So you can see from the pictures posted that vegetables can be grown anywhere.  Above is cucumber.  Next, two pots, each with 4 plants in them, 2 eggplant and 2 tomato.  This is too many.  I planted these thinking the tomatoes would not make it, well they did.  The plants will be fine I will just have to water much more often and add additional fertilizer so all 4 plants get enough of what they need.

The gourd vine in the pot below was a volunteer. It popped up at the beginning on of the season in my neighbor’s yard, a remnant from last year.  We are not even sure of the variety.  I was curious to see how this might work in a pot and a random gourd plant seemed good for a trial.  For now the vine is doing OK.  It seems that there is some stress on the main stem as it bends to drape over the side.  I will need to address this or I might loose the bulk of the plant.  

Also in the pictures is my “regular” vegetable garden, with eggplant, cucumber, zucchini and gourds.  I use grass clippings to keep the weeds down. Every time I mow (meaning my husband mows) we collect the clippings instead of mulching them into the lawn.  Yes the mulch is good for the lawn when done right (a future post topic), we like to use it for the veggies.  Just pull out visible weeds and lay down the clippings in a nice mat throughout the garden.  It really keeps the weeds down and next year when you are preparing the area you will see a noticeable improvement in the quality of the soil since the grass composts over the year.

Use a good fertilizer at planting and again mid season for a good boost where needed, in some cases the whole garden.  For leafy greens you can try a liquid fish emulsion added to your watering can for a nitrogen source.  This will work fast and green up the leaves really nicely.  If you use a solid form, for any vegetable, dig a small trench around the stem for the fertilizer, about a foot in diameter, and then cover it with soil.  This keeps the fertilizer in the soil and not splashing up on the plants when you water, which can cause burning.  Don’t overdo the fertilizer as it can build up in the soil and cause other issues.

Apply the boost fertilizer in July generally, and specifically when broccoli just heads up, when corn is about 20″-24″, on big vines before they run away, and tomatoes and peppers when they bloom and again in 4 weeks.

It is just thrilling to eat fresh veggies you grow yourself, and so delicious.  Let me know if you have any questions.

Tune in next time for the beginning of our travel series.  We are taking a trip to the Berkshires and will report in on exciting plants we find.