Rotate Vegetable and Flower Crops

Every plant sends some nutrients into the soil through its roots and takes other nutrients for use. It stands to reason that planting the same thing in the same spot each year will deplete the nutrients, mainly if you aren’t using a tailored nutrient fertilizer to replenish what has been taken. The easiest way to keep your soil thriving and varied is to rotate where you plant your crops of vegetables and flowers each year. This can also help you keep pests at bay when they never quite know where their favorite munchable vegetable will grow and can’t become as entrenched a problem. 

Add Compost and Other Nutrients Based on Soil Testing

When you test your soil and send it to a lab or the local agriculture bureau, they can help you know whether there are any concerningly low levels of nutrients, allowing you to customize additives to your soil. However, a good compost mix will almost always add to the ground in a good way; compost from your home creates new life when you let it decompose and then put it in your garden beds.

Cover Crops Plowed Each Year. Rejuvenate the Soil

Over the winters, if you choose to plant a cover crop, you’ll help to hold the soil in place and prevent erosion (ask your local nursery what the best cover crops are for your chosen cover season) while adding back nutrients that might have been depleted. If the cover crop isn’t edible, and honestly, even if it is, you can plow it under before your next growing season, adding decomposing compost to your soil and making it even healthier. 

Pay Attention to Aeration, and Don’t Compact Your Soil

While the composition of your soil is essential, it is hard for plants to thrive in compacted soil, especially soils with high clay content that can’t access as much air and water. Once you till for the year, don’t walk on your ground and pay attention to how you water, since gushes of water can flood the soil and reduce the air pockets you’ve perfectly created in the earth for the plant’s future health.

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Primarily used for irrigation and toilet flushing, if correctly treated it may be used for potable applications as well. A life-saver in areas plagued by drought, harvesting rainwater is surprisingly easy and has increased in popularity in the U.S., a country officially identified as facing “imminent water shortages.” In fact, in a report on the challenges of expected water shortages in the U.S., published by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, it was reported that 36 states would suffer water shortages before 2023.

The reality is that most of the water in the U.S. and Canada comes from freshwater supplies of ground and surface water that is treated to make it potable in terms of the Safe Water Drinking Act. But freshwater isn’t an unlimited resource, which is why it is so important to conserve water from all sources.

Strangely perhaps, until relatively recently it was illegal to collect rainwater in some U.S. states, including California and Colorado. The reason was that if rainwater was harvested, it wouldn’t reach the rivers and would, as a result, decrease the allotted water rights of those living downstream.

However, the Federal Government doesn’t restrict rainwater harvesting and there are tax incentives in many areas that encourage both businesses and homeowners to invest in rainwater harvesting systems.

As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) points out, there are varied benefits of harvesting rainwater other than collecting it and storing it as mentioned above. Because it radically decreases runoff and can be used, a rainwater harvesting system will:

• Reduce utility bill charges.
• Decrease erosion that is so often caused by excessive rainwater runoff.
• Minimize the distribution of harmful contaminants including fertilizers, pesticides, and sediments that are inadvertently that may be carried in the fast-moving runoff.
• Augment drinking water supplies for animals.
• Be utilized in drinking water systems that treat water to make it potable.

Codes & Standards for Rainwater Harvesting Systems

Plumbing codes do not generally incorporate guidelines for rainwater harvesting systems, although the Uniform Plumbing Code, developed as an American National Standard, does define “harvested rainwater,” along with reclaimed water and gray water, all of which are considered under a general heading, Water for Reuse.

Harvested rainwater is defined as storm water that is conveyed from roofs of buildings and stored in tanks or cisterns. It is then filtered and disinfected for non-potable uses including toilet flushing and landscape irrigation and sometimes treated for potable uses.

There is, though, a standard developed by the CSA Group, a Canadian-based standards organization, and published by the International Code Council (ICC) that is intended for use in both the U.S. and Canada. Titled CSA B805-18/ICC 805-2018 – Rainwater harvesting systems, it has been approved by both the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Standards Council of Canada (SCC). It covers roof-surface rainwater and storm water used for non-potable and potable applications at source, including those already mentioned as well as fire protection.

