to fade and moisture can cause rust on the lids.

About the Author
Mike Podlesny is the owner of Mike the Gardener Enterprises, LLC, the exclusive home for the Seeds of the Month Club, which has appeared on NBC, ABC and MSN Money as a great way for consumers to save money.

Watch the video below to learn more about the Seeds of the Month Club:

E. Coli and your Vegetable Garden

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There have been plenty of mentions about e. coli in the news as of late. It has affected our meat supply to vegetables grown on farms throughout the country. Many people ask, can e. coli contaminate our home grown veggies. While the short answer is yes, the long answer would be it depends on where you grow your garden, who are your neighbors, do you wash your veggies before you consume them and so on.

As with any problem, the more you understand about what the problem is and what is causing it goes a long way to finding a solution. Being able to stay e. coli free in your home vegetable garden really depends on making sure you understand what e. coli is and the steps you can take to avoid it.

According to an agricultural and resource economics update conducted by the University of California, over 12% of food borne illnesses linked to e. coli occur in fresh fruits and vegetables. These are of course fruits and vegetables that are grown on farms and transported long distances.

So what exactly is e. coli? According to Doctor Ajit Mahapatra of the Food Engineering Lab, Agricultural Research Station at the College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Technology for Fort Valley State University in Fort Valley, GA, “E. coli is a bacterium that lives in our intestines. Most types of E. coli are harmless. However, some strains of E. coli (such as E. coli O157:H7 linked to food born illnesses) cause diarrhea. The diarrhea can be accompanied by severe stomach cramps. Symptoms usually occur within 2 to 3 days following exposure. Young children and elderly may develop Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS), a condition that can lead to serious kidney failure and even death, if exposed to E. coli.”

E. Coli is derived from a variety of methods that go simply beyond farm workers not washing their hands. The farm may be using contaminated water, improperly managed manure up through and including not properly washing the machinery that is used to harvest and cut the vegetables. One affected fruit or vegetable in contact with other fruits and veggies can make e. coli spread very quickly.

There are steps you can take to reduce your risk of e. coli. According to Doctor Mahapatra, “If the product is labeled "washed", “triple washed" or "ready-to-eat", there is no need to rewash before being eaten. Because rewashing may, in fact, increase food safety risk.” Also be sure to wash your hands and utensils prior to handling any fresh fruits or vegetables, then wash the fruits and veggies as well.

Although the possibility of an e. coli outbreak is low among home vegetable gardeners, the risk is still there as your fruits and vegetables may come in contact with those that you buy in the store. Be sure to wash them thoroughly after you harvest them and if possible not harvest until you are ready to eat, which makes for a fresher meal anyway.

About the Author
Mike Podlesny is the owner of Mike the Gardener Enterprises, LLC, the exclusive home for the Seeds of the Month Club, which has appeared on NBC, ABC and MSN Money as a great way for consumers to save money.

Watch the video below to learn more about the Seeds of the Month Club:

Preparing Your Garden in the Event of an Emergency

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As I write this, hurricane Irene is barreling down straight towards our location. For us here in the NJ, PA & NY areas this isn’t something that happens, since, well, ever in my lifetime. In fact, according to the latest news, nothing this strong has hit this region since 1944, so we are talking over 70 years ago. What I wanted to address in this article is what you can do about your vegetable garden so all is not lost. For help with this article I turned to some friends in the Florida area for their advice.

Let me strongly preface this article by saying that your vegetable garden is by no means more important than friends, family and the family pet. make sure you are prepared for their and your safety first.

First and foremost harvest what you can. If you are fortunate enough to either know how to can those vegetables or own a vacuum sealer such as a food saver, harvesting lots of veggies all at once won’t go to waste. Harvesting what you can now and bringing that food indoors will do two things. You will have food, just in case that after the storm you are unable to get to a market, and two, the veggies won’t get destroyed with the high winds that you will experience.

Second, remove all tomato cages, stakes and other loose items that you use in your garden. According to one source, in heavy winds these items will act like missiles. Get them indoors and out of the way of the wind. Your plants will be fine laying on the ground and you can always prop them back up later.

Third, fill up buckets of water and bring them indoors. You may be without power and clean water for a while and although your plants will more than likely survive for a while without a daily watering, it’s better to be prepared.

