Cultivate a crop of herbs and vegetables in your backyard

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Grow An Edible Garden

Cultivate a crop of herbs and vegetables in your backyard.

What you'll need

* Pots [terra-cotta or ceramic are best; plastic tends to get too hot for plants

* Peat-based potting soil like[ MiracleGrow] which will drain easily and allow roots to spread.

* Raw eggs, in shells

* Seeds [herbs such as sage, thyme, basil, and rosemary and vegetables such as lettuce, green beans, peas, eggplant, peppers, summer squash, and tomatoes flourish in containers-look for seed packets that say 'compact "or 'space savers'.

* Plant markers

* Gardening gloves

* Trowel

*Screwdriver

Before you begin

Drill five or six ¼-inch drainage holes in the bottom of any pots that don't have them. To figure out the best placement for your garden, observe your yard at different times throughout the day. : The ideal location gets at least six hours of sunlight. Nearly all vegetables will grow better in full sunlight than in shade, but some crops [lettuce mustard greens ]can tolerate more shade than others [ onions tomatoes].If you're cramped for space consider grouping several different plants together in one large[20 inch diameter or bigger ] pot.

Prepare the pot.

The size of your pot depends on the size of your plant:20 inch diameter pots work well for tomatoes and eggplants, and 4 inch pots are gre4at for herbs.; Fillthe pot with 2 inches of potting soil . Place one uncracked raw egg in the pot as it decomposes, it will serve as a natural fertilizer.- and cover with soil..

Make holes

Using a screwdriver [or your finger ]create five to six holes that are 1 inch deep[. New seeds tend to have more successful germination rates than the left over packets from last year; a good rule for every five fresh seeds planted. of thumb is to expect one plant to grow for every five fresh seeds planted grow.

Plant seeds

Drop one or two seeds in each hole, then cover with a thin layer of potting soil. A faster option: Purchase seedling and transplant them into containers. Use your fingers to gently tease the roots apart before planting. This way the roots will be able to spread easily into the new soil.

Tend the garden.

After planting, make sure to keep the soil moist to the touch. Push your index finger into the soil about an inch ,if it's dry, water the soil itself [rather than the leaves, because wet leaves encourage plant diseases].Add fertilizer to the plants every two to three weeks, according to the package directions.

Source: Anna Davies, Redbook Magazine, July 2009

Authors Bio:
An OEN Editor. Born-03/20/1934, BA Pol. Sci.-U of Washington-1956, MBA-Seattle U-1970, Boeing-Program Control-1957-1971, State of Oregon-Mental Health Division-Deputy Admistrator-1971-1979, llinois Association of Community MH Agencies[IACHMA]-Executive Director-1980-1987, District of Columbia Government-MH Division-Chief MH System Development-1987-1989, Illinois Real Estate-Associate Broker-1989-1995, Ohio-Retired-1995-1999, Florida-Retired- 1999-?
Operate an eBay book store, Ajax Books Etcetera, which currently [12/17/06] has approx. 435 items for sale, mostly mystery books . Ajax Books Etcetera can be found by searching Google, Yahoo search and some other search engines.
He has now found his true love;writing and consequently has joined the National Writers Association and the Society of Professional Journalists. Member Northwest Progressive Institute. Member Florida Progressive Coalition.