In the context of the code, which links designs for harvesting rainwater with all the relevant elements of buildings, storm management, roofing, plumbing, and fire suppression, rainwater includes rain water in any form including roof-runoff, storm water, and snowmelt.

It specifically covers rainwater harvesting systems that are suitable for all residential applications, including single-family residences, multi-residential buildings, and a variety of non-residential applications. So whether you live in an apartment or a suburban house, you’ll find the guidelines you need.

It doesn’t cover rainwater harvesting systems or the collection of surface water for industrial and manufacturing processes. These and those developed for commercial agricultural processes need to be designed by an MEP engineering firm in Chicago, New York, Toronto, Calgary, or wherever the system is to be located.

How Rainwater Harvesting Systems Work

There are two basic types of conveyance systems used for rainwater harvesting:

1. Wet conveyance systems that channel the water from a catchment area below the ground to a tank above the ground.
2. Dry conveyance systems that direct the rainwater directly into the tank. This means that when it isn’t raining, there won’t be water in the system.

The design of the system will depend on where the catchment area is as well as the primary use of the system. For instance, if the water is to be used for irrigation, you need to decide whether it will require a high-pressure system or a low-pressure system for drip irrigation.

The most important elements of any rainwater harvesting system are:

• The catchment system, usually the roof, that directs the water to the conveyance system. The yield will depend largely on the material of the roof. Materials will also affect whether the water can potentially be potable or not. Metal sheds contaminants easily and has a high runoff coefficient producing the highest possible yield. Steeper roofs also shed contaminants more effectively.
• Conveyance systems, whether wet or dry, carry the water to the storage tank usually via gutters and downspouts. Ideally, conveyance systems should be sized to handle 100-year storm events! Gutters should be at least five inches wide and downspouts should be provided for every 100 feet of the catchment area that supplies the downspout.
• Filtration to prevent debris entering the conveyance system. Various types are available.
• Storage tanks that may be above or below the ground. Darker colors are better because they prevent light penetration which causes the growth of algae. Apart from the necessary inlets and outlets, tanks must be sealed. In some colder areas including New York, it is vital that above-ground gravity tanks are insulated and drained regularly. Underground tanks tend to handle freeze-thaw cycles better and can be used all year round. They are, though, more expensive and you will need a pump to convey the water into the tank.

A common question people ask Toronto, Calgary, London, New York, and Chicago engineers is how much rainwater they can or should aim to harvest. You can determine how much is available by referring to the National Weather Service maps that provide a key to annual precipitation levels in conjunction with the catchment area of the property. As an example, a 30 feet x 40 feet roof will produce a catchment area of 1,200 square feet. The last figure you need is the runoff coefficient, which is dependent on the type of materials the water will run off. A metal, asphalt shingle, or gravel roof will be between 0.95 and 0.75, while gravel on the ground will have a coefficient of only 0.70 to 0.25.

Once you have these figures, you multiply the average rainwater (inches) x 0.623 Constant x the catchment area (square feet) x the runoff coefficient to ascertain how many gallons of rainwater you can potentially harvest in any one year. New York State has produced a very helpful Rainwater Harvesting Guide that you can refer to for more detailed information.

Another common question relates to human health. Even though rainwater is clean when it falls from the sky, it picks up pollutants from the catchment area, which is why it needs to be filtered and/or treated if it is to be consumed. The CSA/ICC Standard mentioned earlier has guidelines.

Michael Tobias is the founder and principal of New York Engineers, an Inc 5000 Fastest Growing Company in America. He leads a team of 30+ mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection engineers from the company headquarters in New York City, and has led over 1,000 projects in New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, and California, as well as Singapore and Malaysia.

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There are over sixty varieties of sunflowers. Each one has specific needs for growth and care, but the basics are all about the same. You’ve planted the seeds, whether indoors or out, and now need to transplant or thin them out in the garden. The process will take a little time, but should result in undamaged sprouts or flowers in the end.