Lastly, after you secure everything down, if you are in serious harms way, get the hell out of there. You can regrow crops, and sow new seeds, but you won’t be able to either if you are no longer around. Always err on the side of caution and follow your local news for any type of evacuation plan.

Stay safe!

About the Author
Mike Podlesny is the owner of Mike the Gardener Enterprises, LLC, the exclusive home for the Seeds of the Month Club, which has appeared on NBC, ABC and MSN Money as a great way for consumers to save money.

Watch the video below to learn more about the Seeds of the Month Club:

Everything You Wanted to Know About the Radish

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In the cooler months whether it be the spring or fall, when someone asks me what is one vegetable they can grow that produces quickly and will do well when temperatures drop, I always answer the radish. Sure there are plenty of others that thrive great in cooler temperatures, but if you want something quick, I honestly can not think of one where you can reap the benefit within as little as 40 days.

They, radishes that is, have very different tastes from variety to variety. Some are very hot (almost an oxy moron I know), while others are simply spicy. They go great in salads, salsas and soups to name a few. My dad would simply pick, wash and eat. I, however, like to mix mine in with some other veggies.

The radish is a root vegetable and grows underground. They are part of the Brassicaceae family which also contains other popular vegetable varieties such as broccoli and cauliflower to name a couple. It is written that the radish was first used in Europe in the pre-Roman times.

Radish grows best in full sun with a soil pH of 6.5 to 7.0. I mentioned earlier that many varieties of radish grow quickly. Some varieties can mature in as little as four weeks in some parts of the world, but the norm for the most common varieties of radish is forty to forty-five days.

Most soil types will work for the radish but they do like sandy loams. Loams are nothing more than a combination of sand, silt and clay that contain large amounts of humus (the final result of compost) which allow for better drainage but still retain water better.

If you are looking to grow your radish and get some seeds out of them, know that their seeds growin in siliques. A silique, sometimes called a pod, is where you will find them. It is a “seed capsule” fused by two carpels.

Radishes are a great source absorbic and folic acid as well as B6 and Calcium.

Although the most common portion of the radish that is eaten is the taproot (an enlarged, somewhat straight to tapering plant root that grows vertically downward), the entire plant is actually edible. The tops can be used as a leaf vegetable. The seeds of the radish can be pressed to extract oil that can been used to create biofuel. Many radish varieties have been shown that their seeds contain as much as 48% oil content.

Finally, if you ever find yourself in Oaxaca, Mexico around Christmas time (December 23rd to be exact) you will find the locals celebrating Noche de los Rábanos or the Night of the Radishes. They will carve religious and popular figures out of radishes and display them in the town square.

About the Author
Mike Podlesny is the owner of Mike the Gardener Enterprises, LLC, the exclusive home for the Seeds of the Month Club, which has appeared on NBC, ABC and MSN Money as a great way for consumers to save money.

Watch the video below to learn more about the Seeds of the Month Club:

3 Vegetables To Grow in the Fall

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Sure the months are still warm, even hot in many areas of the world, but that is no reason to not start thinking about what you will be planting in the cooler autumn months in your home vegetable garden. That time of the year, when the leaves change to vibrant colors and the kids head back to school, will be here before you know it.

My discovery of fall and winter garden (on a larger scale anyway) is still fairly new to me. I did not expand my garden during this period of the year until about 10 years ago, maybe 15 but that is probably pushing it. What I found were some favorites that I like to grow. Favorites because for starters my family eats them, second, they are easy to grow, and third they love cooler temperatures.

Lettuce
Which one? Doesn’t matter, pick! I love them all, although I have to admit a crispy romaine variety is my favorite. Lettuce does great in the cooler temperatures and I have read in various USDA reports that many varieties of lettuce will enhance with flavor as temperatures begin to drop. Right about now to the next week or so is when I begin my seeds indoors. It is a bit cooler inside which makes for a perfect environment for the seeds to germinate. I will move my seedlings outdoors around the end of August, beginning of September.

Spinach
It’s not just for fictional cartoon characters anymore. Spinach has been shown to be loaded with so many vitamins and nutrients that it has not only become a mainstay in my personal diet, but also in my home vegetable garden. With my new vacuum sealer I know I will be storing plenty of these great greens all year long. You can start spinach indoors and move it to the outdoors just as you would lettuce.

