Gardening Basics
Excitement grows as seed catalogs arrive in the mail. You begin planning for the greenhouse. You look forward to watching as your seeds start to germinate and your plants grow tall. If you are new to gardening, I will be laying down some fundamentals here for you.

Posted Friday, April 21, 2006

It is important to remember not to plant your vegetables in the garden too early. You do not want to put your delicate plants out in the garden until after the heavy frosts of spring have passed. You also have to be careful if your area is known for heavy rains. Heavy rains can damage delicate plants in your garden.

The worry of not planting too early in your outdoor gardens will apply to many types of seeds, such as beans or peas. A successful garden is all about planting your vegetables at the best possible moment to avoid cold air, and excess rainfall. It is always good that your garden and your plants are going to have some rain, but heavy spring thunderstorms can do quite a bit of damage.

For crops such as beans and peas that you have planted just after the last frost, should be planted again about four to six weeks later. The second crop is going to ensure that you have enough to last you through the fall, for canning, freezing or giving away. The second crop is also in case your first crop was planted too early and froze off or washed out; you won’t be left empty-handed.

Along with the beans and peas that you will plant in two different crops, you should consider planting two or more crops of lettuce, radishes, and onions. When you sow a half row at a time you are less likely to lose an entire crop. Many areas of the country are experiencing longer summers, a shift from the cold September to a warm September which will allow your garden to continue producing a few extra weeks.

If you were to plant your entire garden at one time, you would be over flooded with vegetables at once. Staggering your planting staggers the times when vegetables become ripe and ready for use.