When Transplanting Seedlings

Seedlings are very delicate until several weeks when the stem grows thicker and develops in to a stalk. When you are moving them from a germination flat from indoors to outdoors, you will need some special care. Pick a location that receives full sun or only partial shade for the best results. Do not plant outdoors until all danger of frost is gone, as the cold will freeze the tender stems and they will die and not regrow.

Begin by digging small holes where you would like your seedlings to go. Make sure they are adequately spaced so the roots will have plenty of room to grow. You don’t want to have to re-transplant them again in another month by spacing them to close together. Dig a hole about two or three inches in to the ground. Work the soil so it is loose and the roots can take hold and latch on, on the sides and bottom of the hole.

Position the sunflower in the center of the hole and cover with soil. Pat gently so the soil is firm and will keep sunflower in place. Water the area to give the roots extra help in growing and repairing themselves from the transplant.

If your seedlings are small and don’t stand up on their own, you might want to use a stake. You can buy metal or wood ones and prop next to the seedling or tie it with some string. Popsicle sticks and wooden stakes cut down to the size of the seedling work best. The stakes will also protect against heavy rain and high wind damage.

And like all young sprouts, they will attract wildlife. Rabbits especially like to eat the tender green stems of sunflowers. Its not uncommon to have a beautiful row or two of sprouts emerge, grow to six inches tall, and then be completely mowed down overnight by a hungry rabbit or deer. A fence made of wire or mesh might keep them out, at least until the seedlings can grow tall enough where the rabbits lose interest. A fence would need to be at least eight feet tall to keep deer out, and then it isn’t even a guarantee. Human or animal hair placed near the seedlings may also repel their interests.

When Transplanting Older Plants

When digging your sunflower up, make sure to give it wide berth. If you dig too close to the stalk, the roots can be damaged and your beloved flower might not recover. The farther out you dig, the more roots will remain on the stalk. Dig straight down to go deep and avoid cutting the largest roots. Shake off excess dirt if it is too heavy to carry to the new location.

Pick your location and dig a hole about six to eight inches deep, and at least that in width, depending on the exact age of your plant. It is has a lot of roots, dig even deeper so they have adequate room to grow. Loosen the dirt around the area so the roots have air and can latch hold easily.

Place the plant in the center and cover with dirt, packing it down to hold the plant firmly in place. Give it lots of water so the roots can recover from the trauma of being removed. A grown plant should not require stakes if it is planted deep enough.

Care

Sunflowers don’t require fertilizer while they are growing in normal conditions. If you have an unusual soil type, you may consider it, but do it lightly. Sunflowers are hardy plants, but chemical interference may do them in.

After a sunflower has bloomed, birds will start to notice it and the seeds within the center. Keep the sunflowers up until the next planting season, so the birds have an abundant food supply all winter long. Cut the heads or pull the entire stalk out of the ground when the seeds are all gone. Begin your new crop for the new season!

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Traits and Uses of Dill

Dill is an annual herb that is pleasing to the eye as it looks a lot like a delicate fern, but it easier to grow and not nearly as temperamental. Dill leaves can be used fresh or dried. The leaves are often called “dill weed”. Dill seeds can also be used as spices and they have a potent flavor that is perfect for stews and breads, as well as for pickling. The leaves are ready to be used in spring and summer with fall being the season for the seeds.

Of course, being an herb, dill has many uses including home remedies for all sorts of things like remedies for colic, increasing breast milk and relieving gas and heartburn. It can even be used to eliminate bad breath and is sometimes used as a mild sedative. Among the ancient uses, it has even been named as a remedy for impotence, and burnt dill seeds were used to treat wounds. The essential oil that can be extracted from dill is sometimes used as a perfume in cosmetics, as well as for food flavoring.

Three Places to Grow Dill

Because of its ornamental values, growing dill in containers inside is a preference among many. It also adds a lovely background in a flower garden. It is perfect for growing in these manners due to the fact that it flourishes in potting soil. The ability of dill to attract beneficial garden insects, like bees, tachinid flies and parasitic wasps, makes it an invaluable asset in a vegetable garden or orchard. Of course bees are needed in a garden or orchard to pollinate your plants, trees and flowers. Tachinid flies and parasitic wasps are predators that help to control caterpillars, beetles, whiteflies, moths, and fly larvae, to name a few. So growing dill is not only for ornamental, culinary and medicinal purposes, it is actually beneficial in many ways.

