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Veggie Gardening

A Guide to Vertical Gardening

April 17, 2020 by Wendy Pettit

A Guide and Tips to Vertical Gardening in Utah

By Connie Pelton

The lack of a large space discourages many would-be gardeners. But if you can’t go out, perhaps you should consider going in a different direction: up.

Vertical gardening is a highly efficient way to make the most of a small area.  Vertical gardeners enjoy higher yields per square foot than their traditional counterparts. They also have an easier time with pest control and harvesting. Whether you dream of bountiful blooms or tangy tomatoes fresh off the vine, you can make a vertical garden work. Here is a guide to vertical gardening to get you started.

Vertical gardening in utah

Source

Location and Orientation

Plants, like people, are particular about where they like to live. Some love full sun, and others want a smattering of shade. If you follow the rules, you’ll have a successful vertical garden. Most vegetables and herbs thrive in as much sun as possible; morning sun is essential. If you have a south-facing wall, fence, or railing, this is your spot.

Planting Systems

vertical gardening with baskets

Source

You have numerous vertical gardening systems to choose from.

  • Pocket systems hang on walls.
  • Modular systems stack atop one another.
  • Pallets are made with upcycled materials, with one side covered in fabric or plywood, then leaned against a fence or wall and filled with soil.
  • Ladder-like shelves hold potted plants leaning against a wall.
  • Hanging baskets are linked together in a chain.
  • Rain gutters let you plant strawberries in them and hang on a fence.
  • Trellises can be shaped like a teepee or A-frame and arranged over a soil-filled bed.
vertical gardening using plastic bottle

Photo by Luisgopa at Pixabay

vertical garden wood letter box

Photo by Dieneves at Pixabay

Feeling overwhelmed?  No worries!  See some tips for early spring gardening here.

Layering and Light

Because vertical gardening involves trellises and tiers, be mindful of plants that will cast shade on one another. You can underplant vining veggies such as tomatoes and squash with herbs such as mint, chives, tarragon, cilantro or parsley, which can handle a bit of shade. Try to plant varieties that are close to the same height and grow at the same rate to avoid crowding and shading. Sweet corn has such a solid stalk structure that you can use it to support climbers like beans. “Companion planting” is actually an ancient crop tradition.

Caring for a Vertical Garden

DIY vertical gardening with drawers

Source

Vertical gardens have some special needs. If you have trellises, you’ll want to keep a close eye on your climbers and do a bit of training to make sure vines stay where you want them. If you’re using containers or a raised bed, check the soil moisture often to make sure your plants don’t get dehydrated. You’ll also want to add a heavy layer of mulch – 2-4 inches– over the soil surface of raised beds. This helps the garden retain water during the hottest months of summer.

It’s easy to spot pest problems since many of your plants’ leaves will be exposed and closer to eye-level. Using organic pest control will ensure that your harvests are free of chemicals. If you see signs of aphids or other pests, you should treat them immediately. Hand-picking is your first line of defense against large pests such as caterpillars and beetles. For smaller insects, your approach may vary. Biological pest control is an organic, ecologically friendly way to combat garden pests on your lawn or in your garden.  By attracting or placing predator insects (praying mantids, ladybugs, lacewings) into the garden, you can let nature take care of your pest problems.

cages and drawers for utah vertical gardening

Source

Harvesting

Whether you use a tiered or trellised system, most vertical gardeners enjoy the relative ease of vertical harvesting. Rather than having to bend or crouch, you can harvest from a vertical garden while standing upright. This makes it a preferable option for the mobility-impaired or elderly gardeners.

Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just developing your green thumb, vertical gardening is a beautiful way to take your gardening to the next level. Onward and upward!

harvesting a vertical garden

About the author:  Connie Pelton is a retired teacher who spends most weekends gardening with her grandchildren. Together, they built and planted an indoor vertical garden wall taller than both of them.

Filed Under: Container Gardening, Gardening, Herbs, How To, Tips & How To's, Utah Gardening, Veggie Gardening Tagged With: garden vertical, utah gardeners, Utah gardening, vertical gardening

A Planting Guide for Utah Vegetables

April 9, 2020 by Wendy Pettit

when to plant utah vegetables

Here is one of our most popular handouts about Utah Vegetables and when to plant them and what to expect.  I often ask myself, “Is it too early to plant these?” or “How long before I can harvest?”  This two-page handout will help with a lot of those Utah vegetable garden questions.

Since we are so eager for you to find success, we would hope that you would return the favor and support us for our success as well.  We love this community and want everyone to find great satisfaction in doing what we love to do.