Radish
What finishes off a salad like a good radish. Champions are my favorite as they are not too spicy but still add plenty of kick to a nice bowl of fresh mixed lettuce and spinach (see the theme occurring here?). Radish grows rather quickly and there is no need to start them indoors, or at least not here in NJ. I wait until the first or second week of September then use one of my four foot by four foot raised bed for nothing but radish. Needless to say in 35 to 45 days I have all the radish I will need until spring rolls around. If I get lucky and time it just right, I may be able to get a few harvests.

If you are in an area of the country like me that experiences various temperature changes, and you may not have thought about gardening in the autumn months, start with these three and you won’t be disappointed. If maybe these are not your ideal options then you can always look towards broccoli, carrots and kale to name three more. If you are thinking about broccoli though, you better get started, they take awhile to grow.

About the Author
Mike Podlesny is the owner of Mike the Gardener Enterprises, LLC, the exclusive home for the Seeds of the Month Club, which has appeared on NBC, ABC and MSN Money as a great way for consumers to save money.

Watch the video below to learn more about the Seeds of the Month Club:

How to Get Rid of Cabbage Worms

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To understand how to get rid of a pest in the garden, I always like to start by trying to understand what it is I am actually trying to get rid of. In this case the cabbage worm. The cabbage worm is a generalized term used for four kinds of Lepidopteran. More specifically their larvae.

Lepidoptera is an order of insects, a very large order, that include such insects as the moth and butterfly. These insects, as they relate to cabbage worms, like to feed on cabbage and other cole crops. If you are growing broccoli, cauliflower, radish, or rutabagas, to name a few, you may find cabbage worms.

The four kinds of cabbage worm that are referred to are, the imported cabbage worm, the cabbage looper, the cabbage webworm, and the diamondback moth. If not handled early they can literally do tremendous amounts of damage that you might not be able to recover from in the same growing season.

As with many other harmful insects in the vegetable garden, you will want to start with finding out what their natural predators are. This will go a long way in making sure you keep your garden safe from harmful insecticides that could also wipe out beneficial insects as well. Natural predators to the cabbage worm are parasitic wasps, soldier bugs and lace wings.

To attract parasitic wasps, plant nectar rich flowers in the garden, thyme, dill, savory and other herbs. Dill, fennel and coriander are excellent choices to attract lace wings. For soldier bugs, milkweed, goldenrod and hydrangea work well.

Attracting beneficials may take some time, and if you are inundated with them, time may be something you do not have a lot of. There are a number of harmless sprays and recipes on the internet, such as pepper-gralic sprays. A Google Search on the words “Pepper Spray” will yield plenty. You can also purchase over the counter sprays such as Neem oil and Neem oil soap. They work well, but will need to be reapplied after rain or heavy waterings.

Finally, there is Diatamaceous earth. The downfall of DE is that it affects every insect in your garden. It does not distinguish between the good ones and the bad ones. Also, it requires multiple applications and is best applied during dry times throughout the day.

A recent poll I read had the cabbage worm as the number two culprit in home vegetable gardens. Rest assure there a variety of solutions out there, available to you, either for free or very low cost.

About the Author
Mike Podlesny is the owner of Mike the Gardener Enterprises, LLC, the exclusive home for the Seeds of the Month Club, which has appeared on NBC, ABC and MSN Money as a great way for consumers to save money.

Watch the video below to learn more about the Seeds of the Month Club:

Home Vegetable Gardening: It’s All About the Compost

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The best thing for your soil is compost. It contains all the nutrients your plants will need to grow and thrive. Here is how you can easily create your own and add good quality compost to your soil all year round.

Compost is the process of organic material breaking down into a rich dark black soil through the process of aerobic decomposition. Bacteria and other microorganisms feed on this organic material which breaks it down. Then as you move up the food chain other creatures such as the earthworm and nematodes, either eat the bacteria or the decomposed material creating even better compost.

The underlying environment is so advanced that it can take your left over food scraps, grass clippings, twigs and leaves and turn them into every nutrient your vegetable plants will ever need. The best part of this ecosystem is that it is already there and the only thing you need to do is supply it with an organic food source (more on that in a moment).