How to Grow Dill

Dill usually grows to be two to three feet high. The plant grows perfectly in potting soil, but it doesn’t do very well if transplanted. So if you are going to grow it in the garden instead of in containers, it is best to plant the seeds directly in the garden. Dill requires lots of sunlight, so pick a place that gets sunlight for most of the day.

The best time to plant dill seeds is about a week before the last spring frost. To have dill leaves throughout the season, you may choose to sow seeds more than once throughout the summer. It is a fast growing plant that takes about one to two weeks after planting the seeds for the plants to emerge. In about two to four more weeks after the plant emerges, it will be ready to be start harvesting.

In the garden, the seeds should be sown about a quarter of an inch deep in rows about one and a half to two feet apart. When planting them in containers, make sure that your container is big enough, about ten inches deep. The container should also have holes for drainage since the soil need to be well-drained. The seeds need to be sown in a container filled with potting soil about a quarter of an inch deep. After your seeds are sown, be sure to water them well. Keep the plants in sunlight and water them enough to keep the soil moist, but not drowned.

Harvesting dill is easy. You just pinch off the leaves to use them. They can be used fresh or you can dry them. The seed heads can be dried as well. Dried dill should be stored in a jar that is airtight. Keeping them in the freezer in freezer-proof containers will help to retain their flavor.

Growing dill is easy and there are so many uses for dill weed and dill seeds. They are ornamental and beneficial plants to have in the house, the flower garden, the vegetable garden, and in orchards. Dill is a hardy herb to grow with popularity around the world.

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There are several varieties of cucumber, from short pickling cucumbers to the long, salad-ready English cucumber. There are even round cucumbers, yellow in color, known as apple or lemon cucumbers.

As members of the same family that gives us squash and watermelons, cucumbers thrive in warm weather and sandy soil, but can grow in most types of well-nourished ground. The ideal temperature range is between 65 and 75 ºF. Cucumbers and the other members of its family do not tolerate frost.

Planting

Because they grow fairly fast, the soil that you plant your cucumbers in must contain plenty of nutrients and moisture. It is recommended that you prepare your soil in the early spring or the previous fall by working in plenty of organic fertilizer or compost.

To speed growing, start the plants indoors 10 to 14 days before you intend to plant them. Plant the seeds ½ inch deep in peat pots and do not disturb the roots when transplanting. Do not plant them outside until you are certain there is no danger of frost.

Make small hills of soil and transplant existing plants, or plant 4 or 5 seeds in each hill, spaced about 4 or 5 feet apart.

Growing

Cucumbers spread all over the garden if allowed to. To avoid having them take over your garden, you can use a trellis for cucumbers to climb. Not only does a trellis save space in your garden, it also helps prevent rot. The leaves on trellised cucumbers provide shade so the vegetables do not get sunburned.

Adequate moisture is essential, since cucumbers are 90% water. The plants are especially in need of water when the cucumbers start appearing. To conserve moisture in the soil, you can use mulch or black plastic after the soil has warmed.

Cucumbers are susceptible to diseases, like mildew, and pests, so watch your plants carefully.

Containers

There are varieties of cucumbers that are great for container gardening. Use a pot at least 1 foot in diameter. The height of the pot should be equal to its diameter.

The seed packet should tell you whether the variety of cucumber you have selected is suitable for containers. Plant cucumbers directly in the container, in about mid-May. You can plant them as late as July if you prefer a fall harvest.

An advantage of containers is that you have greater control over the soil being used. Your mix should contain equal parts potting soil, perlite, sphagnum peat moss and compost. Do not use garden soil because it is likely infested with pests. Pests can also infest compost, so be sure the compost was created under high enough temperatures to kill pests. Use slow-release fertilizers in your pots.

Use stakes in a teepee form to support your plants.