Click HERE to view and download our Planting Guide for Utah Vegetables

 

 

Filed Under: Gardening, How To, Utah Gardening, Vegetables, Veggie Gardening Tagged With: plant vegetables, planting guide, planting guide utah, utah gardens, utah vegetables, when to plant

SEEDS, SEEDS, SEEDS

April 5, 2020 by Wendy Pettit

seed packets

Several of our customers want to see what seeds we have available during this COVID-19 pandemic.  Since we currently and temporarily are only taking phone or email orders with curbside pickup, we are posting photos of the seeds we currently have inside the store.  Limited to supply on hand.  We apologize if these photos are difficult to see, but until we get some closer photos, these will have to do.  You may need to ZOOM in close to read the varieties.

Thank you again for supporting the small businesses in our community.  We appreciate you shopping at Western Gardens for quality products and services during this more than unusual spring.

ORGANIC SEEDS

organic vegetable seed packages at utah garden center

Organic Vegetable Seeds – soybean, beets, huckleberry, sunberry, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, corn, collards, cucumber, greens, kale, melons, peas, peppers, gourd, and more.

organic vegetable seed packages for natural garden in Utah

Organic Seeds (minus the bottom 2 rows) – radish, squash, tomato, pepper, beans, corn, peas, spinach, and more.

VEGETABLE SEEDS

Utah vegetable seed packets

Vegetable Seeds – Artichoke, Asparagus, Bean, Beets, Cabbage, Cardoon, Cauliflower, Celery, Cucumber, Grains, Kale, Lettuce, Melon, Okra, Onion, Peppers, Radish, and more.

Vegetable seed packets from peas pumpkins leeks, beans, and more

Vegetable Seeds – Beans, Carrots, Collards, Corn, Greens, Melons, Peppers, Pumpkins, Rutabaga, Spinach, and more.seed packets of vegetables for gardening

Vegetable Seeds – Bean, Berries, Broccoli, Brussel sprouts, Corn, Cowpea, Eggplant, Endive, Greens, Lettuce, Melons, Peas, Radicchio, Radish, Pumpkins, Gourds, and more.Summer squash seeds for a vegetable garden

Vegetables – Squash-Zucchini, Winter squash, Strawberries, Swiss Chard, Tomatillo, Tomatoes, Watermelon, and more.

HERB SEEDS

seed packets of herbs for gardening

Herb Seeds – basil, chives, cilantro, coriander, dill, fennel, lavender, oregano, parsley, rosemary, stevia, thyme, and more.

FLOWER SEEDS

Flower seeds packets

Flower Seeds – Alyssum, Amaranth, Butterflyweed, Caster beans, Daisy, Gourds, Lavender, Nasturtium, Petunia, Morning Glory, Poppy, Salvia, Snapdragon, Sunflower, Sweet Peas, Mixes, and more.

Sunflower seeds and more

Flowers – Bachelor Buttons, Cosmos, Flax, Hollyhocks, Marigold, Nicotiana, Penstemon, Poppy, Sunflowers, Zinnia, and more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Annuals, Covid-19 updates, Flowers, Fruit, Herbs, Perennials, Seeds, Tomatoes, Uncategorized, Utah Gardening, Vegetables, Veggie Gardening Tagged With: flower seeds, garden seeds, herb seeds, organic, organic seeds, packaged seed, seed packets, seeds, vegetable seeds

Phone Email Orders with Curbside Pickup Only

April 2, 2020 by Wendy Pettit

utah garden center does curbside pickup during covid-19 crisisDue to Covid-19, we are now temporarily taking Phone and Email Orders with Curbside Pickup ONLY.  The health of our employees and you, our loyal customers, is very important to us, hence our decision. 

If you already know what you want to order, give us a call during regular business hours 10-6pm Mon-Sat. 

SL store: 801-792-3161 or 801-364-7871.  WV store: 801-968-4711. 

If you can’t get through, please leave a message or call again.  Know that we are busy inside the store fulfilling orders as fast as we can.  We really appreciate your patience. 

Order requests can be submitted ONLINE by emailing the addresses below.  Please include your name and phone number.  We will contact you to confirm your requests.  We will get back to you within 24 hours.

Salt Lake Store:  [email protected]

West Valley Store: [email protected]

Our most popular April product lists can be found below:  

April 2nd Product List – PAGE 1   CLICK HERE (Double-click on the thumbnail that will appear.)     

April 2nd Product List – PAGE 2  CLICK HERE   (Double-click on the thumbnail that will appear.)

No Garden Consulting available at this time.

Deliveries: minimum $60 – drop-off only at the garage door.

Please know that as your local small business independent garden center, we really appreciate your business and your support during this very troubling time. We hope to serve you the best we can during this challenge and throughout this growing season.  We will open our doors to walk-ins as soon as we are able.

Here are some photos for INSPIRATION or browse our blog posts.  Get out of the house, to our parking lot, then to your yard!