The most common form of composting is a compost pile. This is where you keep a pile of organic material such as leaves, twigs and grass clippings (to name a few). As the bacteria and microorganisms breakdown the material the center of the pile starts to heat up. When the temperature reaches a level that will make it harmful to good bacteria (usually around 150degrees) you then turn the pile over to bring fresh material to the center and the process starts over. You continue this until all of the material is broken down into a dark rich looking soil. From there you can mix it right in with your soil, brew compost tea, or add more organic material and keep the process going until you have the amount of compost you need.

An excellent second way to create compost is through creating vermicompost. Vermicompost, also called worm castings, is when earthworms eat organic material and their waste is what is leftover, creating the best compost your soil could have. The best organic materials you can feed to earthworms are your food scraps and leftovers. I find it easiest to simply dig a hole in my garden about eighteen inches deep and dump the food scraps into the hole, then cover the hole with dirt. The worms and the underlying ecosystem take care of the rest.

Of course this method makes it impossible to use the vermicompost to brew compost tea and if that is what you are looking for then your best bet is to maintain a vermicompost bin also known as a worm box or worm farm. You can make one yourself for fewer than fifteen bucks with a couple of Rubbermaid containers or you can buy one from your local home or garden center.

You simply add in food scraps, a little soil and of course worms. Then when the food scraps have all been ingested by the worms you remove the vermicompost, brew your tea, and add it to your soil or whatever your heart desires. You can repeat this process all year round, unless of course you run out of food scraps.

As you can see it is fairly easy to make your own compost. If you are willing to put in the time and effort, you can add nutrients to your soil that will yield better harvests for your fruits and vegetables.

About the Author
Mike Podlesny is the owner of Mike the Gardener Enterprises, LLC, the exclusive home for the Seeds of the Month Club, which has appeared on NBC, ABC and MSN Money as a great way for consumers to save money.

Watch the video below to learn more about the Seeds of the Month Club:

Home Vegetable Gardening Doesn’t Have to End in the Fall

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Does the sound of the NFL or talks of the NHL season get you bummed out because that also spells the end of the vegetable gardening season? Well don’t let it. You may not be able to grow tomatoes and peppers in the cooler months but there are plenty of crops you can grow, and also means by which to extend their growth right into winter.

There are so many varieties of vegetables that you can plant when the temperatures drop that you can literally be shocked and will invariably ask yourself why you didn’t garden more in the cooler months in the past.

Radishes, lettuce (all varieties), spinach and Brussels sprouts are just four of the many vegetable varieties to choose from. We have a nice PDF you can download from our website that lists vegetables that can be grown when the temperatures have dropped.

These vegetables grow fairly quickly and produce into the months where there might be a fear of frost. I will get more into protecting them in a moment. If going organic is not that important to you, you can also purchase various varieties of seeds that have been genetically engineered to tolerate cooler temperatures.

Once you have your vegetables of choice in the ground you will want to come up with the means to protect them from cold gusting winds. One excellent option is something called a cold frame. It is basically a frame you build around you garden to keep the winds off of the vegetables. They can be as elaborate as a greenhouse or something simple like stacking bales of hay around the garden. Do a Google search on cold frame gardening and you will see what I mean.

But let’s say you don’t want to build a cold frame and you lack the space for a greenhouse. You can always plant your vegetables in pots and grow them indoors. I use this technique quite a bit, especially for my lettuce. I will plant my lettuce indoors in pots and keep them on a window sill that gets sunlight first thing in the morning. As the plant grows and matures, I cut off with scissors what I use and let the plant continue to flourish. There is nothing like eating a BLT in the winter where the “L” was harvested just seconds before it is consumed.

These are just some of the many ideas that come to mind as the temperatures begin to drop. Don’t let the thought of winter coming get your spirits down about vegetable gardening. Extend your growing season by implementing some of these options previously mentioned.

About the Author
Mike Podlesny is the owner of Mike the Gardener Enterprises, LLC, the exclusive home for the Seeds of the Month Club, which has appeared on NBC, ABC and MSN Money as a great way for consumers to save money.

Watch the video below to learn more about the Seeds of the Month Club:

How to Control Aphids in your Home Vegetable Garden

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According to a study by the USDA, aphids rank as the top insect to do damage to people’s home vegetable gardens. You may agree with those findings. Aphids are very common throughout the world and come in all shapes and sizes. They feed on pretty much everything and when they are done feeding on a plant their young will develop wings, move to the next plant and the process starts all over.

