Does the sight of red, juicy tomatoes entice you? Or the thought of fresh crisp salad leaves sitting on the table tempt you? Imagine your hearty steak without its share of greens? Looks pretty bland doesn’t it?

Fresh gardening vegetables are tempting especially when they are crisp, green and colorful. It not only increases your appetite but it also gives you a balanced meal. You definitely do not need to know why doctors keep reminding us to eat more greens than any other food on the food pyramid. Apart from the fact that vegetables do your body good, it also enhances the flavor of any type of food or meal.

Gardening vegetables are pretty easy and you can actually plant any type of vegetables early in the season to broaden your family’s meal for the whole week.

Doing your own gardening for vegetables not only save you money from buying them at the market, it also enables you to cut down on the chemicals that are often used such as pesticides as well as provide a healthier option when it comes to greens.

A good way to start on gardening vegetables is to grow cool season crops as these group of vegetables make a steady growth in temperatures of 50 to 60 degrees. The best time to plant them would be in March and April.

Best Selling Gardener: "Square Foot Gardening"

Good soil preparation is always the basic for any gardening. If you are thinking of what soil to prep your garden in, a good choice would be Colorado’s clay soil. This kind of soil benefits greatly from organic matter so you can use spade compost, sheep or peat into the soil mixture.

In spring time though, when it doesn’t rain so often, keep the soil moderately moist for optimum results. Water is essential to germinate seeds and crucial in establishing seedlings as well as keeping your green leafy darlings from turning bitter. A well hydrated soil also enables essential soil nutrients to travel properly from ground to root to leaves producing proper vegetables, ready for you to harvest at the right time.

If in May, peas are an excellent choice for gardening vegetables. Any type of snow or shell peas make a great option for salads and May, with its right temperature ensures that these green beans grow in its luscious pockets. When planting peas, remember that these plants are creepers, so you would need to support them with a trellis or companion rows give the plant the support. Using thick sticks rooted to the ground near the growing creeper will also ensure that the plant will eventually make its way to the stick and grow its way up properly.

Fancy a salad with Swiss chard? May is also a great time to plant kale, rhubarb chard as well as Swiss chard. You can also add a little bit of variety to your little garden by including mustard greens, parsley, spinach and for a little bit of challenge-celery.

The Vegetable Gardener's Bible

If you want to quicken the germination process, try soaking the seeds overnight in water and this trick works best with roots or beets. Planting different varieties will circulate the nutrients in the soil much better as certain vegetables will soak up only certain nutrients. Be wary though from planting plants that need the same nutrients as than the growing process will take longer.

Gardening vegetables isn’t all that hard! Just came sure good soil comes first with adequate water.

Lettuce Romaine Parris Island Cos Certified Organic Heirloom Seeds 275 Seeds

Tips on Growing Lettuce

1. You can start planting well ahead 2 to 4 weeks before the last frost date
2. In the fall, you can start about 6 to 8 weeks before the first frost date
3. Lettuce are very productive in gardens so it is better to be harvested early than late
4. About 5 hours or more of sunlight a day is adequate but it doesn’t fair well if temperatures are too hot
5. A light application of fertilizer is sufficient as lettuces are generally light feeders.
6. Keep soil to a pH level of 6 to 7.5
7. Soil depth should at least be 6 to 8 inches especially if using container
8. Spacing for lettuces depends on the variety that you are planting but generally, it should be at least 8 inches apart to 14 inches apart
9. Watering should be done at least half to an inch a week and it needs to be consistent as lettuce leaves thrive on water

Just like potatoes, lettuces also come in different varieties. Here are some of the most commonly used types of lettuces:

Leaf Lettuce: This is the most heat tolerant and easiest to grow of all lettuce varieties. The leaf lettuce is loosely bunched instead of having a tight head and comes in many types and colors. Quick to grow, this lettuce’s harvest time can be extended just by simply cutting a few leaves at a time or cutting a couple of inches above ground level. Some of the famous varieties of leaf lettuces are Black Seeded Simpson, Early Curled Simpson, Red Sails and Oak Leaf Lettuce.

Butterhead Lettuce- this lettuce makes any sandwich taste scrumptious. The leaves form in a small frame with open heads and they get their name from the buttery center of the head. This variety is the smallest in the lettuce family and are a favorite for salads too. Of the popular varieties are Buttercrunch, Tom Thumb, Summer Bibb, and Little Gem.

Romaine- Also referred to as Cos, these types of lettuce are very colorful and they grow in a formation of upright clusters of leaves. Also a favorite for salads, some of the varieties include Dark Green Cos, Green Towers, and Ideal Cos.

Crisphead- One of the traditional forms of head lettuce. Harvest is only done once and then there would be no second wave of lettuce. Among the common varieties are Iceberg, Ithaca and Great Lakes.

Upside Down Tomato Planter

Tomatoes are one of the most popular types of fruit and are commonly used for many dishes from gravy to pasta to curry and definitely in salads. There are so many varieties of tomato dishes making tomatoes one of the most sought after fruit. It not only provides wonderful taste, it also brings the dish to life with its vibrant and fiery color red.

Pre-Planting Preparation

Once of your essential preparations for tomato growing should be working the soil to be perfect for tomatoes. Normally, in soil preparation you should break up large clumps of dirt, remove debris and add light soil together with a little peat moss in to prep up and condition the soil.

Light is essential in growing tomatoes, as with any other plant so even if you are growing your tomatoes indoors, making sure there is enough sunlight. Either place your tomato garden near a sunny location on your yard or facing a window if it is indoors.

