Welcome back! I apologize for the lack of posts last week; I was out of town, and thought I'd have time to post a couple of times, but unfortunately did not. I was home, watching my sister get married, so it was quite a fun occasion. It also ties nicely into today's article - going home this time of year reminded me of all the gardens I grew up in, the sweltering, mosquito-filled summer days in the South, picking berries, watering, planting, and harvesting sweet corn and tomatoes, among other summer garden-related activities!
Image via WikipediaAs a child, I remember many summer afternoons sweating in the kitchen canning tomatoes, or making peach preserves. There were also many other vegetables we grew in our summer gardens that had to be picked and stored for winter, and I can't say I miss too much about those hot and sticky days! One thing though, has never gotten away from me and that is the deep and abiding love I have for the smell of freshly turned soil and the taste of vegetables fresh from the garden.
I point out the fact that my childhood favorite summer garden vegetables seem to flourish best in the South to drive home the fact that you really will need to research the vegetables you plant in your summer garden as they relate to the specific area in which you live. Not all vegetable plants are created equal in their tolerance for temperature or rainfall (or lack thereof), which could greatly impact their suitability for your particular vegetable summer garden depending of course, on where you are located.
Some great plants to include in your summer vegetable garden should of course be dictated by those vegetables that you enjoy eating as well as those vegetables and herbs that you use a good deal when cooking. If you use peppers a lot in your cooking then peppers are probably an excellent choice for your summer garden. If you don't like peppers, then they are not likely to be a good choice, as they will probably be wasted. Tomatoes are another popular favorite for summer gardens. Some have even gotten creative and created hanging tomato baskets in which the tomatoes literally grow upside down. If space is limited in your summer garden this may be a great way to have your tomatoes and grow them too-without taking up valuable real estate within your vegetable garden.
For those who love their greens, summer gardens provide an excellent atmosphere for growing greens such as broccoli, lettuce, and cabbage. Collard greens, mustard greens, and turnip greens are also good summer garden inclusions - but these do best in cooler weather, so they are best for early summer, or fall. I also have strong memories of boiling huge vats of greens to be frozen for winter when the full force of the harvest was upon us. There was always something to be done with the vegetables as winter approached and during those lean winter months we were so grateful for the hard work and effort we had made to insure these great vegetables would sustain us during the months they weren't so readily available.
Image via WikipediaHaving a summer garden filled with vegetables is a satisfying pursuit in many ways. First of all you are producing something that is useful to you and your family. Second, you are providing a way for you and your family to enjoy the vegetables you love most throughout the year. Finally, you are able to produce vegetables that are fit for consumption and enjoyment at a much lower cost than you would pay for these vegetables at the local supermarket. This helps save money for some of the more important and more entertaining things most of us would like to do with our families.
As with any summer garden you will need to plan carefully the placement of your vegetables and do some research on individual watering and shade requirements. It helps to plant those that need partial sunlight in the shadow of those plants that will grow taller and provide shade for the smaller plants. It also helps to keep the thirstier plants closer together and further away from those plants that require less water to sustain them. You should also take care to be realistic in your planting and avoid planting more than you can comfortably consume or preserve, as that will be wasted time and effort on your part. (For a couple of good resources on preserving the bounty of your summer vegetable garden, see below.)
Summer Gardening Resources:
Image via WikipediaAs a child, I remember many summer afternoons sweating in the kitchen canning tomatoes, or making peach preserves. There were also many other vegetables we grew in our summer gardens that had to be picked and stored for winter, and I can't say I miss too much about those hot and sticky days! One thing though, has never gotten away from me and that is the deep and abiding love I have for the smell of freshly turned soil and the taste of vegetables fresh from the garden.
Image via WikipediaHaving a summer garden filled with vegetables is a satisfying pursuit in many ways. First of all you are producing something that is useful to you and your family. Second, you are providing a way for you and your family to enjoy the vegetables you love most throughout the year. Finally, you are able to produce vegetables that are fit for consumption and enjoyment at a much lower cost than you would pay for these vegetables at the local supermarket. This helps save money for some of the more important and more entertaining things most of us would like to do with our families.
Image via WikipediaSustainable gardening is becoming more and more popular these days, as we all start to realize just how responsible we are for this amazing planet we live on. Here are some really cool and interesting updates on the topic. Heck, even the USDA is pitching in! (Really?? I know - shocked me too....)
Image by annethelibrarian via FlickrMany gardeners have taken to spreading out their excess grass clippings across the rest of their yard. You may think this will look tacky, with big piles of grass just sitting in your yard as if you were too lazy to rake them up. However, if you spread them out enough then you won’t even be able to tell that there is an excess amount. Leaving the extra grass on the yard acts as a sort of mulch by preventing evaporation and weed growth. With this extra water, you won’t have to water nearly as much to keep your grass green. When I started leaving my grass clippings, I had to adjust the frequency of my sprinkler system because I was worried my yard was getting too much water!
Image via WikipediaOver time, all organic mulches need to be replenished. This is because they will naturally decompose in the conditions of your yard. Usually you can tell for yourself just by looking at it, but sometimes it can still look perfectly fine but still have problems. If you start to notice any poor plant growth whatsoever, you should replace your mulch. Keep in mind that during the process of decomposition, your mulch will use up the valuable nitrogen in the soil. Without this, the plants will be missing a key nutrient. Be sure that you nourish your soil with compost and manure, to make up for this potential deficiency.
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Image via WikipediaThe design of your butterfly garden is a matter of personal preference. Typical points to consider are the size of your garden and the types of flowers and plants you want to grow. Pick a style of garden that appeals to you, but ensure it also contains the plants and flowers that appeal to the butterflies you wish to attract. 
Image via WikipediaWhen planting your butterfly garden be careful how you coordinate the colors you choose for your flowerbeds. Although butterflies do not care about your choice of color, you don't want your garden to be a hodgepodge of unrelated colors and textures. Butterflies are attracted to those flowers that have nectar rather than pollen, like honeysuckle, milkweed, summer lilac, Valerian, daisies, Purple Coneflower, Yellow Sage, day lilies and lavender.
Image by Exothermic via Flickr1. The essentials must always be given consideration.
Image via Wikipedia4. Know the good from the bad bugs. 
Image via WikipediaFirst of all, those who live in high rise buildings often feel as though they have no options larger than a window sill for their gardening needs. This is often not the case. Discuss with the landlord the option of establishing raised gardens on the roof top of the building in which you live. These are becoming more and more popular and some buildings also offer greenhouse possibilities, usage, or space to tenants to satisfy the urge many of us get to give our green (or not so green as the case may be) thumbs an adequate workout. Raised gardens are a great choice for many landlords and building owners as long as they are created and maintained at the expense of the tenant who proposed the garden. (See our article series from last week for more on raised gardens.) Some buildings even offer gardening co-ops as perks to those who live within the building and a system of contributing and sharing the fruits of the labor of those who have contributed to these gardens by planting and maintaining flowers, plants, fruits, and/or vegetables. This is also a great way to meet neighbors that may share your passion.
Image by basswulf via FlickrA vertical garden is yet another option. This requires some degree of handyman skills (or a friend who has them) for designing and building a platform for your gardening needs that allows you to grow the flowers or vegetables you crave without taking up nearly as much ground space. This is also a convenient way of gardening for those who are in wheelchairs and cannot get up and down for regular gardening tasks as easily. A vertical garden can be planted with very little ground space, such as what would be available on a patio or a balcony and allows for many more plants that one might expect with such a small growing space. Combine this method with hanging plants and you may find that you have quite an impressive little summer garden growing.