No need to fear though as you are in luck. There are a number of ways to get rid of aphids, all of which are safe, easy to use and obtain. Some solutions you can buy, but many others you can make on your own.

Let’s start with the #1 way to get rid of aphids. Number 1, not because it is the easiest to implement or the cheapest, but number 1 because it works and that is bringing in the aphids predator. In other words another insect that will feed on the aphids. You can attract this predator by planting various herbs such as fennel or cilantro (in some cases), but the fastest way is to hit up your local garden store and buy some. The predator I am referring to are ladybugs. For about $20 you can get a few hundred to a few thousand and they eat their weight in aphids almost daily.

Another good and safe way to take care of your aphid population is to use sprays. There are a variety to choose from such as hot pepper and garlic sprays to soapy and neem oil sprays. All will work, some better than others, and if you buy one in the store expect to pay anywhere from $7 to $20 depending on the brand name, size etc. You can also make your own by doing various combinations of dish soap and water, or dish soap, baking soda/powder and water.

A third way, and the most inexpensive way, is to use yellow sticky traps. In my local home store you can get a 3 pack for $2. Hang a few around the plants where the aphids are and give it a shake. The ones that can fly will get stuck and eventually when the others start to fly they will end up there as well. Just keep in mind the yellow sticky trap does not distinguish good and bad bugs so use with caution.

The final way is to use diatamaceous earth. Without going into great detail on it, DE, is a safe way to control pests in your garden. It is fairly cheap and easy to get. The cost is about $10 to $15. The downfall of using DE is, just like yellow sticky traps, it does not distinguish between good insects and bad insects. It will affect them all. I try to use DE as a last resort if nothing else works.

Start with getting some ladybugs. That will be your best and safest bet. Within a few days after applying the ladybugs, your aphid issue should be handled.

About the Author
Mike Podlesny is the owner of Mike the Gardener Enterprises, LLC, the exclusive home for the Seeds of the Month Club, which has appeared on NBC, ABC and MSN Money as a great way for consumers to save money.

Watch the video below to learn more about the Seeds of the Month Club:

Your Vegetable Garden is Talking, Are you listening?

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It is a fact that your home vegetable garden is going to go through ups and downs throughout the growing season. Not just the current season but also over many years. I find in my own experiences that from one year to the next that certain crops do better than others.

For example, last year I had one of the greatest tomato crops in my many year history of gardening. This year, the tomatoes, well, lets say they are being stubborn. My cucumbers are going through the roof, almost literally, as I had to extend the height of my trellis just to keep up! Last year many of the cucumbers were sour and stopped growing altogether around the end of July. Something I had never experienced.

I have taken a different approach this year after talking to some very seasoned gardeners and that is to “listen” to what my vegetable garden is telling me. No, my home vegetable garden is not actually talking, but little things occur that I need to be more aware of if I plan to have a more consistent garden.

Let’s take a look at some of the most popular things your home vegetable garden actually tells you. The first one is pretty obvious and that is drooping plants. This is most common during hot temperatures. Many plants can not withstand the extreme heat and respond in kind by drooping or the beginnings of wilting. If those plants are in pots, pull them indoors if possible, otherwise make sure you give them a good watering to keep them hydrated.

A second popular thing your garden is telling you is lack of nutrients. Your plants aren’t going to tell you they need a daily multi vitamin, but they will tell you what they need in the form of deformations in leaves and in the fruit itself. Are your leaves yellow or yellowing? Chances are it lacks nitrogen. Do your tomatoes have blossom end rot? Then your soil may very well lack calcium.

Finally, one of the more popular issues home vegetable gardeners have are bugs. If the leaves have holes in them you have an issue. Shake a plant and if you see some insects flying around you probably have aphids. You get the point. Neem oil, diatamaceous earth, and pepper spray are just three safe solutions you can use to get it under control.

Your garden wants to thrive just as much as you want it to thrive and will tell you things. Keep an eye out for them and when you see something that may look out of the ordinary do a little research or ask a fellow gardener and tackle it as soon as the issue arises. Your garden will thank you for your efforts.