Harvesting

Cucumbers are best when enjoyed within a few hours of harvesting. Pickling cucumbers are ready to pick in about 48 to 60 days, and others are ready in about 52 to 72 days. Pick cucumbers as soon as they are ripe. If they are allowed to yellow on the vine, they will become bitter and will slow the ripening of other cucumbers. Pickling cucumbers are best at 3 to 6 inches long, slicing cucumbers at 6 – 10 inches long and apple cucumbers when they are the size of a small lemon.

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It doesn’t take much space to grow pumpkins. Vines can creep well over thirty feet in length, but that doesn’t have to be on dirt. It isn’t uncommon to see vines trailing down barrels, over latticework or up fences. Be reasonable with the amount of seeds you sow, determined only be the limitations of your location. Even a small back porch is big enough for two pumpkin plants. Train and support them with nails or posts to go where you want them to grow. If gourds develop in the air, you can either pluck them as babies, or create a sling to support their growing weight. Some choose varieties that are small so that they have a wall of little jack-o-lanterns come harvest time.

Obviously, the ideal location for a pumpkin patch is a large area that has rich soil and lots of sunlight. It doesn’t have to be flat. In fact, there is a theory that these plants get really happy when given the chance to race down hills. They seem to grow more vigorously with gravity urging their wanderings. This is one reason pumpkins are grown on mounds. Another is that wider beds are more economical with regard to water conservation, weed suppression, and root development for any plant.

Once you’ve located a sunny area and determined how many plants are appropriate for the space you have, you can decide if containers, wide beds, mounds or flat land sowing is best for your situation. Once you’ve decided, you’ll want to amend your soil with compost as maturing pumpkins thrive on lots of nutrients.

Seeding to Harvest

Start your pumpkins indoors for faster growing rates. Soaking them overnight in water before planting will help them sprout quicker. Plant them in a light potting medium because seeds are so large and can otherwise absorb too much water. To avoid dampening off, add vermiculite and perlite to peat moss for a good planting mixture. As an alternative, you can plant in peat pots, and then insert the whole thing into the ground to prevent root damage.

It takes about ten days for a seed to get to transplanting stage. During this time, seedlings need warmth, fresh air, and up to 24 hours of close light. When seedlings get to their three-leaf stage, it’s time to transplant. You don’t have to harden off seedlings, but they should be protected by greenhouse plastic — or something to help warm the ground and circulating air – above the little plants. Give them just enough water to soak up, but not so much that it puddles. Seedlings should never be in standing water.

As these seedlings mature over the next 60-70 days, they will need to eat. Feed them diluted fish emulsion or rabbit tea once every few weeks. During this time, a main vine will develop and grow one way, and a secondary vine will tend to grow the other way. Small, insignificant vines will grow off these and can be pruned. In fact, many farmers prune small, immature fruit that form on side shoots. Microgardeners, those who produce a lot of food in a small area, train the vines in spiraling circles around containers. The plants are versatile enough to accommodate a variety of needs and space requirements.

Just as varied as their growing habits are the varieties of pumpkins you can grow. Pumpkins are many things, but they are not technically squash or gourds. All three are actually in the Cucurbitaceae family, although the Greek root for pumpkin literally means: large melon. The pumpkin family has many members, and some of those are really squash. Whatever you call them, you can find one to fit your needs. Read and ask local recommendations according to your preferences. For example, pumpkins that are great for canning don’t store well, while others last for months in a cool, dry area. You can find seeds for tiny jack-o-lanterns or humongous boats.

Whatever variety you choose, your pumpkin patch joins you with a gardening tradition that’s been going on for centuries. Start a custom in your family. Plant pumpkins every year. Watch them sprawl throughout the growing season, burst forth with flowers then fruit that ripens in a magnificent display. Enjoy the harvest; eat and collect seeds for next season.

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Planting Peas

There are many types of peas; the most common include green peas, snap peas and snow peas. They are all different in terms of taste and uses, but when growing them, the procedures and methods are the same.

Peas are a cold season vegetable that grows great in cool, moist weather. They are even frost tolerant. In the United States, they can be grown just about anywhere. They do not grow well in heat, so summer is not the time to plant them. The time to plant pea seeds is just after the last snow melts.

