Gardening FunWith Cassie Lloyd

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SUPPLIES• Water hose• Sprinkler/soaker hose• Tiller (optional)• Hoe• Shovels• Stakes• Twine• Tomato cages (if planted)• Fencing material

• Vegetable seeds• Fruit seeds• Fertilizer • Rocks to label rows• Gloves• Wagon (to harvest veggies)• 5 gal bucket

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Soil Preparation• Soil prep is one of the most important

aspects of a garden.• Make sure that you begin your garden by

tilling up the soil with either hand tools such as a hoe or using a gasoline powered tiller (which I highly recommend!)

• Once your soil is tilled and all rocks and grass is removed *apply fertilizer (recommend natural fertilizers such as manure)

• Till soil again to ensure all fertilizer is mixed in well with the soil.

• Water the soil after fertilizer is evenly distributed throughout garden

HOW TO’S• Tilling – using a hoe to till up the soil is difficult

but you can achieve the results needed to plant seeds

• When using a motorized tiller make sure to press down hard towards the ground as you walk behind the tiller. This helps to make deep rows and helps to really break up the soil.

• Plant seeds only ½ an inch to 1 inch down in the soil. Simply poke your finder in the soil and drop seed in!

• When planting watermelon, cantaloupe, or squash make sure to plant 4 to 6 seeds in each hole.

• To ensure your plants will seed out and reach the topsoil do not plant to far down!

GREAT PRODUCERS

It is really difficult to choose the best vegetables and fruits to plant in your garden that will yield the best harvest. In my experience there are several vegetables that do well without much effort on your part. These include:

Yellow SquashGreen BeansZucchiniCornCucumbersCherry TomatoesGreen ChileJalapeno Peppers

These are green beans produced from my garden this year!! Each day I pick at least one gallon zip-

lock bag full of green beans!

SPACINGCreating a grid system is helpful to making sure you have adequate space between your plants. Although it is not necessary to plant a garden. Giving your plants plenty of room to grow will help to yield better crops. As well as make harvesting those crops a bit easier!

It is important to remember that veggies and fruits such as watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumbers will need lots of space because they grow on a vine and will spread and grow up to 10 feet.

It would be imperative to plant the items away from each other as well as giving yourself at least 5 feet in between the items.

Watering the Garden!• There are a lot of different opinions on

how and when to water you garden. Here are a few ways to help you pick the method that might work best for you!

• Water using soaker hoses each day for 45 minutes allowing soil around plants to become saturated slowly.

• Using a sprinkler daily for approximately 30 minutes. (you may have to move sprinkler to reach all plants.

• Flooding garden every 2/3 days to resemble more of natural rain flow. To do this use a garden hose and flood garden.

Pesticides• Here are a few helpful links in deciding what pesticides are best to use

on your garden.• http://www.gardenguides.com/92348-organic-garden-pesticides.html• http://www.livingwithbugs.com/natural_pesticides.html• http://greenandcleanmom.org/safe-alternatives-for-pesticides-in-your

-home-garden/

DEALING WITH BUGS GRUBS, AND CRITTERS!On the previous page I gave you a couple of different resources where you can go and find the best pesticide for your garden. I really do not like the idea of using a pesticide and there are a few things that you can do to help get rid of unwanted guest in your garden. Last year we were overran by grasshoppers! They destroyed our corn crops and all of our fruit trees. This year we have invested in Guiney's to eat all those pesky critters. I have also used a combination spray of fish oil and garlic and applied to my plants which as helped immensely in keeping bugs away! It never fails something will always make it’s way into your garden! Just be patient and find what works best for you! Try several home remedies before using chemicals!

FertilizerThe best fertilizer in my opinion is good old fashion manure. You can purchase this at a feed-store or ask a local rancher to relieve him of some of his! It’s a stinky job but it

really helps provide the nitrogen and other chemicals needed to produce good crops!!

FUN WITH THE FAMILYGardening can be a fun and really inexpensive way to spend time with

your family. Kids love to join in the fun and when it comes to harvesting the food, you have lots of eager and willing helpers!

Allowing children to be involved in crating and maintain your garden will help them better understand where their food comes from!

Harvesting veggies!!

When all your hard work has paid off and you are ready to begin picking your fruits and vegetables remember the following:

Snap off beans from plants to prevent from killing the remaining plant.

Twist off all squash and zucchini plants

When cutting off peppers use gloves!!

Bring a wagon or 5 gallon bucket to help carry all of your food items.

HELPFUL HINTS

Remember to only plant the amount of vegetables and fruits that you family can consume. If you plant too many plants, your garden will become an

overwhelming task. Gardening should be a fun and relaxing activity for you and your family. Always have a good pair of gloves when picking your food.

In TEXAS snakes find their way into gardens from time to time! Make sure you where good shoes and long pants into your garden! Keep an watchful eye for

snakes and other harmful or poisonous pests!

Healthy Recipes• One of the greatest parts of having a garden is getting to eat all the

fresh and wonderful fruits and vegetables. On this page you will find some of the greatest websites I have found that have wonderful recipes for you garden veggies and fruits! Hope you enjoyed our info! • http://www.midwestliving.com/food/fruits-veggies/vegetable-recipes

/• http://www.yummly.com/recipes/texas-style-vegetable• http

dianestexasgarden.blogspot.com/2011/07/summer-pasta-salad.html