Growing Carrots from Seeds - Perfect for Kids

While I can not say that what I am about to tell you will make your kids devour carrots like a hungry rabbit, it should at least get them excited about growing and harvesting them. On a side note, sort of on topic, ironically, I have put some carrots out for the rabbits and they won’t eat them, only the carrot greens. The squirrels on the other hand, well, they will eat just about anything.

Here is how I got my two boys excited about growing carrots. I will get into a little trick my wife uses to actually get them to eat the carrots, a little bit later.

I built and dedicated a four foot by four foot raised bed, made from landscaping timbers that are readily available at any home center for a few bucks, for my kids’ carrot growing adventures. There is nothing fancy about this raised bed, as you can see. It is a simple square, two layers of timbers high.

Once the raised bed garden is built, you will need to add in some soil. Your options really are limitless here with any of the organic soil varieties available at garden centers, to the “create your own” methods. One thing's for sure, since carrots are a root crop you will want to have soil that is loose and friable. It will allow your carrots to grow more freely and give their roots a chance to spread out.

Your bed is set up, you have your soil in the bed, now comes the time to plant the seeds. Two years ago I gave my sons a couple of packs of carrot seeds and told them to go ahead and have fun. While they enjoyed that very much, the bed had carrots everywhere and some too close together. Neither issue resulted in a less tasty carrot or reduced amount of fun, but we did make some changes for this year.

Instead, for this year, we created rows for 5 different varieties of carrots and spread the rows apart about seven to eight inches. I had them lightly sprinkle each variety of seeds in their marked row, making sure we did not overseed any particular spot. I was keeping a close on the project (sort of).

So, as you can imagine, up to this point, from working with wood, to playing with dirt, to planting seeds, they were having a ball. What kid wouldn’t like getting dirty right?

Once everything was planted I would go out to the raised bed with my sons every other day or so and help them pick any weeds, making sure they understood, the raised bed, was for carrots only. My way of convincing them that weeding was a good thing.

Fast forward a couple of months and the raised bed is filled with carrots. I think the big thrill for kids about carrots, or so it seemed to me by watching my sons, was the fact they could not actually see how big the carrot is until they pulled it. This also presented a slight problem because if my older son picked a carrot and it was huge, and my younger son picked one and it was smaller, my younger son would want to keep picking until he had the larger carrot. I was constantly on “do not pick too many” patrol.

Now that they have had so much fun picking carrots, how do you get your kids to eat them? My wife likes to shred the carrots and add them to just about everything she cooks. It keeps the pieces small, and when cooked, they soften up so it makes it easier for them, I suppose. 

I'll write about the onion bed in a future post :-)

About the Author

Mike Podlesny is the author of Vegetable Gardening for the Average Person: A Guide to Vegetable Gardening for the rest of us, the moderator for the largest vegetable gardening page on Facebook and creator of the monthly Seeds Club.

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

Growing Cucumbers in a Small Space

Between last night and this morning I picked roughly 10 pounds of cucumbers.  My kitchen counter was literally covered with them.  My wife made it clear to me that I had planted way too many, and at the rate I am picking them, I really can not argue, but like you, I am addicted to growing fresh veggies.  Besides, my neighbors enjoy them so it keeps me on their good side, espeically since I have a dog that enjoys barking a lot (at night).  You can see the trade off.

But, to me, what makes the production of my cucumbers even more impressive (if I must say so myself), is that it is all done in a four foot by four foot raised bed.  Yes, that is only sixteen square feet of area to grow in.

The raised bed itself is nothing fancy.  It is simply built from landscaping timbers purchased at a local home center not too far from my house.  They were on sale for $0.50 each, so I could not pass it up.  The picture to the left is a photo of my raised bed garden for the carrots I am growing.  The cucumber bed is exactly the same, however, since the vines are very thick and somewhat overgrown, it was tough to get a picture of it, as you will see below.

