Mar. 29 Column: How to Grow Vegetables

With all of the depressing news these days, who would have thought that something positive would brighten things up? That’s the topic of this week’s garden column. It’s about the unexpected consequences of having to cut down a few trees at the edge of our garden.

Here’s a link to it in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review: Planting seeds of opportunity. Or you can read my column below. Don’t miss this week’s video underneath it!

My husband, Bill, and I live in a rural area of Spokane County, Washington. For the past few years, some tall Austrian pines have been significantly shading our veggie garden. While we don’t taking tree removal lightly, they had to go since having a productive vegetable garden is so important. Now folks can easily see into our garden and are stopping by to chat and ask questions about growing food. This has been great!

I hope you’ll enjoy the column. If you already know how to grow vegetables, please share that information with others. You can do this while still practicing “social distancing.” Gardening is so important and such a joy in all of our lives, right? Let’s share that joy!

Column:

Who would have thought that having some trees cut down would allow us to meet more neighbors and promote the concept of growing a garden?

Because those pine trees had been significantly shading our vegetable garden — which in turn affected the plants’ productivity — we recently hired an arborist to remove them. Once the trees were gone, our neighbors could now easily see us working in the garden as they passed by.

With coronavirus restrictions in place, many folks are off from work, their kids are home from school, and they’re wondering what to do both to pass the time and make the most of the situation. While the current conditions are stressful, there is a silver lining:

While out on walks, folks are stopping to visit with us over the fence. We are getting a lot of questions about growing vegetables. Many of our new acquaintances have commented on how growing a garden would be a great activity to do with their kids. I wholeheartedly agree.

When I was little, I learned how to garden from my grandmother. Now my husband and I have the opportunity to educate and instill a love of gardening in others close to home.

If you are considering growing your own vegetables this year, here are the most important things you need to know:

In the Inland Northwest, we can grow vegetables from about mid-April through mid-September. You can plant cool-season crops around Apr. 15. Since we typically get frosts until mid-May, wait until then to plant warm-season crops. I’ll clarify which is which in a moment.

Choose a garden spot that receives at least six hours of sunlight a day. Make sure there is a water source nearby so it’s easy to water your plants.

Check the soil to make sure it isn’t too waterlogged. To do this, grab a handful of soil and squeeze it. If you just made a mud pie, it’s too soon to be digging or planting. On the other hand, if the soil is dry and crumbly, conditions are perfect.

You don’t need fancy equipment to grow a garden. If you have a trowel or a shovel on hand, that’s perfect.

Think about the types of vegetables you would like to grow but remember to keep this first garden simple. If you plant a ton of veggies, it may become overwhelming. Make sure you’ll be able to keep up with it.

Since we need to be careful about exposure to germs, I avoid buying vegetables that are eaten raw at grocery stores. That makes salad greens, radishes and green onions perfect candidates for this year’s garden.

There are wonderful garden centers in Spokane where you can purchase packets of seeds. If possible, I encourage you to buy locally to help them out. Consider sharing packets with friends or neighbors.

When Apr. 15 rolls around, plant some cool-season crops. Examples of these include arugula, beets, carrots, lettuce, onions, peas, spinach and Swiss chard. Seed packets will tell you how deeply to plant the seeds, how far apart to space them and other details to help you be successful.

In mid-May, provided there aren’t frosts in the extended forecast, you can plant warm-season crops. Consider corn, cucumbers, peppers, pumpkins, tomatoes, and zucchini. If you plan to grow tomatoes or peppers, purchase plants from a garden center rather than trying to start your own from seed this year.

Water your garden on a regular basis rather than stressing the plants by letting them dry out for a period and then drowning them with water to make up for it. Poke your finger into the soil near your plants; if it’s dry to the second knuckle, it’s time to give them a drink. The best time of day to water is in the early morning.

Avoid using any type of pesticides or other chemicals on your garden. After all, you want to provide your family with healthy food, right? There are plenty of ways to deal with insects organically; you can find an organic pest control guide on my website, SusansintheGarden.com.

Do your best to keep up with weeds because they compete with your plants for moisture and nutrients. Besides, pulling weeds can be a therapeutic experience which we can all use these days.

I guarantee that once you and your family start harvesting your own fresh veggies, you’ll be committed to growing a garden each year. For those of you who already know how to grow vegetables, consider teaching others to do the same and sharing your excess seed packets. This is still possible even with social distancing and is a positive way to connect with others during these unsettling times.

This week’s video:

For this week’s video, I explain why hardening-off your seedlings is so important to do, before you even think about planting them in your garden. Here it is:

It is my hope that both my columns and videos are helpful and perhaps comforting during these stressful times… or a distraction at the very least. Thank you for reading and watching!