The 20-30 Something Garden Guide. Dee Nash

The 20-30 Something Garden Guide

The 20-30 Something Garden Guide - Dee Nash

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hardiness, however, is determined by where the gardener lives. Rosemary may be hardy in some parts of the country and not in others.

      Potager – A kitchen garden formally laid out with defined areas. It may contain vegetables, flowers and herbs, but is primarily a kitchen garden, usually located nearby.

      Sow – To plant seed. Direct Sow means to plant seeds outdoors directly into the soil in which they will grow.

      Three Sisters Planting – Corn, squash and beans planted in concert. Corn first, for structure to support the climbing beans; squash beneath, to shade the others’ roots. (Summer melons can be planted in place of squash.) Derived from plantings done by the Iroquois and other Native American tribes.

      Thinning – The process of removing some seedlings in order to give others room to grow and produce.

      Top Dress – The process of amending the soil by adding a thin layer of fertilizer, like manure, to the surface of the soil.

      Zones – Refers to plant hardiness zones in various areas and average ranges of temperatures. See www.planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/

       YOUR GARDEN TOOLBOX

      LET’S TALK TOOLS. Everyone has a garden toolbox, and everyone’s is different. This is mine. As I moved from an urban balcony full of containers to a small suburban yard and then to a larger property, my toolbox changed some, but not as much as you might think.

      One of the first things you’ll probably need is a hand weeder. You can pull most weeds from containers by hand, but once you move to open beds and borders, you will have more weeds with tougher constitutions. Most weeds come from seeds deposited by birds or are blown in from other locations. You’ll also want trowels to transplant seedlings, among other tools. Now you need something to tote your stuff.

      Garden tools are just like cutlery and other kitchen tools; although cheap ones work for a while, you’ll eventually want to invest in something better. Don’t waste your time on plastic garden tools, unless you’re doing container gardening. They won’t hold up under normal conditions. I buy good kitchen and garden tools because I use them every day. As a result, I rarely have to replace anything. So, while my toolbox isn’t cheap, it holds good tools (some of which were received as great gifts).

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      image FIVE GALLON BUCKETS are the best tool for toting in the garden. They are also great to drag behind as I weed.

      image GARDEN BUCKET CADDY. This type with pockets on the outside of the bucket leaves more room to carry things on the inside, like granular organic fertilizer and larger hand tools.

      image HAND WEEDER. My favorite is a Dutch hand hoe by DeWit Tools. It comes both left and right handed. CobraHead also makes a great weeder that I use to remove Bermuda grass from sidewalks.

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      image GARDEN GLOVES. Different gloves work for different jobs. Thin Nitrile gloves, cheap and washable, are perfect in the summer and for jobs other than tending prickly roses. I usually don’t buy leather gloves because they get dirty and aren’t washable. If you can keep yourself from getting dirty while gardening, I’d like to know your secret!

      image BYPASS PRUNERS AND SNIPS. Even if you only grow vegetables, you’ll still need to cut plants back occasionally (like tomatoes). Sharp pruners keep you from breaking your plant. Fiskars PowerGear line of pruners and loppers are my favorites. I also like the super sharp Corona ComfortGEL Floral Snips FS 3204.

      image GARDEN SCISSORS. If you grow herbs, especially perennial ones, you will need scissors to cut back and deadhead. Fiskars makes good garden scissors.

      image TROWELS. I like trowels with a thin and sharp edge because they slice through the soil easier. Larger trowels are great for transplanting because they quickly make a perfectly sized hole for a four-inch pot. I have three trowels in my bucket: a Radius Garden ergonomic aluminum hand trowel, a Bond 1906 soil scoop that has a gel grip handle, and a bulb planting trowel.

      image RUBBER COATED PLANT TIES. It was a happy day when I discovered plant wire that was coated with rubber. It’s easy to cut and then bend into shape, and it holds plants gently.

      image PLANT TAGS. I either buy some at the beginning of the season, or I cut up old mini-blinds and use them for plant tags.

      image SHARPIE OR PAINT PEN. You always need something to tag your seeds after planting. I promise you won’t remember what you planted.

      image WATERING CAN/HOSE AND HOSE END SPRAYER (NOZZLE). You may also need a small sprayer for manure teas and other organic fungicides and sprays.

      image WATERPROOF NOTEBOOK. Developed for field studies, Rite in the Rain® spiral notebooks are great for recording when seeds are sown and other observations. An all-weather pen or pencil writes great on them.

      Other tools you may need, but aren’t on the essential list:

      image HOE.

      image LEAF RAKE.

      image SHOVEL OR SPADE.

      image LAWN MOWER.

      Garden 1

      Small Space Gardening with Containers

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       Chapter One

       Sunshine, Soil and New Beginnings

      I’ll be showing you how to lay out a container garden, select the right containers for your needs and get started growing some veggies. You’ll learn about potting soil, water and seeds and how to decipher a seed packet.

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