About the Author
Mike Podlesny is the owner of Mike the Gardener Enterprises, LLC, the exclusive home for the Seeds of the Month Club, which has appeared on NBC, ABC and MSN Money as a great way for consumers to save money.

Watch the video below to learn more about the Seeds of the Month Club:

Chickens and the Home Vegetable Garden

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I have recently begun a quest to learn as much as I can on the benefits of chickens that goes beyond their ability to lay eggs. A quest that my wife believes has turned into a near obsession. I’ll save that conversation for a later article and podcast. For now I want to concentrate on why chickens make for a great addition to a backyard home vegetable garden.

Before you even consider adding chickens, if you live in a suburban area like our family, check with any ordinances in your town to make sure it is legal to have them. In my town we are allowed up to 4, although I am sure if I had 6 or 8 I could bribe my neighbors with eggs, fruits, veggies and herbs from my backyard. Oops! Did I say bribe? I meant donate.

I have been vegetable gardening for over 30 years so that part of it I know very well. Chickens, however, are new to me. Although my grand parents had chickens on their farm in Wilkes Barre, PA way back in the early to mid 1900’s, I never had a chance to talk to them about it. The lesson here, make sure you learn as much as you can from those that have already done it and have been doing it longer before it’s too late.

One of my biggest challenges is understanding how big the coop has to be, the amount of room chickens need, what breed would be best and what do I do with them in the winter time. Sure it doesn’t get nearly as cold here in New Jersey as it does in Minnesota or North Dakota, but we do get plenty of snow and temps will drop to below freezing for most of January and February.

I recently had a chance to ask many of these questions to Lisa Richards of Mack Hill Farm which is located in Marlow, NH. Lisa has been keeping chickens for quite sometime and writes about them in her farm journal. On her farm she raises sheep, chickens, keeps bees, makes maple syrup and so much more. I felt as if I had hit the jack pot. An expert on the topic.

According to Lisa, a really good breed of chicken for colder climates is the Icelandic. They are a rare breed that are “used to low light” and will “continue to lay all winter.”

“The best thing about Icelandic chickens is that they go out and forage all winter long, despite deep snow and bad weather. They really are sort of amazing,” says Lisa. “They all roost high up in the roof of our coop, and we keep about 50 of them in a 6 x 12 foot building. They are only in there at night and to lay eggs.”

They make for a great choice because they do not get very large at all at about 3 pounds but are a strong. Lisa says she has seen 3 day old chicks following momma hen around in the snow. The Icelandic are a rare breed as Lisa says, there are only about 3,000 of them worldwide.

As I do more research I am learning quite a bit about chickens and their roll in the home vegetable garden. For starters chickens produce great manure which can be tilled into the soil to add much needed nutrients. Ok, that one was a given, but did you know that you should give their manure a minimum of 6 months before planting anything in that spot? And, chicken manure makes for a great addition to a compost bin from what I read, although I haven’t tried that one myself, yet (something new to try and look forward to I guess).

Chickens, in many cases will keep insects to a minimum in the backyard if you let them roam free, although many I have talked to said if you don’t keep an eye on your chickens they will wreak havoc on your garden as well.

As for other tips on keeping chickens, I turned to Susan Tordella, the “Chicken Eggducator” of FowlBehavior.net. She absolutely loves the white and brown leghorns as they are tremendous producers of eggs. So good at it that she claims “they lay eggs as regularly as humans laugh”. She recommends that you do not crowd your chickens. Give them at least 2 to 3 square feet each in the coop and more room in the yard. She says that during winter to remember that they are animals and have feathers to keep them warm, the important thing is to keep them dry. She likes to use an open air method. She says that if you live in a climate where temps get frigid you might have to invest in a water heater.

Chickens are just another avenue you can travel down as you embark on home vegetable gardening. Of course if you are new to gardening, jumping in with chickens may not be your best bet, just yet.

About the Author
Mike Podlesny is the owner of Mike the Gardener Enterprises, LLC, the exclusive home for the Seeds of the Month Club, which has appeared on NBC, ABC and MSN Money as a great way for consumers to save money.

Watch the video below to learn more about the Seeds of the Month Club:

What is Diatomaceous Earth?

