Francis Berger
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Success With Low Maintenance Garden Vegetables

9/2/2020

7 Comments

 
One positive thing to emerge from my lockdown experience is the vegetable garden my wife and I planted in the early spring. Though my wife has some experience in tending to gardens, it would be a stretch to say either of us possesses a green thumb. With this in my mind, the vast majority of the seeds and seedlings we planted in May were what are commonly referred to as 'low maintenance vegetables': radishes, carrots, potatoes, corn, green peppers, zucchini, and squash. As promised, all these grew well and delivered substantial yields - and all without much fuss.

Unfortunately, our experience with vegetables requiring more intensive tending has been mixed. For example, the varieties of tomatoes we planted have been a spectacular success; and the Brussels's sprouts look as if they will produce a healthy yield. On the flip side, insects ate our kale and the spinach we planted didn't make it past their second week in the soil. Of course, we have only ourselves to blame for these failures.

Nevertheless, I have learned much from this year's gardening adventure. First off, I really only enjoy low maintenance gardening. A half-hour or hour a day in the garden is pleasure; anything more equals pain. Secondly, my favorite vegetables to eat tend to be of the low-maintenance variety, so I see no need to grow anything beyond those next year. Finally, I need to expand my current knowledge, to the point where I at least feel I 'know' what I am doing rather than giving the vegetables I plant an intuitive 'whirl' and then seeing how they turn out. 

I suspect gardening books will comprise a fair bit of my cold weather reading this winter. 
7 Comments
William James Tychonievich link
9/2/2020 19:43:18

Gardening books, you say? My brother Joseph has written a few of those.

Reply
Francis Berger
9/2/2020 20:59:29

Thanks for the heads up, Wm. I just checked out your brother's website and his books are exactly what I'm looking for.

Reply
Francis Berger
9/2/2020 21:50:29

@ Wm - I don't know why I used the "heads up" expression in my comment. You certainly weren't warning me of anything. I meant to say "recommendation'. I've been dopier than usual lately.

Michelle
9/3/2020 03:34:59

Its nice to read that your lockdown experiment was fruitful, I mean vegetable-ful. Our lockdown experiment included my husband baking bread every day. Every single day for 4 straight months. Yes, man can live on bread alone. And now I am suffering from covid-24 (pounds that I gained). Thankfully I shed 10 of those pounds so far. Growing vegetables would have been a far healthier venture.

Reply
Francis Berger
9/3/2020 09:37:39

@ Michelle - Yes, freshly-baked bread is a difficult thing to resist, especially if you are locked inside the house with it all day!

Reply
Kyle J
9/3/2020 16:25:28

Permaculture: A Designers' Manual, by Bill Mollison is great book. Although it covers way more topics then might be of practical implementation, I'm sure there is something useful in it.

Some approaches may take a bit more effort in the beginning, but the idea is to have as much self-regulation as possible, like plants that add high nitrogen to the soil benefit others around it; part of a concept known as plant guilds, they take care of each other. Some plants ward off - or are specifically planted to attract - pests so they can leave others alone (like your kale and spinach).

Reply
Francis Berger
9/3/2020 20:31:15

@ Kyle - Thanks for the book recommendation and the tips. Much appreciated!

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