In the center of the bed I built a trellis, 6 feet tall by the width of the interior of the bed.  As you can see in the photo I used nothing more than some old pine trim wood that I had left over in my garage for both the sides and top.  As you can see from this photo the base of the cucumber plants are full grown so it makes it tough to snap a photo of the raised bed I mentioned earlier.  You will also notice the trellis and how the vining cucumbers grow up it.  Growing vertically is a great method for high production home vegetable gardening with limited space. 

The trellis has attached to it some netting.  I would like to say I found the netting in the trash, or some thrift store, however I did not.  I purchased it from a local garden center for about $5.  Looking back I am sure if I were more patient I could have done better on the price.  With that said, as you will see in the photo to the left, the netting is connected to the wood frame using zip ties.  A friend of mine is an electrician and I "bumbed" a few off of him.  You will also notice that the frame is connected with nothing more than a two deck screws (one on each side), of which I already owned from a previous home project I worked on.

The frame itself is not, however, attached to the raised bed.  I simply drove the sides into the ground with a hammer, before I screwed in the top brace that you see in the photo above.  When the season is over, I will simply pull the trellis out, in tact, and store it away in my shed to be used next season.

Here are some notes about the cucumbers being grown.  They are the Ashley variety, part of the Seeds of the Month Club, and are indeterminants.  I have 16, yes 16, plants growing in that four foot by four foot area.  As of this posting, I have picked a little less than fifty pounds of cucumbers over the past few weeks. 

Looking at the cucumbers vines and how lush and green they are, I think I am on pace to break my own personal record of 200 pounds of cucumbers.  Ashley's are much heavier than the straight eights I have grown in previous seasons, and taste very good, but in my opinion, not as sweet.  My wife disagrees with me.

I would like to say that I am doing something special, unique, or different than some other home vegetable gardener, to yield this many, but I really am not.  My garden is growing in a typical New Jersey suburban neighborhood, and I know if I can grow this many, so can you.

Three Ideas to Vegetable Garden with Limited Space

One of the best things about growing your own vegetables is the freedom you get when it comes to picking and choosing exactly what you want to grow and how much of it you need or want. However, for some, as is the case with those that live in apartments and condos, space is a major factor. With limited space, many people believe you can’t grow what you want or anything at all. Here are some ideas to consider if you fall within this category.

Pots
This is the obvious choice, yet it can be overlooked. Many vegetables can be grown in pots of which the most common is tomatoes. Use large pots. I like to use ones that are at least 12 inches deep as well as 12 inches around. This gives the plants plenty of room to spread out their roots.

Raise Bed
A pot is really nothing more than a raised bed for a single plant. However, even if you have a concrete patio or slab you can turn a portion of that into a raised bed. Build a four foot by four foot by twelve inch deep raised bed out of some wood you can pick up at your local home center. Even better, find a construction site that is throwing away wood and save some money. Fill the raised bed with a mixture of equal parts, vermiculite, peat moss and compost and you will have everything you need to grow a nice little garden. You can just sit the raised bed right on top of the concrete slab.

Community Garden
Maybe you live on the wrong side of the apartment building and you get very little sun. But, the complex itself has some unused land. Ask the apartment owner if you can turn that unused land into a nice garden. You may want to ask some fellow tenants or condo owners if they want to get in on this idea with you. You can even look for a piece of vacant land in the city that you live in. Many towns like Detroit Michigan and Los Angeles California encourage gardening activities to reduce the eye sores of vacant land that gathers garbage. You are helping your town as well as yourself.

Do not let the lack of space prohibit you from growing your own fruits and vegetables. These are three of the many options that you can consider to take advantage of the space you never knew you had.

About the Author
Michael C. Podlesny is the administrator for the largest Vegetable Gardening page on Facebook

Vegetable Gardening 1st News for Friday March 11th, 2011

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In today's first news we have discovered a couple of neat trends in home vegetable gardening that you are sure to enjoy. Also, we have discovered 5 really cool ideas for garden planters. Hint, don't throw away that old charcoal grill just yet. Finally, we wrap it up with an in depth article on raised beds and how they can help anyone grow the best food possible.




