More Lessons from the Garden…

We learn lessons all the time about gardening. Sometimes we learn them when it’s too late to do anything until the next season and sometimes we learn them just in the nick of time.

Here is a quick recap of the the initial lessons we learned as detailed in a previous post.

• Don’t underestimate pests.
• Plant the kitchen garden close to the house.
• Follow your instincts. *Exception below.
• Don’t be afraid to try new things.
• Don’t overdo it.

A couple more big lessons.

Fertilize. Find out what is missing from your soil and add it if you can. Nitrogen, Potassium and Phosphorus. Bone meal. Blood meal. Acidity. Plants need them in varying levels, and if your soil is barren and in need of rebuilding…your plants will need all the help they can get until it gets up to snuff.

Saving Seeds. Plan in advance so that you can plant accordingly…and also not waste your own time. Some seeds should not be saved, such as those from hybrid plants. Their seed is usually sterile due to the hybridization of two parent plants so you probably won’t get any production. Or, you’ll get a wild child that is nothing like the parent plants.

Other seeds can be saved only if isolated from open pollination such as squash, cucumbers, cabbage, chard, broccoli, celery, cauliflower, onion, and basil And still others may transmit diseases through the seeds. Heirloom seeds are a pretty sure bet for seed saving…more info on that in a future post.

*Freaking out. Don’t do it. Don’t half read information about companion planting with dill and think it says “dill attracts tomato horn worms…so do not, under any circumstances ever plant dill and tomatoes together” and then freak out, ripping up all your dill in a misguided effort to save your tomatoes only to then realize that the article went on to say “dill attracts tomato horn worms…and so is the perfect companion plant for tomatoes as it draws them away from the fruit.” Yeah, don’t do that.

Take a breath, remember to fully research before taking any action and repeat, “I know I will lose some plants, but I don’t have to lose them to my own insanity.”

Even though the season is almost to a close…I know I will have just a few more lessons that will be shared in “A Look Back” post.