Eat peas straight out of the garden

plant seeds and trays are easy to get with curbside pickup

phone order your utah pansies today for curbside pickup

covid-19 gives planting ideas to salt lake gardeners

seeds are in for cold crop planting now or summer crops later

utah garden landscape idea

Image credit Pixabay

 

 

phone order what you need, pick up at garden center, get out in the garden

Photo Credit via Pixabay by AKA Ralph

easy to phone order grass seed and pickup at the curb at utah western gardens

Photo Credit: WensLens

western garden centers have the best roses in the valley

utah grown tomatoes vine ripened in your garden

Photo Credit: Pixabay

perennials along the sidewalk

peas for utah spring garden

zucchini plants make all kinds of delicious dishes. phone order with curbside pickup

western gardens has a wide variety of succulents

plan your vegetable garden now for a great harvest later

Mother's Day Flower Pots are the perfect gift for all the mothers in your life! A sweet and simple gift to bring a pop of color to her home and a smile to her face.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Covid-19 updates, Gardening, Utah Gardening, Veggie Gardening

How to Plan a Vegetable Garden

February 13, 2020 by Wendy Pettit

by Kevin Jefferson

You’ve come to the right place to learn some important tips on how to plan a vegetable garden. Planting a vegetable garden might not be the easiest hobby in the world, but it’s definitely among the coolest ones. This is a way to do something good for your family and keep providing them with healthy veggies every single day, and that’s what we all want. But, planting a garden requires some planning and thinking things through, so here are a few tips that might help you do that more easily.  

vegetable garden with carrots and green onion

Photo by Pixabay

Pick the Spot

There are lots of factors that will determine the success of your garden, and its location is one of the most important.  Living in a house with a yard makes your vegetable garden plan easier to formulate.  Find the sunniest part of your yard – front or back.  Partial shade is okay but you will have the most success if your plants can get 6-8 hours of direct sun. Look at all the possibilities.  You may have a corner you’re not using or a plot you could clear and turn it into a vegetable garden. 

To plan a vegetable garden when you may live in an apartment or a condo, can be more challenging.  However, many small apartment dwellers find success utilizing a sunny porch or balcony in their cozy space.  Planning the right plants for an apartment space is very important.  Your local garden center, like the well established Western Garden Centers in Utah, can give you suggestions that will do okay growing in a planter or large pot.  Not all plants like the confinement of a pot.

plan your vegetable garden, then dig in

Photo by Pixabay

Determine the Size

Bigger backyards will give your new garden more space, but don’t worry if you’re stuck with a tiny backyard – you can still make this work if you put your mind to it.  Even with a large yard, a designated 8 foot by 4 feet spot of earth, maybe the best for your first garden experience.  Four boards from the lumber yard, nailed together, and set on the ground may be the only size you can deal with at first.  Get your hands dirty and the next year, you’ll be eager to expand and try new plant material.  Again, don’t start with a massive vegetable garden if you’re doing this for the very first time.

Starting small and expanding your garden as you gain experience makes more sense in the long run. Pick a few low-maintenance plants to start with such as tomatoes, zucchini, and cucumbers.

plan a vegetable garden that looks great

Make it Visually Appealing

The main purpose of planting a vegetable garden is to give your family lots of healthy vegetables, but there are a few other benefits you should keep in mind. A nice tidy little garden will boost the value of your property and lots of greenery is great for making your backyard look more inviting. Plus, foliage helps keep a yard cooler in the summertime.  So visually appealing doubles for your little climate control.

Plant a variety of vegetables paying attention to their different shapes and sizes. Plant colorful flowers or herbs along with your vegetables to add interest and help attract beneficial insects too.

vegetable garden plan with lettuce and onion

Photo by UnSplash

Choose the Layout

Even though most people don’t think you need a particular plan when planting a veggie garden, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Unless you make a proper plan and know where everything is, your garden is going to be messy and cluttered, and that’s never good. Instead, work on your layout. Plan the vegetable garden with taller plants in the middle or all together and lower growing root vegetables on the outer edges. For example, a row of carrots between zucchini plants or cabbage heads will make it difficult to work those carrots. Be sure to determine your planting zone. Choosing the proper plants for your climate area will determine your garden’s future success.  Visit a reputable local garden center like Western Gardens.  They won’t try to sell you plants that will not do well in your area.  They also will direct you how to protect certain seedlings from unpredictable early frost we often experience along Utah’s Wasatch Mountains.

plan a garden and eat fresh peas soon

As outlined above, the effort you do to first plan your vegetable garden, you will find more success.  Now it’s time to prepare your soil, plant it, care for it, and soon you will harvest the many fruits of your labor.  It’s really not that difficult, but it brings great satisfaction to you and your family’s life.  Therefore start small and simple, define every task to be accomplished, and then stick to your plan every step of the way. Your garden center experts would love to help you find success!  Remember that success doesn’t come overnight with a garden; so stay patient, stay focused, and stay dedicated to your vegetable garden.  Before you know it, you’ll be picking and munching on those delicious fresh vegetables!