Peas require sunlight, good air circulation and well-draining soil to thrive. Pea plants are thirsty, so they require a lot of water, especially when they are blooming. They are also climbing plants, so they will need support for the vines.

When selecting a place for your peas, it is best to run the rows north to south in an area that gets proper exposure to the sun to ensure that they get enough air circulation and sunlight. The soil should be prepared by composting organic matter such as dried manure and dried leaves. This will make certain that the soil is fertile and well-draining. You can place trellises for the plants to climb on, or just plant them close to a netting frame or chain-link fence to provide support.

Before planting the seeds, the seeds should be soaked overnight or at least for an hour. Dusting the seeds with an inoculant, that is available in most garden centers, will improve the germination of the seeds making it easier for them to absorb nitrogen which is essential to pea roots. It will also protect them from diseases. You can also use inoculant-containing liquid compost during the process of composting your soil as an alternative to dusting the seeds.

The prepared seeds should be planted in rows that are eight to ten inches apart. In each row, the seeds should be spaced about one inch apart in a furrow that is about three inches deep with the seeds covered by about one-inch of soil. When the seedlings appear, in ten to twenty days after planting, be careful hoeing and watering because the seedlings are easily injured. The furrow will protect them until they start to grow and can then covered up. As they grow, be sure that the vines are supported well. When they start to bloom, make sure that the plants get a lot of water because they are thirsty critters.

Harvesting Peas

Knowing when to harvest the peas can be tricky. It is best to pick green peas when the pea pods appear swollen and mature. Picking them too late will result in the peas being starchy and hard. Snap peas are a little different in that they are best picked before the peas grow very large but when the pod seems to be plump. Snow peas, on the other hand, are best when they are flat instead of plump. With a little practice, you learn just when to harvest your peas for the best quality.

Storing Peas

Fresh peas are wonderful for salads, side-dishes or additions to things like stir-fry. If you can you use them right after they are harvested that is great. However, if you produce a lot of peas, storing them may be necessary. For fresh peas, they can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days. For long-term storing they can be canned or frozen. Canning peas deplete their quality a bit, so freezing them is by the far the best way to store them if you can’t use them fresh.

When freezing green peas, they should be shelled and washed well right after they are harvested. They should be blanched using boiling water for one and half minutes then submerged in ice-cold water. Drain them well and pack them in freezer containers or freezer bags leaving about a half an inch of space in the container. Be sure to remove all air if using bags.

Snap peas should be “stringed and snapped” and washed before you blanch them. Snow peas just need to washed, without the shelling, stringing and snapping. Other than that, both snap peas and snow peas can be blanched and stored using the procedures provided for green peas, except they require blanching in boiling water for two to three minutes.

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Choosing Your Peppers

The first thing you need to do is to decide what varieties of peppers you wish to grow. Reading gardening books about peppers and recipe books will give you a good idea about what to get based on how you will use them. It is recommended that you grow a few different types based on the flavor from sweet to hot and spicy. After you have grown peppers for a few years, you will have had the time to experience with different types and you are sure to have favorites.

Whether to grow peppers from seeds or from transplants is an individual choice. If you grow from seeds, it will be less expensive, but it will take a lot longer before you start to produce peppers. Unless they are just into growing seedlings, most gardeners prefer transplanting started plants. You can find seeds and started plants for peppers in any garden center.

When buying started pepper plants, make sure that they are healthy, with three to five sets of green leaves and sturdy stems. This is a good indication that they roots are good. Don’t buy wilted, unhealthy-looking plants or plants that haven’t leaved.

Determining Where to Plant Them

There are three important ingredients to a thriving pepper garden. They are direct sunlight, water and well-draining, fertile soil. So choose a spot that gets direct sunlight for most of the day. You can ensure that the soil is right by composting aged manure into the soil. This will give them a nitrogen fix to get them started. If you can, it is good to lay black plastic mulch to keep the ground warm in early spring, but in warm places, that isn’t necessary. One last thing in selecting a place for your pepper plants – it isn’t good to plant peppers in the same place two years in row because the soil will be depleted which makes the peppers more susceptible to disease.