SPRING FORECAST: Gardening trends for 2011
Each gardening year is different, and not just with the weather. As with fashion, food and other obsessions, gardening weather trends change each season. Some stick, and others are blown away by...
http://www.heraldnews.com/garden/x904836185/SPRING-FORECAST-Gardening-trends-for-2011

5 creative, truly useful garden planters
I love every single one of these ideas for repurposing items into garden planters. Whether you have little space, little sun, or little energy to build a raised garden bed, there's a solution here for...
http://www.mnn.com/your-home/organic-farming-gardening/blogs/5-creative-truly-useful-garden-planters

Vegetable gardening: Raising the bed improves your odds
There is a good chance you are among the multitude considering planting a vegetable garden this year. You may find yourself wondering where to start. Over the years I have humorously said ... http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-02-28/classified/sc-home-0228-garden-veggie-20110228_1_local-garden-club-soil-vegetable-gardening

Tractor Tires for Raised Bed Vegetable Gardens

It isn’t as if most people have old tractor tires just lying around collecting dust. Nevertheless, a good old tire that’s no good for driving on anymore doesn’t have to go to the trash pile. And when it comes to raised beds, there’s hardly a thing better than a burly tractor tire. By making a few minor alterations, removing the upper rim and painting the outside, that old hunk of rubber can have a second life—maybe even one that is nobler than the first.

To the gardener, it would be an insult to explain the benefits of raised beds. Just the same, they would be remiss to overlook the cost of materials to build raised beds. Purchasing good wood for frames is expensive, but it can’t be cut out, that will only lead to board rot and an open invitation to soil pests. Intro the tractor tire. He had a hard life on the wheels of his green driving machine and is excited to a retirement of laying about doing a whole lot of nothing.

Instead of making a costly purchase like railroad ties or treated wood, anyone who is interested can meander down to a local auto shop, poke their nose in and inquire about used tires that are destined for the dump. Most mechanics are happy to unload useless tires since it saves them a trip to the dump and any of the associated paperwork that accompanies rubber waste. What that means for the gardener is that he or she can acquire a perfectly good raised bed for free.

Then, once the tire has been introduced to its new home, it is just moments away from becoming a part of the thriving garden. The trickiest part of the tire to raised bed metamorphosis is cutting away that husky upper lip. Often the rubber will be about three-quarters of an inch thick along the outer rim. That’s a job no scissors could address, but a handsaw would gladly step in. After the rim is cut, the tire is nearly ready.

Because the color black is such a great heat conductor, the tire will need to be painted a lighter shade: white or yellow will reduce the amount of heat absorption keeping plant roots from burning and water from increased evaporation. After a coat of spray paint the tire will be ready to fill and plant.

While one tire won’t be able to accommodate a large crop, it will open up a few advantages that traditional raised beds are not good for. One tire could be unobtrusively placed at each directional plane of any house, meaning that varying degrees of light would shine on each one throughout the day. Since plants have so many different needs for direct sunlight, this is a great way to open up more possibilities for the plants that can be grown. By freeing the tractor tire from the doom of a landfill, any garden can thrive and become more versatile.

About the Author
Jody Sperling is a contributing writer for Mike the Gardener Enterprises, LLC the exclusive home for the Seeds of the Month Club.

How to Grow Vegetables in Pots or Containers

Don't let limited space be an excuse to not start your own home vegetable garden. With the hardiness of today's plants and seeds, you can grow vegetables in pots and containers just as if you had a full sized garden. Add some water, sun and lots of love and you will be well on your way.

http://www.ehow.com/how_5235995_grow-vegetables-pots-containers.html

How to Grow a Vegetable Garden with Limited Space

Even if you are limited on space you have an opportunity to grow your own vegetables and fruit at home. Listed in this tutorial are a few ways you can make the most out of what space you do have.

Use pots. Many people do not think twice about putting flowers in pots, but many of those same people think it odd to grow watermelons or zucchini out of one. As long as the pot is over ...



http://www.ehow.com/how_5168822_grow-vegetable-garden-limited-space.html

Home Vegetable Gardening: Five Tips To Help You Grown Better Fruits

Walking in your Garden
With every step you take in your garden you compress the soil underneath and that prohibits air flow as well as water drainage. If you can not or do not have the ability to create a raised bed gardening system, then here is a solution to distribute your weight evenly when you need to walk through your garden. You can lay down a piece of plywood over the areas where you are going to walk. When you step on the piece of wood, your weight gets more evenly distributed. You can also designate certain parts of your garden to be considered “walk” areas. La down some mulch will help reduce the impact on underlying layers of soil.

