Test, Plant, Meet, Enjoy

By: Irvin Etienne

March and April at last. Surely there won’t be too many hits from winter now. As you know there are no guarantees. You hope for the best. Not too many overly warm days to push growth early and no late super-cold nights to ruin everything. It’s a battle of wits and nature has all the weapons.

I’m hearing that more and more people are starting vegetable gardens now to save on groceries. Great idea at any time. Before you plant I suggest you get your garden soil tested. In our older neighborhoods it’s hard to know what may have been dumped in times when we were less careful. What did the previous owners do with the oil from their car when they changed it? How much lead paint was scraped off the house that time it was repainted? I’m going to get mine checked before I plant anything that is going to produce food for the table. Better to be a little cautious. I’m not plugging any place in particular but Purdue sends samples to A&L Great Lakes Laboratories in Fort Wayne. The website is www.algreatlakes.com or phone them at 260-483-4759. You can get the necessary work done for around $10.

By mid-April it’s easily late enough to start seeds. You can start even earlier if you have good natural artificial light in a warm place. Most seeds aren’t too happy below 65 or 70 degrees. Heat mats can help but they are not what I call cheap, usually at least $20 for less than two square feet. Shop around before you buy or get a friend to buy one too since often you save a bit ordering multiples. Even better, get your friend to buy two then convince them they only need one and to give you the extra one. You have to be resourceful in these tough economical times. One thing you don’t want to cut corners on is the soil for your seeds. Use a good quality mix that is sterile. If you are using natural light through a window be sure to rotate your plants so they don’t bend toward the light. Remember many of the early planted vegetables like lettuce, radishes, peas, and mustard can be direct sown in March or April even before all danger of frost is past.

If you don’t have a suitable spot (vegetables don’t like shade for instance) look into one of the community gardens. You can get a plot for a small fee that you more than earn back with the first crop of greenbeans or tomatoes on the table. Also don’t forget you can grow your vegetables right in with your annual and perennial flowers. There’s no law saying they have to be confined to a VEGETABLE GARDEN. Peppers are very ornamental and many of the hot varieties are sold as annuals to be used just like marigolds. Be adventurous. The fruit of a yellow tomato is the perfect contrast to blue salvia and a perfect color echo for a yellow daylily. A ‘Burgundy’ okra plant can act as a great small shrub giving you beautiful color, fantastic texture, and one of the ingredients for gumbo.

You might want to talk to our neighbors at KIBI for more information on what has been called Urban Farming. Come to a FRIENDS and FACT meeting. You can ask me questions directly and meet the people that maintain a local community garden. Gardening can be a fun relaxing hobby anytime but when times are tough it can be a true refuge. See you when you have some zucchini to trade for green peppers.