Growing a Successful Garden
SEEDS & STARTS
There are thousands of hybrid and heirloom seeds to tempt you. You can grow all types of fancy varieties, many newly on the market. For successful vegetable crops, begin with reliable varieties. Those will be the staples of your food crops. It's all we'll concern ourselves with on this web site.
For Butternut Squash my favorite is WALTHAM. I've had bigger yields for less work from this variety. You can save seeds successfully, saving from the largest squash you pick.
Bush beans are easier to care for than pole beans. However, if your space is limited, poles will increase your production.
I'd recommend to any basic green or purple bush bean variety. Yellow beans have a lower nutrient value and are more susceptible to bugs. Growing non hybrid varieties will allow you to save seed, thus saving money and improving your strain.
Swiss chard comes in rainbow hues, adding some sparkle to your plate. The varieties are non hybridized, about equal in nutrient value, and take forever to go to seed. Select what you please from these heavily producing greens.
I like Kale because it is a heavy producer for the freezer and is best picked after the first frost right into December in northern states. Select a basic green curly variety, bypassing heirloom Russian crops or fancy purple sorts. Kale doesn't go to seed easily. I recommend not trying to save any.
Tomatoes are best grown from sets. Unless you have a family of twelve or plan to feed the neighborhood, the time and frustration it takes to grow from seed isn't worth the trouble. Purchase sets from any grower at the rate of two plants per adult fed. Choose sets appropriate for your area. I recommend hybrids with high wilt resistance. I do not recommend non-hybridized or heirloom varieties if you are a new gardener or are needing big crops. Plants properly raised can produce 20 to 25 pounds of fruit each. Four plants will give two people an abundance of fresh tomatoes. The bulk of them you can can or freeze. With large amounts I reduce the crop to sauce, conserving on freezer space. Four plants can produce 24 quarts of home made spaghetti sauce, after you've eaten your fill of fresh fruit.
For Butternut Squash my favorite is WALTHAM. I've had bigger yields for less work from this variety. You can save seeds successfully, saving from the largest squash you pick.
Bush beans are easier to care for than pole beans. However, if your space is limited, poles will increase your production.
I'd recommend to any basic green or purple bush bean variety. Yellow beans have a lower nutrient value and are more susceptible to bugs. Growing non hybrid varieties will allow you to save seed, thus saving money and improving your strain.
Swiss chard comes in rainbow hues, adding some sparkle to your plate. The varieties are non hybridized, about equal in nutrient value, and take forever to go to seed. Select what you please from these heavily producing greens.
I like Kale because it is a heavy producer for the freezer and is best picked after the first frost right into December in northern states. Select a basic green curly variety, bypassing heirloom Russian crops or fancy purple sorts. Kale doesn't go to seed easily. I recommend not trying to save any.
Tomatoes are best grown from sets. Unless you have a family of twelve or plan to feed the neighborhood, the time and frustration it takes to grow from seed isn't worth the trouble. Purchase sets from any grower at the rate of two plants per adult fed. Choose sets appropriate for your area. I recommend hybrids with high wilt resistance. I do not recommend non-hybridized or heirloom varieties if you are a new gardener or are needing big crops. Plants properly raised can produce 20 to 25 pounds of fruit each. Four plants will give two people an abundance of fresh tomatoes. The bulk of them you can can or freeze. With large amounts I reduce the crop to sauce, conserving on freezer space. Four plants can produce 24 quarts of home made spaghetti sauce, after you've eaten your fill of fresh fruit.
Continue to: PLAN & SELECT YOUR SITE