Harvesting your vegetable garden

how to plan a vegetable garden

About the Author

Kevin has gone through an extensive home renovation with his son, which he has both thoroughly enjoyed, and dreaded every morning. He is now the proud owner of half his dream house (the other half has been waiting for spring). You can read more of Kevin’s work on PlainHelp.

Filed Under: Gardening, How To, Utah Gardening, Vegetables, Veggie Gardening Tagged With: plan a garden, plan a vegetable garden, planting a garden, vegetable garden, vegetables

Tips for Gardening in Small Spaces

February 5, 2020 by Wendy Pettit

by Rachael Elizabeth

Wall step gardening for small utah gardens

Photo from Needpix

There’s nothing like picking a ripe, red tomato from the vine and popping it in your mouth … yum! Garden-fresh vegetables are a treat, especially when you grow them yourself. You don’t need a large plot of land or lots of tools to spread your seeds. You can do your gardening in small spaces.  Plant Utah flower and veggie gardens in small nooks or pottery — as long as they receive direct sunlight for most of the day.

gardening in small spaces with geraniums on wall

Photo from PxHere

Light in Small Gardens

When it comes to plants, “full sunlight” is defined as six or more hours of direct sunshine per day. Before choosing varieties for your garden, you’ll first want to assess the growing space for light. Light-measuring instruments are available, but you can do this yourself by drawing a diagram of the plot. Upon each hour beginning at 7 a.m., jot down on paper, or use your smartphone’s camera to record which areas have sun or shade. Remember that each hour, the angle of the sun determines the direction of light, and it changes as summer begins to fade into fall.

Soil

Now that you know how much sunlight your garden space receives, all you need is soil, seeds (or seedlings) and water. Garden soil in Utah should be well-draining, loose, fertile, and have a pH balance between 6.0 and 8.4. Decaying organic matter in the soil helps plants absorb natural nutrients for feeding. Test the soil and then amend it as necessary with products from your local nursery.

Small Garden Choices

Cucumber on vine in vertical garden

Photo from PublicDomainPhotos

Gardening in small spaces means choosing varieties of flowers, fruits, and vegetables that don’t spread sideways.

Tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, and lettuce don’t take a lot of space in gardens, and you can plant these vegetables in containers. If you like cucumbers, there are two kinds; vining and bush. Vine cucumber plants will spread; crawling along the ground or climbing trellises. Bush cucumber plants are more compact and better suited for containers and small gardens.

Creative Small Gardening Locations

Why limit yourself to the backyard? Plant your small garden along the driveway; in some old, rehabilitated wall shutters; on a vertical tower; on a flat rooftop; — even on a bird feeder! Anywhere you can place a soil bed that’s in direct sunlight can be a garden. Window boxes, trellises, arbors, potted patio umbrella stands, and framed boxes are just a few ideas to bring your garden to life.

Little Patio Gardens

small patio garden for Utah

Photo from Pixabay

Large containers are just as effective as dirt bed gardens, as long as there’s enough sunlight and water available. A mini-garden won’t be overflowing with veggies but, there will be enough for snacks and to add to salads. Beans, tomatoes, peppers, kale, and herbs are perfect for growing in containers. Flowers are also great. Choose some of Utah’s favorites: showy goldeneye, hummingbird, golden currant, or curlycup gumweed.

Pest Control When Gardening in Small Spaces

Much like your Utah lawn, small-space gardens benefit from natural products and predators to control pests. Beneficial nematodes are micro-organisms that feed on grubs and larvae — those tiny worms that eat plant roots. These beneficial nematodes feed on more than 200 species of insects, but they don’t damage plants or roots, and they are not harmful to people or animals.

Slugs and snails are garden-loving pests that enjoy chewing on lettuce, cabbage, strawberries, and other leafy plants, but “normal” pesticides usually don’t work on snails and slugs.  Therefore, you have to get creative.

A beer trap is just what it sounds like — snails and slugs like to belly up to the bar. Fill a small, flat container with beer but don’t let the liquid spill into the soil. Slugs and snails are attracted to the beer, go for a sip, and then fall in and drown. Place a beer trap every 3 feet or so in the garden for this method to be effective.

When gardening in small spaces, don’t forget that natural predators such as those microscopic nematodes will destroy slugs and snails in their early stages. Birds eat them, too!

Gardening space is all relative.  You don’t need more than a few basic tools and a little bit of space to experience the wonderful benefits of gardening.  Make the most of your limited growing area with color, scent, and taste. That small space is waiting for your green thumb!

tips for gardening in small spaces

About the Author

Rachael Elizabeth is a gardening guru and writer. She takes pride tending to her small space garden that is constantly flourishing with fresh herbs and florals. When she’s not practicing her green thumb she can be found exploring nature on a hike or swimming in the lake.

