GARDEN + GARDENING + GARDEN DESIGN + GARDENING TIPS & ADVICE

Whatever your circumstances, if you want fresh produce to feed your family there is a way to do it.  Even if you live in an apartment you can grow in containers on a balcony or in a community garden (contact the local county Extension service).

If your lot is small and space is limited, grow your produce “up”.  Vine vegetables such as cucumbers, pole beans, melons, peas, and a variety of squash can be grown on trellises using very little ground space.  Putting your plants close together will help to limit weeds (no sunlight).  All you need is 6 hours of daily direct sunlight and you can grow an amazing amount of food.  You can use your front yard as well as your back yard.  Just be sure you have adequate sunlight.

It’s important to prepare your soil properly.  Plant rows north to south so there will be sufficient sunlight.  Water in the mornings.  Don’t let water stand on your plants overnight.  That is an invitation to plant disease.  Water sufficiently, but don’t over water.  A rule of thumb: if the soil isn’t wet to the second knuckle of your finger, you didn’t water enough.

There is nothing better than fresh produce grown in your own spot of earth whether on the balcony of your apartment or the back yard.  Try it.  I guarantee you won’t regret it.

I’ve just learned some interesting things about a plant that I have had in my office for years.  The plant is called Lucky Bamboo.  It’s not bamboo at all, but a member of the lily family that grows in the rainforests of Southeast Asia and Africa.

It needs little care.  The plant prefers plenty of indirect sunlight and room temperatures between 65-70 degrees.  It is recommended that you change the water weekly and to use only filtered or natural spring water.  If the leaves are turning yellow, it probably means that it’s getting too much direct sunlight or the water is too salty or flouridated.

If you want to feed your Lucky Bamboo, it is recommended that you add some African Violet fertilizer to the water.  A fine mist spray to the stalks can some times stimulate additional bud growth.