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If you have been a member of our vegetable gardening page on Facebook then you have surely seen Diatomaceous earth mentioned on multiple occasions. It is a great resource as a natural pesticide.

Diatomaceous earth naturally occurs. It is a siliceous sedimentary rock that has been reduced to a fine powder. It is lethal to pests because even at the microscopic level, Diatomaceous earth, DE for short, contains extremely sharp edges which cuts through the insect or will dry the insect out. If they ingest the DE it will kill them from the inside out via shredding their insides.

DE consists of fossilized remains of diatoms which is a type of hard shelled algae. Beyond DE’s pest control possibilities it has been used for other areas as well, including, but not limited to, absorbent for liquids and as a thermal insulator.

Although DE is microscopic, it is strongly recommended that you wear a dust mask when applying it. DE in large quantities, breathed in, is not good for humans. Even though most applications of DE occur outside the home where there is plenty of ventilation, do not take any chances. Wear a dust mask.

You can purchase Diatomaceous earth from any garden center or online retailer that sells gardening supplies. Expect to pay about twelve to sixteen dollars (US) for a 10 pound bag. Although you can apply the DE using a cup or even your hand (wearing gloves of course), it is recommended that you apply DE with a pest pistol. They are also available at garden centers and online retailers for about ten dollars to thirteen dollars (US). A pest pistol allows you to get into tight areas or apply inside or outside in cracks and crevices that allow DE to work as an insect barrier.

So, which insects is DE good for? Pretty much everything from small aphids to cockroaches. Keep in mind that DE is not a chemical pesticide. You do not simply put it down and the bugs die. It may take multiple applications before you start seeing results. If you are patient, and want a great safe way to rid your garden and/or home of pests, DE will be your product of choice.

About the Author
Mike Podlesny is the owner of Mike the Gardener Enterprises, LLC, the exclusive home for the Seeds of the Month Club, which has appeared on NBC, ABC and MSN Money as a great way for consumers to save money.

Watch the video below to learn more about the Seeds of the Month Club:

Three Tips to Getting your Kids Involved in Vegetable Gardening at Home

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I was very fortunate as a child. My dad got me into vegetable gardening, thankfully, to show me where food comes from and that, yes, you are able to feed yourself without leaving your home. Of course he also made it clear that the more independent you want to be, the more work you will have to put into it. I didn’t understand that at the time but I certainly do now.

With two young sons myself I want to pass on to them the same lessons my dad passed onto me and my late grandfather passed onto him. The tips themselves have changed from one generation to the next but the importance of why getting children started earlier in life in learning this valuable skill, in my opinion, has not.

For example, when my grandfather was passing the skills onto my dad it was because they lived on a small farm in Wilkes-Barre, PA and they grew large amounts of food, not because it was a hobby, but because they needed it for their very survival. My grandfather, dad and uncle would tend the land and my aunt and grandmother would preserve the harvest through canning.

Today I do not do any canning but instead a lot of vacuum sealing which creates an air tight seal around my harvested fruits, herbs and veggies. That allows it to store longer in my freezer, meaning I can enjoy food from my garden all year round. But how do I pass this same enthusiasm to my own children? Well here is what I have done and it seems to be working.

1. Get them Involved
I am constantly getting my kids involved in the garden. Whether it is having them help with watering (with their own watering can of course), or carrying harvested veggies to the patio table, I do my best to make them feel like they are a part of every aspect of what I am doing.

2. Get them their own tools
One of the best investments I have made to keep them excited about helping dad in the garden is getting them their own tools. They are very young so of course their tools are of the plastic toy variety, but the toys do give them a sense that they are digging in the dirt, removing weeds and planting things. For just a few bucks, it was well worth the price.

3. Give them a spot of their own
Along with tips one and two, tip three really drives it home and that is giving your kids their own small garden area and letting them choose what they want to grow. I built a small three foot by three foot raised bed for my older son this year, filled it with some dirt and told him to plant whatever he wanted. He chose carrots, which is surprising because he doesn’t like eating them all too much, but maybe growing his own will change that. Now every time we go in the garden he goes over to his raised bed and asks questions about the carrots.

These three tips are exactly what I use with my own children. Hopefully, my children will find a passion in growing their own fruits, vegetables and herbs at home, and eventually pass it on to the next generation.