Knowing When to Plant Them

Peppers are not tolerant to frost. If you are starting them from seeds, they need to be indoors and started in the late winter. Transplants should be planted in the spring after the last frost when the air and soil have become warm.

How to Plant Them

The pepper transplants should be spaced eighteen to twenty-four inches apart. The holes need to be deep enough to cover the roots of the transplant. To prepare for planting you will need to fill the holes with water and wait for it to soak in. Take care in removing the transplants from their container avoiding disruption or breakage of the roots. Place the plants in the holes and bury the roots with soil leaving a slight dip around each plant to hold water. After the transplants are planted, water them.

How to Care for Peppers

Peppers are relatively easy to care for. They need deep watering to develop strong roots and to prevent wilting. Spraying them down with water occasionally using a light sprayer and using a soaking hose is ideal for watering your pepper plants. It’s important to keep weeds away from them. Hoeing to close to the plants can be a problem, so hand-picking the weeds may be necessary.

Most pests don’t like peppers, but aphids are their primary problem. They can be controlled by aphid eaters, like the ladybug, or by using chemicals that are recommended for aphid control. If you have leaf spots, you need to check with a local expert to find out what to use to spray your plants because that is a sign of disease.

When to Pick Peppers

Usually, peppers need to be harvested when they are mature. If you pick the peppers frequently, you will definitely the increase the yield of the crop. If you pick immature peppers, most of them will still develop. Leaving peppers on the plant until they are fully ripe may help to improve the flavor with some peppers.

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Growing Broccoli

In order to produce a good crop of broccoli, you have to know the growing conditions including the preferred climate, soil and fertilization. Water and sun exposure requirements are also important along with controlling pests and diseases. Knowing when, where and how to plant broccoli is the first step in yielding a great harvest.

Broccoli grows well in cool climates, though it is sensitive to frost. Extremely hot weather is definitely its enemy. Early spring and late fall are the best seasons for growing broccoli, when it isn’t hotter than eighty degrees and not colder than sixty-five degrees.

The soil for broccoli needs to fertile with plenty of organic matter added. It needs to be kept moist, but well-drained. Using mulch helps to keep the soil moist and cool, setting the conditions for a prosperous crop. Fertilizing the soil about a week or two before planting is recommended.

It is best to plant broccoli in an area that gets full sunlight; however, it will grow if it has minimal shade. Crop rotation is necessary when you are growing broccoli or other members of the cabbage family, since you shouldn’t plant them in the same area year after year. In fact, planting in a spot that hasn’t grown members of the genus for four years is suggested.

As far as pest and disease control, you won’t have many problems with broccoli. Some pests, like aphids, slugs, cabbage worms and maggots, may cause some problems. They can be taken care of with beneficial garden insects or by spraying the plants with insecticide. Black rot, club root and leaf spot are diseases that are occasionally found in broccoli crops. Rotating your crops helps to prevent diseases. Club root can be taken care of through alternating the pH by applying lime, but with leaf spots, you should destroy the plant because the disease will spread.

When planting broccoli, it is best to plant transplants, although germinating them from seed is possible. If starting from seed, it takes about six weeks before they will be ready for transplanting. Before you plant your transplants, it is a good idea to use a liquid starter fertilizer on the transplants.

Transplants should be planted deep enough to cover their roots and about one to two feet apart. In sixty days (maybe longer), your broccoli will be ready to harvest. The part that you pick is the flower head and it needs to be harvested before the flower buds open. When you pick the main head of the broccoli, the side heads will continue to develop.

Storing Broccoli

After the broccoli is harvested, you need to clean them to rid them of pests. This can be done using a mix of white vinegar and warm water (not hot). Don’t soak them for too long, about fifteen minutes will do the job.

You can keep fresh broccoli in the refrigerator for about two weeks. For longer storage, freezing is recommended. To freeze broccoli, you need to cut it up and blanch it in boiling water for about three minutes. After it’s boiled, put it in ice water for about three minutes, drain it and put it in zip-lock freezer bags. Frozen broccoli is “almost” as good as fresh, and it will store well in the freezer for about six months.