Filed Under: Container Gardening, Flowers, Gardening, How To, Outdoors, Utah Gardening, Veggie Gardening Tagged With: gardening in small spaces, small gardens, small space garden, small utah gardens, vertical gardening

How to Prepare the Ground for your Garden

April 28, 2018 by Western Gardens

Prepare your soil for your vegetable garden

So you want to grow a vegetable garden?  The first step is to prepare the ground for your garden.  Growing a vegetable garden is like painting a room.  The actual painting the room is the “fun” part.  All the preparation before the roller hits the smooth wall is the most important part of painting a room.  Washing, puttying holes, sanding, and priming the walls may seem tedious and unglamorous, but it is very important to create the ultimate finished nicely painted wall.

Preparing the ground for your vegetable garden is just as important as picking the fruits of your labor.  You’ve come to the right place to get started.  Welcome!

5 steps to prepare the ground and soil for your garden

You can do it!  Here are some steps to get you started in the wonderful world of gardening:

  1.  Start Small – You don’t want to bite off more than you can chew.  It’s like a new exercise program.  In the beginning you may be overwhelmed, tired, and want to quit.  Start smaller.  A plot of ground 8′ x 10′ is plenty big.  You may want to just start with growing a few items in large planters (but there are some vegetables that don’t like the confinement of planters).  Maybe just begin with a small strawberry bed.  Sweet rewards await you.  Find success with a little garden. You can always expand as you get the hang of it.Small garden to begin with
  2. Choose a Sunny Location for a Vegetable Garden –  Vegetables like sunlight.  Most vegetables like 8-10 hours of sun in 24 hours.  Trimming overgrown unwanted bushes or trees could be done to create more sunlight for your garden.  If you are doing a flower bed, decide whether it will be for shade loving plants or full sun plants.Shovel in dirt digging vegetable garden
  3. Clearing the Space – Now that you have your area chosen, it’s time to prepare the ground for your garden.  Clear the ground of weeds, rocks, sod, etc. All you want is dirt!  A shovel works well to dig up roots and to turn over your dirt.  If you have sod, you can dig it up with your shovel, but be sure to shake off all the dirt from the roots of the pieces you lift.  You don’t want to rob your garden of the awesome soil.  You can throw the sod into a compost pile.  Some people go to the expense of buying or renting a tiler to work up the soil and sod.  Do what you can afford.  The idea is to get the soil free from weeds, grass, rocks, roots, and other things to hinder your garden growth.  You are “clearing the land” like our forefathers had to do.a good loam soil is what we want to plant in
  4. Soil Preparation – Here along the Wasatch front in Utah, we have pockets of all types of soil.  Just in the Salt Lake Valley alone, you could have very sandy soil that doesn’t hold the water well at all, or you may have clay, which holds the water too much and drowns the plants.  Our ultimate goal is to have a good “loam” – a mixture of sand, clay, and good organic matter.  Back to your soil – you must determine what type of soil you have.  If you have very sandy soil, you’ll need to add amendments to the soil to get it more to the “loam” we are after.  If you have more heavy clay soil (like mine), then you will need to amend the soil with different products, again to bring it to that balanced loam we seek.   If you are not sure what kind of soil you have, take a gallon size baggie with about 2 cups soil from your garden plot and visit your local garden center like Western Gardens.  Inquire of their garden experts and they can identify what type of soil you have.  They will also identify what soil amendments you may need to add to your dirt.  Lots of times it’s just needing to add more organic matter to the soil.  They’ll tell you the method you should follow for your situation and your soil.  You may just need to top dress your bed with some bags or a load of topsoil.  But ask the garden experts and they’ll help you.  They want you to be successful too. dog with hose in mouth
  5. Watering Method – You will want to at least know how you are going to water your first garden.  To start off this year, you may just want to purchase a soaker hose to attach to your existing hose and faucet.  Run the hose along your plants or seeds once they are in the ground.  After you get the hang of gardening, you can invest in more elaborate watering methods.  Watering with a hose from above could also be an initial plan.  Just as long as your plants get the proper water needed, you should find success.

Now you are ready to plant!  Easy-to-grow crops like onions, peas, beets, carrots, and zucchini are a great place to start, especially in small gardens.  There are many vegetables that are easy and will save you money throughout the season. If you would like advice on the best vegetables to start with in your garden, and for what varieties work well in our Salt Lake climate, you can always stop by Western Gardens and talk to one of our helpful gardeners.  Here is an article about Warm Season vs Cold Season Vegetables to plant, depending on when your soil is ready to plant up.  They are always ready to help you with organic pest control suggestions, fertilizer recommendations, and their opinions for the best time to plant.

Also, this article from Gardener’s Path is very good and goes into more details.  Planning and Planting Your First Vegetable Garden  Check it out!

