Hints for the Vegetable Gardener

June 8, 2009

This year I have heard of more folks planting vegetables in their gardens. A great idea, but speaking from experience, somewhat frustrating. Every year I try tomatoes because there is nothing like the flavor of a home grown tomato. Some of my other family and friends go all out with zucchini, summer squashes, peppers, and cucumbers. Zucchinis seem to be the easiest to grow as we frequently have baskets of zucchini brought to the office by are gardener agents - some zucchini as large as baseball bats.

Here are some hints for more vegetable gardening success that I gleaned from an article in the San Bernardino Sun newspaper on Saturday, June 6.

1."Eggplants, peppers, squashes and tomatoes actually provide greater yields if they aren't fed until they blossom. And you'll get more out of your eggplant and tomatoes if they have easy access to magnesium, the main ingredient in Epsom salts. Several times during the blooming period dissolve one tablespoon of Epsom salts in a quart of luke-warm water, and spray or sprinkle the solution on the leaves and blossoms. Pour the remainder around the plant along the drip line."

2 "Summer squashes such as crookneck, pattypan, Italian and others will keep producing if you continually harvest maturing squashes and apply plant food monthly, but be stingy with plant food on tomatoes. They need a good balance, but too much nitrogen results in huge plants and no fruit...."

May your garden grow beautifully and may your vegetables be delicious.