Wondering about mulch and how to use it to fertilize and protect your garden plants? Here’s our handy how-to article. What is mulch and why should I use it in my vegetable garden? When should I mulch my vegetable garden: spring, fall, or both? What types of mulch are best for my vegetable garden? How […]
Mulch Q&A for Vegetable Gardens Read More »
So it’s nearly the end of May, and the garden veggies you planted in March, April and just last week are beginning to yield some great results. Now that things are growing and blooming, what should you be tending to, picking or otherwise doing with your raised bed garden? A few suggestions from GardenBedsNJ: Harvesting
Mid Spring Gardening Upkeep Read More »
People who want to grow their own vegetables but have never done it before often need a little guidance and encouragement. It’s hard to know where to begin, what to plant when, and such. Some answers to common question for those who are new to the gardening game: Should I grow my vegetables in pots,
Answers to Common Questions Asked by First-Time Gardeners Who Live in NJ Zone 6 Read More »
“To grow healthy, productive plants you need healthy, productive soil. It is the organisms in the soil that provide the food plants need, in the form they need, when they need it.” -Dr. Elaine Ingam, SoilFoodWeb.com The first year we had our little backyard garden, we rented a rototiller and went to work processing the soil
Is Rototilling Necessary? To Till or Not to Till Your NJ Garden Beds This Spring Read More »
What’s happening in your NJ organic garden this July? We cleared the mesclun mix out, after enjoying a full spring’s worth of delicious, fresh salads. My husband took some cutting shears to some of the dead lower leaves on our tomato plants, and removed some yellowed leaves on our eggplant as well. The peas that
Organic Gardening: Updates from the Experimental NJ Gardeners Read More »
What NJ gardener doesn’t salivate at the thought of plucking the season’s first, plump red tomatoes from the vine? Unfortunately, while nearly every gardener from the garden state has tried their hand at tomato growing with some measure of success, there are some common issues that we all face. Tomato troubles? Try these preventive methods:
Jersey Tomato Plants: Common Problems Read More »
If you’re anything like we are, then you probably spent a good part of your summer watering, watching and waiting for those tomato plants to yield some firm, red fruit. And then just when you had all but given up, here comes a sudden windfall of tomatoes! So now you probably want to know what to do
Harvesting Tomatoes in NJ Zone 6: Q&A Read More »
To the new gardener, early spring planting can seem confusing. How are you supposed to put seeds in the ground when the ground is covered in snow, and you haven’t done anything in the way of loosening up the soil? They say to plant the peas on or around St. Patrick’s Day. But… snow? Huh?
How to Plant Peas When There is Snow on the Ground Read More »
Cucumber plants grow quickly and impressively from seed. The first time you dig a little hole and drop that big cucumber seed in, expect to be shocked when fast comes the day that a mighty cucumber sprout emerges triumphantly from the dirt. From there, your cucumber plants will just seem to lap the other veggies
How to Plant Cucumbers in NJ Zone 6 Read More »
by Maria G. I wrote a recent entry about how I grew some beautiful lettuces from seed. Today, at a garden center, I came upon a rather expensive shallow pot filled with the same types and colors of lettuce that I had successfully cultivated myself. These ready-to-eat lettuce plants were large, and evidently heavily fertilized. Looking
How to Grow Vegetables from Seed Read More »