Filed Under: Gardening, How To, Utah Gardening, Veggie Gardening Tagged With: dirt, first garden, garden soil, prepare the ground, prepare the soil, soil preparation, soil types, utah soil

Vegetables to Plant in July and August in Your Garden

July 20, 2017 by Heather Leister

Welcome Gardening Friend! Glad you dropped in.

It's not too late to plant a vegetable garden in July and August.

Was 2017 the year that you planned to finally get your family garden up and running? Maybe now you’re realizing that it’s July and all you have is a bare patch of soil and good intentions? Not to fear! You still have time to enjoy a fall harvest and make it a family affair! Here are some ideas of vegetables to plant in July and August in your garden.

Here are four fruits and vegetables that are fun to grow, yield a quick crop, and make gardening with the family easy and fun!

Tomatoes: Since tomatoes need to be planted after the danger of frost has passed they’re a possible choice for mid-summer planting. When July’s summer heat kicks into high gear, you’ll want to take precautions to protect the plants from the hottest part of the day, plus plant on a cloudy day or in the evening after the worst heat. Shade coverings, mulch, and adequate & consistent watering will help your tomato plants take off. When starting tomatoes later in the summer it’s also important to select a “short season” variety, one that will be ready for harvest before the fall frost arrives.  There are also some heat tolerant varieties as well, like Grape, Heat Wave II or Fourth of July.

Some varieties of tomatoes are good vegetables to plant in July and August in your garden.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Peppers: Although pepper plants take longer to mature than other vegetables, their fruits can be fun for children (and adults!) to watch as they grow and change color. You’ll find varieties of pepper plants that have Days to Maturity time of 60-70 days.  Examples:  Orange Blaze, Gold Standard, Jalapeno Gigante, or Big Guy. Chick here for more.  Your garden center will also have some seeds and maybe some plants still available to browse through.  Find one that your family will enjoy eating, as well as watching! Remember that some varieties of peppers must be handled with care as they leave a residue on the skin that will cause irritation.

Find a fast maturing pepper to plant later in the season.

Photo Credit: Wiki Media

Pumpkins: Plant pumpkin seeds now and reap some jack-o-lanterns in the fall! But you better hurry!  Pumpkins generally require 75-100 days to maturity. Check the variety!  Hopefully we won’t have a frost until late October.  Your children can watch as the seeds grow into vines that will creep throughout your garden. When selecting your pumpkin seeds, think about the size of your available garden space. You’ll want to choose between between a variety of tiny pumpkins or larger ones that are best suited for carving jack-o-lanterns. No matter what you decide, pumpkins are fun and easy to grow and their seeds make a delicious, roasted treat in the fall.

pumpkins take a longer time to mature.

Photo Credit: Public Domain Pictures

Radishes: Radishes are a terrific addition to the family garden because they are colorful, quick growers. Children can expect to pull up their first crop just a few short weeks after planting the seeds – a very quick garden turnaround! Your family will enjoy watching as the tops of the radish greens emerge from the soil. When they are about one week ole, radish plants should be thinned to approximately two inches apart a job that children can do after some instruction and coaching. Fast growing spring varieties of radishes should be planted when the weather is still cool. However, winter radishes can be planted later in the summer as late as mid-August.  They take longer to grow but will still provide your family with the satisfaction of planting a seed in the ground and pulling a vegetable out of the dirt!

Radishes are great vegetables to plant in July and August in your garden.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia

The 2nd Planting List:  Come on in to Western Gardens for an extensive list of  vegetables and herbs that can still be planted in July and August.  To name a few on the list:  arugula, cauliflower, carrots, cabbage, and many many more.

 

Filed Under: Gardening, Kids in the Garden, Vegetables, Veggie Gardening Tagged With: august vegetable garden, Family Garden, july vegetable garden, kids in the garden, late planting, peppers, pumpkins, radishes, second planting, tomatoes, what to plant

Harmful Garden Insects: Organic Management

July 18, 2017 by Marjorie Carter

 Welcome, Friends! Glad you’re here for some tips to organically manage those pesky harmful garden insects so you’ll have produce left to harvest!

Harmful garden insects can be managed organic methods

All yards and allotments will have harmful garden insects every year; it’s part of nature.  These insects need to eat in order to feed the beneficial insects.  Eliminating ALL the harmful insects from your garden would be time, labor, and resource intensive. You also run the risk of depleting the food source for beneficial insects and other animals that feed on the harmful critters.

Wise Goal – An important and wise goal is to control the harmful garden insects enough to reduce the damage to your garden to a manageable level.  Meaning that by harvest time, there is something left for you to eat.  Losing one or two tomatoes is manageable and probably hardly noticed, but an entire decimated crop means there’s a problem to address. 

aphids are harmful garden insects that can be easily controlled

Aphids – One year we had aphids on our herbs which was easily treated by spraying the affected plants with neem oil, a wonderful organic product found at Western Gardens.  This significantly reduced the number of bugs.  They were further kept at bay by some helpful ladybugs, also found at your garden shop. 

Neem Oil is safe organic product. Read label

We were careful to thoroughly wash our herbs before eating them to remove any remaining aphids. Washing anything you harvest before eating it is always a good idea anyway.

Harmful garden insects include the Leaf Miner

Leaf Miner – Last year, our challenge was leaf miner larvae on our Swiss chard.  In this case, we simply discarded any leaves that had been extensively chewed.  Otherwise, we snipped off the parts that didn’t look as appetizing, like anything that had a visible egg attached to it (usually on the underside of the leaves), washed everything, and then enjoyed our tasty green salad.

tracks of leaf miner on pepper plant leaves

This year, now that we know to look for the leaf miner eggs on the leaves, we were more attentive with our starts for our garden and inspected them daily, looking for them or other harmful garden insects.  We found eggs on our pepper plants and did our best to remove them when the plants were small.  We used a piece of duct tape wrapped around a finger to remove the eggs.

duct tape wrapped around one finger helps lift off insect eggs from plants

We found that using a gentle fingernail was still too rough for the tender young leaves, so gently touching the tiny eggs with the sticky duct tape easily lifted them off.  

Eggs of the leaf miner on pepper plants

Once the plants were more mature and could withstand a little insect activity, we were less vigilant at egg removal, but still mindful of looking for eggs once in a while.  Read more on homemade remedies for treating leaf miners by clicking here.

harmful garden insects also include squash bugs

Squash Bug – This year, we planted pumpkins for the first time.  We had heard of the dreaded squash bug and had been looking for them but hadn’t seen any damage to the plants.  Then, just last week (late June), one of our pumpkin plants was nearly devoured overnight by something.

Squash bug eggs are easy to spot and remove.

We assumed it was the infamous squash bug.  This assumption was reinforced when, upon closer inspection of the plant, we found a mating pair of squash bugs with a third one waiting on the side-line and eggs attached to the underside of the remaining leaves and the stem. We posted photos of the damage to a Facebook gardening group and learned of some other likely culprits.  That night my husband went out with a headlamp and a bottle of neem oil to investigate.

earwigs are harmful but also beneficial

Earwigs – Someone suggested the damage looked like the work of earwigs.  My husband found several earwigs eating on the plant and a swarm of them hiding in a nearby crevasse. Earwigs are a complicated insect in the garden.  They are not only harmful, but also beneficial.  They aid in breaking down organic matter (composting) and they also eat aphids and other harmful insects. However, when there are too many of them around a young susceptible plant, they can be very destructive.  We could also see evidence of earwigs damage on a few leaves of nearby tomato plants.  This minimal damage doesn’t pose a risk to a plant that has hundreds of leaves to perform.  In comparison, the pumpkin plant had only a dozen leaves to start with and most of those were very damaged. 

earwigs eating pumpkin plant leaves

My husband sprayed neem oil on the earwigs on the plant, in the swarm nearby, and even in their nest. It’s still uncertain whether the plant will survive though it already shows signs of new growth. We monitor it closely to prevent another insect attack that would probably kill it.

Another organic alternative that works to kill earwigs is diatomaceous earth, which also now offers a nice dispensing bottle which helps cut down on waste and mess.  Check it out at Western Gardens.

diatomaceous earth is a natural organic product to control crawling insects in the garden.

As for the squash bugs, not the main culprits to the pumpkin plant, they were probably snacking on it also.  We’re still removing eggs as we find them (using the duct tape trick mentioned above) and killing any adults.  Their numbers can quickly get out of hand. Again, diatomaceous earth works well to control squash bugs.

Beneficial vs Harmful Insects – Lady bugs, praying mantis, and birds are a few examples of creatures that feed on the harmful garden insects; hence, we like to see these around around the yard.  When considering how to handle any harmful garden insects, the first reaction should generally not be total annihilation.  Rather, try to reduce their numbers and also allow the beneficial insects and animals to do their part until the plant is mature enough to withstand the damage. 

Good luck and happy hunting!

CLICK HERE to read about beneficial insects you want in your garden.

10 beneficial insects you want in your garden! If you spot these in your yard, you're in good shape!

Filed Under: Flowers, Gardening, How To, Insects, Tips & How To's, Utah Gardening, Vegetables, Veggie Gardening, Yard Care Tagged With: Gardening, harmful garden insects, harmful insects, How To, organic management, organic pest controls, Utah gardening, Western Gardens

Difference Between Heirloom and Hybrid Tomatoes

May 24, 2017 by Marjorie Carter

Welcome Gardening Friend! Glad you dropped in.

Difference between heirloom and hybrid tomatoes

When we first started growing tomatoes several years ago, I didn’t know the difference between heirloom and hybrid tomatoes.  I had heard about heirloom tomatoes and wondered what that meant.  To me, an heirloom tomato sounded like some prized family possession (like great-great grandma’s china plates) or some secret family seed (like that secret family recipe for chocolate cake) that had been passed down from generation to generation. Basically, it made them sound unattainable without a special connection to someone from a family that had been growing tomatoes for countless generations. That was my impression.  So, I simply went about my business of buying tomato starts at the local garden centers.  I didn’t hear the term “hybrid tomato” until a few years ago.  Hybrids were the kinds of tomatoes I’d been growing but didn’t know it. 

As the push for more natural and organic ways of producing food has been growing, the market for heirloom tomatoes has become much more mainstream.  One can buy packets of certain varieties of heirloom tomato seeds at pretty much any gardening center and starts for heirloom tomatoes can also be found in more locations. 

But really,

What’s the difference between heirloom and hybrid tomatoes?

One way to define an heirloom tomato is a variety that has been passed down within a family or has been around for at least 50 years (though it seems there is some controversy about how old a variety of tomato needs to be in order to be considered an heirloom1 ).  Some heirlooms are recorded as having been cultivated for hundreds of years or more.

An HEIRLOOM TOMATO is one that has been selectively reproduced for certain characteristics, perhaps a certain trait that is best suited for a growing region or a certain color or flavor.  It may be the best one for canning/bottlings because of its acidic content.  Or maybe a variety that is huge and juicy, where one slice fills an entire sandwich! Some varieties of heirloom tomatoes include Black Beauty, Brandywine, Chocolate Stripes, Green or Red Zebra, Big Rainbow, and many more. As the names would suggest, heirloom tomatoes come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and flavors. 

Many would argue that heirloom tomatoes are more flavorful. I have personally grown Brandywine for several years and can attest that they are delicious and juicy.  They also can grow to be quite large, but the same vine could also produce medium or smallish fruit.  They are not completely consistent in size, but always tasty!

brandywine tomato is an heirloom type and very tasty.

A word of caution: Watch your heirloom tomatoes and don’t let them over-ripen on the vine.  Since the colors of an heirloom can vary so much from what most people are used to, like that “tomato red” we all see on hybrid varieties we buy at the grocery store, it can be quite easy to not know an heirloom is ready for harvesting until it’s too late.  Read up on the particular heirloom tomatoes you choose so you can be aware of what to watch for to assess ripeness.

Since an heirloom tomato is one that has been specifically selected over generations of plants for its traits, it is possible to take the seeds from a tomato grown in a home garden and use them to grow that same variety during the next growing season.  (IMPORTANT NOTE: If your heirloom tomato cross-pollinates with some other variety of tomato in your garden, you will end up with seeds that are not true to the original plant.  If you’re interested in preventing this from happening, there are guides on how to prevent cross-pollination.)

A HYBRID TOMATO is one that is the result of intentionally cross-pollinating two different varieties of tomato.  This means the “child” plant will have characteristics of both of the “parent” plants.  These tomatoes can be very hardy, disease resistant, and produce fruit that is consistent in size and shape.  Being disease resistant is probably the biggest and most important benefit.  There are few things as frustrating as growing a big beautiful plant, have lots of fruit forming, then get a plant virus that destroys your crop.  

Some popular varieties of hybrid tomatoes are Big Beef, Cherry, Sweet 100, Early Girl, Better Boy, and Grape. 

The biggest difference between heirloom and hybrid tomatoes…

…is what kind of 2nd generation fruit will grow from this year’s plant.  You can’t be certain what kind of tomato will grow from the seed of a hybrid.  Often the seeds are sterile and will not sprout at all.  In the event that they do sprout, they probably won’t be the same as the plant you harvested them from.  We planted a Cherry tomato two years ago and had lots of volunteer plants growing in that area of the garden the next season.  We let a few of them grow and found that the plant produced fruit that was pea size, or smaller!  They were delicious but a real pain to harvest. 

Cherry tomatoes are hybrid. 2nd generation fruit is smaller.

Be sure to check your local independent garden shop, like Western Gardens in Salt Lake City, to find the most popular varieties that will do well in your climate and area.  The locals will have the biggest variety and most unique varieties for you to enjoy.

Either way, the difference between heirloom and hybrid tomatoes may not matter to you. Nevertheless, whichever you chose to plant in your garden, they have one big thing in common: they are designed to be eaten and enjoyed!  

Difference between heirloom and hybrid tomatoes

Heirloom and hybrid tomatoes are all delicious - yum!

Filed Under: Gardening, Utah Gardening, Vegetables, Veggie Gardening Tagged With: brandywine tomato, cherry tomato, difference between tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, hybrid tomatoes, Utah gardening

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