Summer Gardening Part 1

Planting and Pruning 

Last fall my husband ordered a gardening book. We tried it out on our fall lettuce garden and loved it.  So for the summer garden we are using this new method on the entire garden.   Its referred to as the Poor mans hydroponics created by Dr. Jacob Mittleider.   The concept is that you can grow food in any soil type or climate with the right nutrients and watering techniques.  It uses a raised bed system with no wood involved................ 

The benefits of a raised raise bed with out wood:  Treated lumber has toxic chemicals in it that can leach into the soil.  Plastic composite lumber is expensive and we really don't know the effects it can have on the soil because it is a new product.

Creating the rows:
1.  Till the soil like crazy and very deeply.  Then remove as much grass and weeds as you can.(You can rent garden tillers, check the yellow pages for equipment rentals.)
2.  Stake and string out your rows.  I made some single rows 18" wide and some double 24" wide.  My rows are 12' long and 26" apart.
3.  Now using a hoe or the back of a rake pull the soil from the pathway to the staked out area.  Make your raised bed about 6-8" higher than the pathway.  Be sure to pack the sides.
4.  Now flatten the top of the row using a 2x4 and a level.
5.  Loosen soil and fertilize(according to the book*)
6.  Last create a ridge along the top sides of the row to hold in the water.(The book has excellent drawings to aid you.)
7.  Now your ready to plant. 

Trellising:  We used T-Post and bailing twine(used for bailing hay) both available at any farm and garden store.   Tie the twine to the t-post the length of the row about a foot from the ground then tie tomatoes off using pieces of twine.  As the tomato vines get taller add more rows of twine and continue tying them off.  Last year I used the traditional tomato cages and they bent over with the weight of the plants and had to be staked.  I'm hoping this will work out better.

Pruning: Another thing I'm doing differently this year is pruning. Which is hard for me I just hate breaking of those beautiful branches but is has to be done.  

Here's how: Pinch off the sucker(red arrow) that grows between Y shaped branches(black arrows).  Check your tomato plant before pruning to see is they are determent or indeterminate it will say on the tag or seed packet.  Only prune the indeterminate plants.(See video for more info) 

Pests:  Always(every day) be on the look out for this fellow he can destroy a tomato plant in just a few days.  Signs include missing leaves and green balls of poo on the ground and lower leaves of the plant.  To help prevent them from eating your plants mix up a bottle of water, 1 tsp dish soap and 20 drops of peppermint essential oil.  Spray the plants liberally every week or so as needed.
Check out this video on plant types and pruning. 

Growing Wisdom: How To Prune Tomatoes

These pictures were taken last week.  I got a late start this year I've seen corn here on the Gulf of Mexico almost ready for harvest.  But for my northern friends my advice should be right on time.  I'll post scenes form the garden bi-weekly. 

Fertilizing is the key to the Mittleider Gardening method.  The book has a recipe for the perfect all-natural fertilizer.  The raised bed method makes watering more efficient and effective.  The water stays where you want it and isn't waisted.  I prefer to leave the stakes in the ground after making my rows.  They keep me from dragging the water hose across my plants. 

I hope this will help to encourage you to garden this year.  You don't have to have a farm to be a gardener.  We don't live on a big place anymore.  So we divided our backyard in half.  We fenced in one half for the kids and dogs and the back half is all garden.  

 For more info on the Mittleider Gardening Method I highly recommend the book:    

Click on the book!

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