Fertilizer Numbers
Although I would rather see you enrich your soil via means of composting and vermicomposting many must use commercial fertilizers. If you are one of those people you should know what the numbers mean on the packaging. You will see the N-P-K ration listed on packages of fertilizer. N-P-K stands for nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. So if you see a fertilizer that reads 15-5-5 it means that it contains a ratio of 15 parts nitrogen to 5 parts phosphorous to 5 parts potassium.

Going Organic
Home vegetable gardeners more so then any commercial industry will have an easier time going organic. Because home vegetable gardens are smaller and more manageable it becomes more realistic to use organic methods. For instance, a home vegetable gardener won’t have to use power tools to cultivate the soil. A pitchfork or shovel will suffice. Home vegetable gardeners can bury food waste directly in their backyard or set up a vermicompost bin to create quality humus that will add much needed nutrients to your soil.

Vegetable Offspring
A very popular question that we receive on our website is, “is it possible to grow vegetables from the seeds of vegetables grown in a backyard vegetable garden?” In short the answer is yes. But there is more to it that will affect the quality of the taste. If you grew the vegetable plant from a hybrid seed, which means it is a cross between more than one variety of plant, the offspring of that plant won’t be as tasty as the original and may even look a bit different. If the seed wasn’t a hybrid then the offspring should be identical and that will lead to the same taste.

Space Limited
If your space is limited you have a few options you can use to make the most out of the space that you do have. For instance you can grow vegetables out of pots. Just make sure the pot has a depth of at least 8 inches and a 6 inch diameter. You can set up a raised bed gardening system, enclosed by a wooden frame, bricks or any number of other material. Again make sure the depth is at least 8 inches. Try growing vertical. Cucumbers, pole beans, and melons are a few varieties of plants that you can direct where they go because they are vines. You can save a tremendous amount of space by using a trellis and having them grow vertically.

About the Author
Mike is the author of the book Vegetable Gardening for the Average Person: A guide to vegetable gardening for the rest of us. He can be reached at his wesbite: AveragePersonGardening.com where you can sign up for his free newsletter and he will send you a pack of vegetable seeds to get your home vegetable garden started.

Tomato: Everything You Wanted to Know and More

The tomato is an herbaceous plant in the Solanaceae (flowering plants) family. Cousins to the tomato include potatoes, chili peppers, eggplant and tobacco. Yes tobacco. Although tomato plants can be grown as a perennial, it is normally grown in gardens and farms as annuals due to temperate climates.

They can grow as high as ten feet but their stems are weak and require some type of stabilizations such as a tomato cage or tying them to a tall stick.

The tomato is native to South America with genetic evidence showing that its origins can be traced to the highlands of Peru.

The earliest traces of the tomato to North America are attributed to William Salmon (1868-1925), who was an American Politician that served in the 7th district of Tennessee as a member of the United States House of Representatives. It is said that he reported seeing them in a southern territory of the United States more commonly referred to today as South Carolina. Although no one is 100% sure how they came about in America, some scientists believe the species found originated somewhere in the Caribbean.

Tomatoes love heat and because they do states like Florida and California are top producers in the country due to their longer growing seasons.

According to the UN Food & Agriculture Organization, in 2008 the United States produced 111 tons of tomatoes, second only behind China who produced 311 tons, and ahead of 3rd place producer Turkey at 39 tons with a total world production of 125 million tons.

There are about 7500 different varieties of tomatoes grown in the world and vary in colors, sizes and shapes. In the United States, gardeners grow ones that are as small as the cherry tomato (1/2 inch in size) and as large as the beefsteak (4 inches in size).

