Nutritionally leeks are close to the bulbs, but differ from the latter with less sharp pleasant taste. It forms broad linear leaves and onions of a cylindrical shape with a slight swelling at the base.
This plant is cold-and winter-resistant, so if there is snow cover it successfully winters in the area that allows you to receive fresh crops in early spring. The duration of the vegetation period is 200-220 days. After wintering (the second year) plants form a powerful arrow with a large light-purple inflorescence, which form small wrinkled seeds.
The soil for the leeks should be prepared in the autumn, by well tucking it with manure or compost (4-5kg per 1 m) and super phosphate and potassium chloride (respectively, 30-40 and 15-20 g per square meter). Place ammonium nitrate or urea under the rake (respectively, 20-30 or 15-20 g per square meter) in spring.
Leek is cultivated at the beginning of winter by seeding or by planting seedlings that are transplanted in spring. The seedlings are placed in the rows on a bed or a flat surface with the distance of 30 cm between rows and 20 cm between plants (16 plants per square meter). Just before the planting manually by hiller or a hoe make furrows to the depth of 10-15 cm. The seedlings are to be planted to the soil slightly deeper than in the seed-plot. This makes it possible to obtain long blanched onions.
Read more »
You may be interested how to grow a good crop of cabbage in your garden? The key to success is in cabbage seedlings. This raises the second issue - how to grow seedlings of cabbage, that it grow healthy and will tie tight plugs?
Gardeners know that the good cabbage seedlings can not be raised on the windowsill. This makes the people to buy it on the market. And often they choose the bad cabbages. Of course, with good care plugs will start up and crop of cabbage will be grown, but for two or three weeks later. And it will not be of high quality. However, you can choose decent cabbage seedlings on the market. We will tell you here how to distinguish the seedlings of cabbage and select to buy the best while learning how to grow cabbage.
Cultivation of cabbage seedlings requires special conditions and not all of its vendors possess a good faith. While making the purchase it is important not to rush in and to properly assess the quality of sprouts.
First, pay attention to the diameter of the stem. The thicker it is the better and stronger is the plant. If it is straight, then cabbage seedlings are diving, i.e. its roots grew well. If the stem is twisted this means that the seedlings grew up in a box without thinning. Such cabbage seedlings will take longer to settle down and to straighten the stem leaves it needs one or one and a half a week.
Read more »
Growing cucumbers in a barrel is very interesting and entertaining process. For many years we make early sowing of cucumbers in early May. But how do you think - where to sow them?
We should have a barrel without a bottom, in which we collect crop residues. In summer the old branches of raspberry and currant, wood chips, coarse plant residues and small debris should be laid with. By the fall it all ends up in half of a barrel. In the spring we are adding dry leaves of wild strawberry and perennial weeds.
The ubiquitous dandelions that are first awakened with the spring warmth go as a substrate. With a sharp knife, cut them out as deep as possible and lay in a barrel. However along with roots and leaves, part of the soil is left. Weeds with the soil are interblended with humus and sawdust to almost up to the top.
To speed up rotting all layers are to be sprinkled with bio-composition "Country Compost" done on the basis of enzymes. When the soil mixture in a tub settles, loose fertile soil is put on it with a layer of 10 cm. As soon as the temperature of the mixture reaches the optimal for germination (15-18 ° C), sow the seeds of early hybrids of cucumber at the rate of 15-20 pieces to a depth of 1.5 – 2 cm. The top of the barrel is closed with a piece of bubble wrap and is tied with string. Decomposition of the substrate and the release of carbon dioxide create the best conditions for plant growth and development.
When a pair of true leaves emerge, some cucumbers are to be transplanted to a bed or in a greenhouse, leaving the barrel with 4-5 most powerful. Plants in a barrel are not afraid of light frost, they are not shaded by other plants, and roots are cozy and warm. But with strong colds leaves may suffer, so provide protection from frost, use lutrasil or put five-liter plastic containers for water on the plant. In early June cover is to be detached. At this time the pickles are already blooming. For the much of moisture does not evaporate, mulch the open surface of the barrel with mown grass.
Read more »
While building vegetable garden it is very important to learn how to grow cucumbers. What a fun it is to taste a fragrant, crisp pickle, plucked from your own beds on a hot summer day. But sometimes for no apparent reason cucumbers begin to taste bitter. Why is this happening and what should be done to avoid this?