About the Author
Mike Podlesny is the owner of Mike the Gardener Enterprises, LLC, the exclusive home for the Seeds of the Month Club, which has appeared on NBC, ABC and MSN Money as a great way for consumers to save money.

Watch the video below to learn more about the Seeds of the Month Club:

Who’s Telling You that You Can Not Save Money in a Vegetable Garden? It’s Not Who you Might Think!

There is an aged old question that I, along with many other home vegetable gardeners, constantly get asked. Can you really save money with a home vegetable garden? Some will say, absolutely not, and I will get into who those “some” are in a little bit. They aren’t who you might be thinking about.

In a study conducted by the USDA, one tomato seed can grow you about $50 worth of tomatoes. Is this number accurate? Maybe, maybe not, but I wanted to verify all of this for myself doing my own testing...’sort of’ real world testing.

With a pack of beefsteak tomato seeds in hand at a whopping cost of ninety-eight cents, I ventured on my not so scientific testing of whether or not I could grow $50 of tomatoes from a single seed. Using nothing more than what was already available to me, namely my backyard, I planted a single seed in an area that receives sunlight all day and close enough to my water source, namely the hose.

Currently at my local supermarkets, tomatoes of the beefsteak variety, retail for anywhere from $1.99 per pound to $2.99 per pound. So in order to be ahead of the game my tomato plant would have produce at least one tomato that weighed in no less than a half pound. That would equate to the total cost of the seed packet.

Now I know what some purists might be saying. What about the costs for water? While that is a legitimate question, my home resides in a township and we pay what is called a minimum water amount. This means I pay “x” amount of dollars for “x” amount of gallons regardless of whether or not I use that many gallons in a given month. I will say this, that watering one tomato plant at no time increased my water usage to the point where I went over the amount I was allotted before I was charged for additional usage. So in essence the cost of water has not been a factor.

What about your time? Your time is worth something right? Absolutely. However, it took me all of 10 seconds to plant the seed and then about ten seconds each morning to water it. I know my time is worth something, but I think I can afford 10 seconds a day. In order to get that 10 seconds back later in the day, I will be sure to visit my Vegetable Gardening Facebook page once less time.

Currently, as I am in the midst of tomato season here in NJ, my beefsteak tomato plant has 4 tomatoes on it, with plenty of yellow flowers on it that are about to produce more. If each of those four tomatoes weighs simply a quarter pound each (and they are well over that already), this one tomato plant will break even my costs. Of course I expect the plant to produce throughout the gardening season (barring any unforeseen disasters). Will it produce $50 in tomatoes? I say if it doesn’t it will come darn close. At the low end of $1.99 per pound this plant would need to produce 25 one pound beefsteak tomatoes, and if you have ever grown a beef steak tomato you know that really isn’t that hard to do.

But lets just say I planted five of those seeds instead of just one. Your cost per seed based on what a pack costs is still so nominal and really a trivial cost it becomes nearly irrelevant. Not to scoff at ninety-eight cents in these tough economic times, but you will easily get that back as I have already shown you and now you can multiply that success by five (or the number of seeds you planted).

Obviously different varieties of vegetables will have varying cost saving success rates. High producing vegetables such as cucumbers, zucchini and tomatoes will give you the greatest savings as will planting varieties of vegetables in your garden that cost the most at your local grocery store.

So who really is telling you that you can not save money with a home vegetable garden? Large companies? Mass production farm cartels (I made this group up)? No. I polled a number of people from my area and those that believed it didn’t save you money and was simply a waste of time were neighbors and those in my surrounding community. They felt it was cheaper for them to jump in their cars (at $3.49/gallon of gas), drive to a local supermarket and buy the fruits and vegetables there. I didn’t find this interesting, in fact I found it quite disturbing that there are those that believe that walking out your back door, picking a ripe tomato of a vine is far more expensive then driving to a store.

With so many people still believing a home vegetable garden is too expensive, I see that I, and other home vegetable gardeners still have plenty of work to do in converting the naysayers.

About the Author
Mike Podlesny is the owner of Mike the Gardener Enterprises, LLC, the exclusive home of the Seeds of the Month Club, which has appeared on NBC, ABC and MSN Money as a great way for consumers to save money.

Watch the video below to learn more about the Seeds of the Month Club: