Cover Cropping

Have you ever used cover crops?

Cover crops are plants that are grown in order to cover a bare patch of ground, anytime it's not in use.  Such as a backyard garden or an agricultural field.  Cover crops help protect the land from loss of water and soil.  There are different types of cover crops, and each have advantages and disadvantages.

If you choose a leguminous cover crop, such as vetch, clover, peas, alfalfa, or beans, the cover crop will add nitrogen to the soil.  Many people use nitrogen fertilizers, but keep in mind that those types of fertilizers are salts.  If you use a legume cover crop, you'll get organic matter plus nitrogen... and no salts added.  

However, legumes do grow a bit slower than non-legume crops.  This is actually because of their ability to produce nitrogen.  Legume crops form a relationship with rhizobia bacteria in the soil, and it's actually the rhizobia bacteria which "fix" nitrogen from the atmosphere (breaking apart the devilishly strong triple bond), making it available it for the legume plant and other plants in the surround soil.  In return, the plant provides some of its carbohydrates to the bacteria.  So the legume plants often don't grow as fast as other plants because they're giving away...

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5 Reasons to Eat Garden-Fresh

There is nothing like eating a strawberry during that moment of transition between the cool of the morning and the heat of the day, when the soil is warmed but the dew still clings in the shadows.  Or a sun-warmed tomato right off the vine.  Or bringing in a bucket full of husked corn, to plop right onto the table as an addition to the family meal.

The value and appreciation of truly good food is something that society in general seems to have lost.  I speak from an American perspective, and it's probably safe to presume that the problem is at its worst in America.  I know we're not alone.  Cheap, conventionally-produced food is enticing to a lot of people.  I know that in some place of the world, however, such as Germany (where John lived for 2 years), there are at least some areas that still show a lot more appreciation for food and where it comes from, with strings of little shops that specialize in only one thing, whether it's meats, cheeses, produce, grapes, or bread.  

The tides are turning, though.  CSA's are growing more and more popular, and are now at a point where the demand is beginning to increase faster than it can be fulfilled.  We're seeing people all around us who want to learn how their food is grown, and what's in the food the...

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Radishes: Eating it All

This year I'm going to grow lots of radishes.  More than I usually do.  I discovered that the seed pods of radishes are edible.  I've eaten radish 

It made me want to look at things in a new way, discover even more new things that will add new flavors and textures to our table.  I started looking up different plants, asking the ever-knowledgeable Google questions like, "What part of the pea plant is edible?"  All of it.  Is it crazy to want to try making a sieved pea soup out of the tougher shoots?  

"Are tulip tree seeds edible?"  Nope.  We have a tall tulip tree in our front yard, and they produce seeds that look like white, elongated almonds, so I thought it was worth a try.  And it was!  Because I found out that the tulip tree produces an abundance of nectar in rather large flowers that the Native Americans used to harvest and use in place of honey in the spring.  

"Can I grow my own chia seeds?"  It's a salvia species that likes warmth.  I'm definitely going to give it a try.

Squash flowers.  I've only used them a couple of times, because I love the summer squash so much I don't want to compromise my squash production.  But maybe I'll have to try a few more this year.

"New ways to eat cauliflower?"  Puree...

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Pretty and Productive

Pretty or and Productive

I am a production-focused gardener.  I like to get a little more out of my garden than just ‘eye candy’.  I love to eat the fruits of my labors.  I love the nutrition and healthy lifestyle that having a garden affords us.  And I think a kitchen garden is the epitome of beautiful.  When I walk out to my garden, I love to take a pinch from my sweet marjoram and rub it under my nose.  I love to pick a grape tomato and sample it with the warmth of the sun still lingering on the skin.  And I love to park myself somewhere and watch the bees and hoverflies go nuts over my thyme plants. 

But I know that not everyone thinks the same way.  I know quite a few people, in fact, who would rather grow ornamentals than anything else.  However, in the economic climate of the world, perhaps it’s time to find out which of your plants are already edible, and to discover a few beautiful edibles to plant instead. 

It might mean branching a little out of your comfort zone, either with your food (ever tried edible flowers?) or your landscape (maybe corn stalks really are quite pretty a...

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Crop Rotation in the Home Garden

Article first published on The How Do Gardener.

We’ve all heard of the expression “Too Much of a Good Thing” and can probably name at least a few times where we may have experienced it ourselves. Too much chocolate cake, too much sun, too much time spent digging in the garden after a long winter. Our bodies have a way of letting us know that we did, in fact, overdo things a bit.

Just as that case of sunburn will remind us to stay out of the sun for a while, the soil that we grow our vegetables in lets us know that it’s time for a change by producing fewer and less healthy crops over time. But, by employing a technique long used by farmers in our own home gardens, we can help keep our soil healthy and producing an abundant harvest for many years.

Crop rotation is the practice of growing different crops, on the same land, in sequential planting cycles ranging from 2 to 8 years. Farmers have used crop rotation for centuries as a means of reducing crop loss due to disease and insects, as well as replacing essential nutrients, used by plants while growing, back into the soil. It was first mentioned in early Roman literature, and George...

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