It turns out that the main enemy of a cucumber is stress. Following our simple tips, you can minimize it and thus prevent the emergence of not only bitterness, but also those pests and diseases that often affect the cucumbers.
Moisturize your plants especially during flowering and fruiting period. Stress caused by water deficiency increases the concentration of those substances which are responsible for bitter taste.
Cucumbers grow quickly, so depending on weather conditions and the type of soil they need from 25 to 50 ml. of water per week. It is important to keep your soil slightly wet for all time during growing period.
You can do this by abundantly watering soil one or two times a week, and if the soil is sandy, then even more often. The beds can be covered with plastic wrap already during the planting of cucumbers, but organic mulch such as straw, can not be used until the land is not warmed to 20 ° C.
Mulch also helps cucumbers in the fight against stress caused by the lack of moisture and that will accelerate the emergence of the fruit and will increase productivity. In addition to organic mulch, you can use black plastic sheeting or a more modern covering material that transmits infrared radiation. Mulch not only preserves and keeps the moisture in the soil, but also quells the growth of weeds.
Cucumbers do not like hot weather. High temperatures not only adversely affect the quality of the vegetable but may also provoke an increase in the number of male flowers. For those who grow cucumbers in a hot climate, it is better to arrange a shade for the plants, especially in the afternoon. Planted on the south side cucumber beds that are high-growing species or cloth awning, which do not permit 40-50% of sunlight will help you. Weekly feeding with nettle and dandelion tincture gives good results (they are to be distilled for a few days at a ratio of 1:1, when used are to be diluted with water at a ratio of 1:10).
Read more »
In this series of posts, how to vegetable garden I want to review the growing process of all major vegetables in your garden that you may wish to plant. Later I will return to some growing methods and habits but now let’s outline the whole process of planting and growing potatoes.
How to grow potatoes
Potatoes can be grown in almost any variety of soil. Potatoes need sunshine and organic soil nutrients. First you should check if your vegetable garden receives about 8-hour-a-day sunshine and always try to make garden in a place where the air is not polluted with CO2 emissions. Sun and fresh air are the main factors for growing any vegetable well. The soil should be enriched with compost in the autumn to ensure ample quantity of nutrients for your potatoes. As the result your soil structure becomes better with natural organisms that make natural mineral into forms necessary for your potatoes. This organic soil structure holds water and nutrients for your potatoes provided that you have good water outfall. This soil procures your plants with needed nutrients and protects them from various diseases.
Read more »
Vegetable container gardening is very entertaining and pleasant work when done the right way. How excited you can become when you pick your grown cucumber and taste it right in your garden place at home. It’s awesome to my humble opinion. You can plant almost all vegetables in your containers and save your hard earned money in the process. As I mentioned before, gardening and vegetable container gardening as well may become very challenging task if not done carefully.
There are several factors you should take into consideration before diving into this endeavor, otherwise you may experience failure and that will be very undesirable for you to waste your precious time and perhaps money along the way. First you should consider sun factor. The majority of the vegetables need to be grown on six-hour-a-day direct sunny place. You should find out precisely how much time sun shines on a place where you are planning to grow your plants or vegetables.
The next factor in vegetable container gardening is water. Growing plants and vegetables need large amount of water. You must always check if your soil is wet enough for the plants to grow properly but at the same time you should not overfill it with water to not cause the roots to rot. The knowledge of how much water is enough for the plants is very important thing to know in container vegetable gardening.
Read more »
As you already know the knowledge of how to build a vegetable garden is rewarding with fresh vegetables on your table at your home. As with other types of garden first you need to allocate a space for your future vegetable garden. Then you should think no further and start building rather small vegetable garden at first to gain more practice in the process. Don’t get into rat race everything should be done step by step. In case you choose to build a large one without proper knowledge you may not sustain the workload on your back. If done wrong way the gardening may become tiresome and you may become disappointed with it and even quit. So if you are newbie in this venture, start with a garden no larger than 9 X 11. The garden can always be expanded if you need more lush vegetables for your family. Find an all-day sunny place especially if you live in the north. Then work up your soil with the sharp tiller. Try to not remove the sod. This can create poor water outfall in the soil. Then identify your soil whether it is sand, clay or loam. The loam is very desirable. You can recognize it if you can take the handful of loam and put it in a ball and it crumbles along the way. Otherwise if you cannot identify it use the service of your local extension office.
Read more »
