Vegetable patch a place of beauty

15 - Friday, May 11, 1990 - North Shore News

25% ott
ALL CHINA

TIPS FOR GROWING HEALTHY AND NUTRITIONAL PLANTS

selection of varieties of plants,
such as the following, will also
make the garden more beautiful.
Asparagus — showing up in
dishes ranging from pasta to soup,
spears of this easy-to-plant veggie
will begin to appear in early spring

REGARDLESS OF their beauty,
vegetables are traditionally planted
in soldierly rows and banished to
the backyard. Yet many of these
edible plants are as easy to grow as
flowers and can look just as lovely
in the garden.

The lush, green vegetation will
make a pretty sight all season long
while the leaves, blossoms and
fruits add color and texture to the
tandscape and dinner table.

Revered as one of the best
sources of vitamins, home-grown
vegetables are healthier and tastier
than supermarket varieties because
they can be picked at the peak of
freshness and homeowners can
avoid the pesticides and chemicals
used by commercial growers.

START BY PREPARING
GARDEN BED

Sunlight and good soil are essen-
tial ingredients for a healthy
garden. Ensure a bountiful harvest
by choosing a site which receives
about seven hours of sunlight a
day and by properly preparing the

soil to provide the vegetables with
a hospitable growth environment.

Vegetables require earth which
consists of at least one-third
organic material, suc as peat moss.
This all-natural soil conditioner
binds sandy soils to prevent the
leaching of water and nutrients
and it loosens clay soils for better
drainage and root penetration.

[t can retain 20 times its weight
in water and will slowly release
water and stored nutrients to the
roots.

For best results, moisten the
peat overnight to activate its
sponge-like capabilities. Simply br-
ing the bale to the planting site,
open it at the stapled end or slice it
at the top, and soak the contents
with a garden hose.

Start the planting process by
digging out the garden bed to a
depth of 12 inches. Shovel the
backfill dirt onto a tarp to make
soil preparation and clean-up easi-
er. Break up the clods of dirt and
remove rocks, roots, weeds and

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other undesirable materials. Then
mix in a ratio of one-third to
one-hait moistened peat, depen-
ding on the type of soil — sandy,
clay or depleted.

While the use of a water-reten-
tive soil amendment will cut down
on the number of times plants need
to be watered, it is important to
give the garden a deep, penetrating
soak when insufficient rainfall
leaves the ground dry to the touch.
Mornings are the best time to
water. Adding nutrients to the soil,
such as an organic fertilizer, is also
recommended. Consult your local
garden centre and use as directed.

INTERPLANT YOUR
VEGETABLES

For an ‘“‘instant’’ garden, buy
inexpensive transplants from the
nursery or start seeds indoors.
When getting ready to grow, take
note of each vegetable’s expected
size and the time of season it will
bear fruit. Make every inch of the
garden count by interplanting tall
with low-growing, and quick with
slow-growing vegetables. A wide

and continue into early summer.
Mature fronds are fern-like, with

red berries,

Noral arrangements.

Beans
garden,

making tea

beans come
varieties which can be grown on a
pole or trellis.

Chamomile.
fast-growing perennial
cover bears tiny,
which can be eaten and used for

and can be added to

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Roman

once in full bloom.

Sprigs of this herb can be used as a
seasoning, like the bay leaf.
Chives — this onion-like herb

has beautiful purple flowers.
grasslike stalks grow

[ts
in dense

clumps about eight inches long.

Perfect for

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Page 16

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