Serving Broccoli

Broccoli makes a wonderful appetizer or side dish and it is really good in salads. Serving it may be a bit of a challenge if you’re spoiled to the pre-cut, ready-to-serve varieties that are bagged in the grocery store. When you grow your own broccoli, you have to remove the leaves and the tough part of the stalk. You may prefer just to cut the buds off to serve them, but the stalks are edible too. You can both remove the buds and cut the stalks into pieces or you can cut them lengthwise to make broccoli spears. Broccoli spears are great steamed, and the cut-up portion is excellent in casseroles and soups. Of course, fresh broccoli flowerets are wonderful served as appetizers or added to salads. For a nutritious vegetable, the diversity of serving broccoli makes it a winner to be grown in your garden.

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Characteristics of Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts are members of the cabbage family. In appearance, they look a lot like a miniature version of a cabbage, but they are way different by taste. The taste of cabbage is kind of bland, while Brussels sprouts have a delicate, distinct flavor. The tang becomes milder when the crop is exposed to light frost or snow, which makes them even better.

In the garden, Brussels sprouts are a hardy plant. The sprouts, several of them, actually grow on a stem that’s about two to three feet long. Leaf axils develop on the stem and they produce the sprouts from the bottom to the top. They take a long time to grow, but they are well worth the wait.

Brussels sprouts are highly nutritious. They are extremely high in vitamin C, which is a recommended vitamin for avoiding the three top causes of premature death in America, heart disease, cancer and stroke; as well as improving your immunity to common things, like colds. Brussels sprouts are also a dependent source for vitamin K which is good for your bones, circulatory and nervous system. It’s also a good source for folic acid which is known for preventing birth defects.

Growing Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts grow well throughout the United States; although most of the commercial growers are in coastal areas in California. They are best if they are set out in late spring to mid-summer so they can take advantage of the fall frost which actually improves their flavor, making it milder. If you plant them too early and they mature during hot weather, they are likely to be bitter. If growing from seed, start them about five weeks before you intend to transplant them.

The space where you plant Brussels sprouts should not have previously grown members of the cabbage family for at least four years. Otherwise, they will be subject to cabbage-crop-killing disease, clubroot. Other diseases that are occasional problems include black rot, black leg, downy mildew, and fusarium yellows.

When planting the plants in the garden, they should be spaced about two to three feet apart in prepared soil. Brussels sprouts grow in a variety of soils, but for optimal growth, it is important that the soil is well-drained with plenty of organic matter.

When the plants are about a foot tall, applying an application of nitrogen fertilizer will improve the stamina of the plants improving its hardiness. When weeding, make sure that you don’t damage the shallow roots of the plants. The crop will need plenty of water during hot weather. The sprouts are ready to be harvested when the buds are about an inch in size and firm. They need be cut off the stem before the leaves turn yellow.

Storing Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts that are on the stem can be stored in a cool place for several weeks if they haven’t been cut. Once you cut them off them off the stem, they can be stored in the refrigerator for about three days to a week. If you intend to keep them for longer than that, you need to freeze them. Before freezing them, you need to blanch them in boiling water for three to five minutes. Drain them and rinse with cold water. Then they can be put in an airtight freezer-proof container or in freezer bags and placed in the freezer.

Cooking Brussels Sprouts

Before you cook Brussels sprouts, be sure to wash them well under running water or soak them for about fifteen minutes to remove bugs. Forget the “old timer’s” version of cooking Brussels sprouts – over-boiling them and drenching them in butter. Some people have a taste for that; however, it’s probably the reason that most people say they don’t like Brussels sprouts.

Brussels sprouts are actually a delicacy in gourmet cooking. They are awesome sautéed in virgin olive oil with a touch of garlic. They add a touch of class to your potatoes and spring vegetables that are cooked in with a pot roast. They can even be steamed or stir-fried. There are thousands of recipes that make Brussels sprouts appealing. Experience the wonderful variations of preparing Brussels sprouts and they are sure to become one of your favorite vegetables.

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