Planting

Tomato growing can be started once the frost has passed. You can start by planting the seeds or the plants and a highly organic and well drained soil with a Ph level of between 6 or 7 is essential. Raised beds are perfect for a tomato garden to achieve a well drained tomato garden. This raised bed should at least be 6 inches high.

You can also use tomato cages and you should space the plant anywhere from 2 to 4 feet apart. Once your tomato is planted, water the plants slowly and deeply as this promotes a strong root system which will result in healthy and tasty fruits.

Cages are pretty popular among gardeners due to its simplicity. The cage allows the tomato to grow in its natural manner but all the while keeping the fruit and leaves of the ground.

Caring for your Tomatoes

Once you have planted the tomato seeds, you need to give them proper care and nutrition so that you can yield a successful harvest. Of course, you would also need good mulch to go with the care and in most cases; organic compost can be used around the base of the plant within 2 to 3 inches. This will prevent water loss to the soil and it also aids in weed prevention. As always, keeping your plant properly hydrated is essential in the cycle of growing tomatoes.

When the fruit begins to develop, you can lightly work into the soil fertilizer and water thoroughly which is usually completed several inches away from the base of the plant itself.

Once this is done, with continuous light work done on the soil, adequate watering and checking the tomatoes, it will be right for harvesting in no time.

Mini Herb Garden Stacker

What better way to show of your garden produce than by presenting them through gift ideas? Herbs from your herbs garden are an excellent choice to be turned into thoughtful gifts to give your loved ones and the best part is, they are a lot cheaper and do not take that much effort at all. Here are some quick and easy gift ideas straight from the garden:

Herbal Sugars

Herbal sugars can be made using dried herbs, flowers and foliage from the garden. These herbal sugars add just the right amount of nature and fragrance to spice up any holiday season. Make herbal sugars one of your gift ideas.

Herb Imprinted candles

Candle making is fun and if you actually present a homemade candle as a gift, it is more personalized than store bought ones. Instead of making a candle from scratch, buy or take a ready made candle and personalize it by melding the different types of herbs right into the wax. The result you get is a beautiful candle pretty decoration and smell.

Herbed & Scented Jellies and Jams

Forget strawberry jam and say hello to herbs jam right from your herbs garden. You can turn that rosemary or coriander into herbal jelly. This gift idea is great for your toast and do wonder’s on a cold winter’s day and excites the palette for your Christmas ham. You can make your own jelly or jam or you can get the ready made ones and infuse your jelly with herbs from your garden. You can also make homemade herbal jellies as a gift.

Keepsake Potpourri

Herbs together with dried flowers and petals are a great idea to make potpourri. You can start the potpourri mix with dried flowers, petals; herbs from your herbs garden and either package them in a pretty jar or bowl, or include them into little gauze bags tied together with a ribbon. This potpourri can not only become gift ideas but decoration items for weddings, baby showers, bridal showers and party favors.

Herb Infused Oils

Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health

Fresh herbs can be preserved in oil. They don’t last for an eternity but for at least 2 months. As time goes by, the herbs will blend in with the oil can be a perfect ingredient to spice up any recipe. Get decorative bottles to store in this herbal oil. You can make these bottles as gifts or become centerpieces for the dining room, patio or even the deck.

Flavored Vodka

If you are attending a party, then a homemade flavored vodka bottle is something that any hostess will welcome. You can make your very own lavender-rosemary infused vodka or any other beautiful concoctions. Use the many different herbs from basil which gives you a refreshing taste, thyme adds a savory sense and chili peppers of course adds that zest.

Homemade seasoning blends

How to Grow Potatoes: A practical gardening guide for great results

You can choose the varieties of potatoes to fit your cooking needs as well as taste preferences. There are some potatoes that are harvested for a particular reason such as for baking, while some are great for making French fires, for boiling, as well as for making hash browns.

White Rose: These types of potatoes are the best known variety. They are white on the inside and are excellent for boiling, to be used for making a potato salad and also good for baking. Though for storage purposes, these kinds of potatoes only work fairly well.

Netted Gem: These types of potatoes are also in the popular variety. Netted gem potatoes are the best for baking compared to white rose kinds. Netted gems are also excellent if you want to keep and store them for later use.

Kennebec: This type of potatoes are the late maturing white potato variety. If you are looking to make fries, chips, for baking or hash browns, this type of potato is your best friend.

Norgold Russet: This is also an excellent variety for baking and boiling purposes. Though that, this potato has to be used fast as they don’t fair well for storage.

Great for Kids: Hot Potato

Yellow Finnish: This is the kind of potato that is normally found in any household. Smaller sized with a yellow, this potato is a burst of flavor and it is excellent for baking. It is a versatile potato that can be used for baking, boiling, fries and hash browns and it also stores well.

Red Pontiac: This is also a popular kind of potato and is easily distinguished thanks to its red skin. Of average quality, this potato stores quite well and is great for planting during mid season.

Red Norland: These varieties of potatoes are well-rounded and has excellent properties for the purposes of baking or boiling.

With these many varieties, knowing when to plant your potatoes is crucial. In a common home garden, growing potatoes are among the first vegetables planted. Early, mid season and late varieties can be planted in March or in early April. If you plant potato seeds too early in damp and cold soils will result in the seed rotting even before they can even grow.

Also, if you plant in March, the potato seeds may also end up frozen in back into the ground by late frosts. Though the plants recover, blackened shoots can dampen any gardener’s spirits.For mid season and late varieties, July is the best time and these late varieties can be kept for winter storage use.