Tomatoes are eaten throughout the world and have been shown in studies to aid in a healthier heart. They contain the bright red organic pigment called lycopene. Lycopene has been shown in studies to be a very powerful antioxidant and when you cook tomatoes it makes the lycopene even stronger, even suggesting to assist in preventing prostate cancer.

The tomato is enriched with Vitamins A & C, and anthocyanin (blue) another antioxidant thought to be a powerful fight against various diseases.

Due to the tomatoes high acidic content, they are easy to can whole, in pieces or in a sauce, because they can be preserved.

Though most people think of a tomato as a vegetable, it is a berry which is a subset of the fruit botanical term. Botanically speaking the tomato is the ovary part of the plant therefore it is a fruit. However, because of its high acidity and low sugar content, many do not think of it as a fruit because it is not as sweet as a fruit.

The heaviest tomato ever recorded was seven pounds twelve ounces. It was grown by a person named Gordon Graham from Edmond, Oklahoma. Although unconfirmed, the tomato tree growing in the experimental greenhouse in the Walt Disney World Resort, may be the largest tomato plant on record in the world.

Finally, what would a tomato article be without at least mentioning the Tomatina Festival? This is the big food fight festival held every year in Spain. Tens of thousands of people will gather in the town of Bunol every year and throw tomatoes at one another. How many tomatoes are used? It is estimated that over 100 metric tons of tomatoes are used every year at the Tomatina Festival.

About the Author
Michael is the author of the book Vegetable Gardening for the Average Person. It is a practical easy to follow book that teaches gardeners everything from composting techniques, aeration and frost conditions, to choosing the right tools and picking the right seeds. You can also follow him on Twitter.

Vegetable Gardening: Succession Cropping

In the early spring, the cooler months, that is when I get my spinach, radishes and lettuce in the ground. Within a month or so I have fresh vegetables ready to be harvested. The only problem is once I pick those vegetables it leaves me empty space.

Succession cropping is the process by which you plant something new, typically a warmer weather plant, into the area vacated by a cooler weather plant like those mentioned above.

When you properly plan out in advance your succession cropping you can easily three crops from the same area. For example, in the spring you plant your lettuce, then the weather warms up, spinach is done so you replace it with squash or tomatoes. As the hot summer months come to a close and it gets cooler again, you can put the spinach back in and get some more.

The possibilities are endless in regards to the combination of vegetables that you can plan out. Succession cropping comes particularly useful to those who are limited with space but want lots of fresh vegetables.

Here is a short list of vegetables that grow in cooler climates:
• Arugula
• Beets
• Broccoli
• Brussels Sprouts
• Carrots
• Escarole
• Fava Beans
• Garlic
• Kale
• Leeks
• Lettuce
• Mustard Greens
• Onions
• Radishes
• Spinach

Once the warmer weather sets in and after they have been harvested (of course), replace the empty area with warmer weather vegetables such as:
• Tomatoes (all kinds)
• Peppers (all kinds)
• Squash (all kinds)
• Egg Plant
• Beans
• Corn
• Cucumbers
• Melons (all kinds)
• Okra
• Pumpkins (start in warmer months can go through cooler months)
• Sweet Potato

As you can see you have a variety of options and combinations. If you might be thinking (if you are advanced in your gardening hobby) that you want to plant something in the warmer weather that won’t require similar nutrients as the plant that grew in the cooler months, it is best to visit the United States Department of Agriculture website and look up the nutritional information they may have for a variety of vegetable and fruit species.

I have an average sized garden, and I do my best to take advantage of the space I do have. Succession gardening gives me and can give you the added space you need without having to add more space. Combine succession gardening with raised bed gardening and potting containers, and you will see just how many more vegetables you are able to grow in the same space you currently have.

About the Author
Michael is the author of the book Vegetable Gardening for the Average Person. It is a practical easy to follow book that teaches gardeners everything from composting techniques, aeration and frost conditions, to choosing the right tools and picking the right seeds. You can also follow him on Twitter.

New Podcast on Raised Bed Vegetable Gardening is Up!

Episode 2: Raised Bed Vegetable Gardening

http://mikethegardener.podbean.com/