The Backyard Homestead

by Carleen Madigan

  Moisture and humidity. Keep the germinating medium moist but never soaking wet. Slip your seed flats into plastic bags or cover them with glass until the seeds germinate. Remove the cover as soon as the seeds sprout. Check the new seedlings every day to see if the medium is lighter in color, indicating it is drying out. Water from the bottom until the seedlings are fairly large to avoid the disturbance of overhead watering.

  The first sprouts you will see are seed leaves, which are food-storage cells. Once the first true leaves develop, start fertilizing. Use a soluble plant food at one-fourth the label strength when seedlings are small. Increase to half strength as the plants mature. When bottom-watering young seedlings, mix the fertilizer into the water; later, the seedlings can be fertilized from above.

  When to Transplant

  Seedlings started in flats should be transplanted to a larger container before going into the garden, or at least be thinned so they won’t become crowded, leggy, or weak. Seedlings started in individual pots do not need transplanting.

  Transplant or thin when the seedlings have developed four true leaves. If thinning, leave at least 1 inch between seedlings. Larger seedlings need more space. When transplanting, water the seedlings thoroughly first. If they’re going into peat pots or peat pellets, wet the peat as well. Premoisten any mediums the seedlings are going into. Fill a container with the medium and then open a hole in the center deep and wide enough to fit a seedling’s roots.

  Pricking Out Seedlings

  1. Using a spoon handle or fork, gently lift the seedling from the flat. Separate it carefully so as not to break any more roots than necessary. Always handle a seedling by its leaves, never by the stem.

  2. Lower the seedling into the new hole, placing it slightly deeper than it was growing in the flat, and press gently on the medium.

  Transplants may droop or wilt, but they will recover if given the proper care. Some plants benefit from pinching while in the transplant stage. Simply reach into the center of the plant and nip out the growing tip.

  Special Seed Treatments

  Many seeds require special handling to ensure that they will sprout. Check the package or ask your nursery whether your selections require any of the following techniques.

  Scarification. Nick the outer shell with a file or knife to make it easier for the plant to start growing.

  Soaking. Pour hot water over the seed and let it cool overnight before sowing.

  Stratification. Plants often need a re-creation of natural cycles for seeds to grow. Place the seed in a sealed container or plastic bag with four to five times its volume of moist peat moss or vermiculite. Place the container in a warm spot for warm stratification or in the refrigerator for cold stratification (in the freezer if 32°F [0°C] is required). After the first month or so, examine the seed every few weeks. When small, white primary roots appear, sow the seed in soil or potting mixture immediately.

  Getting Plants Ready for the Garden

  Hardening off is a process that acclimates plants to new environments. It gradually toughens their tissues so they can adjust to a more challenging environment. One to two weeks before transplanting to the garden, place the young plants outdoors on a patio or step, first on a cloudy day, then on sunny days. Mild breezes will help strengthen their stems. If a frost is expected, bring them indoors and place them back outside the next day.

  Harden off plants by putting them outdoors in a sheltered spot for a week or two before they go into the garden.

  Sowing Seeds Outdoors

  To start an outdoor seed-bed, create a loose bed 6 to 8 inches deep. Use a rototiller to make it easy and fast. Excellent seedbeds can be readied with hand tools, also.

  1. Use a string to establish the edge of the row. It tells you where your first walk-way will be. Stay right there in the walkway to plant, as well as to perform your other garden chores.

  Use a rake to mark the exact width of beds, making them at least 15 to 16 inches. Drag your rake down the bed, keeping the edge of the rake close to the string. Rake only the areas where you’re going to broadcast seeds. Smooth the soil with the back of the rake until the seedbed is smooth and level. Remove large stones, clumps of soil, and large pieces of organic matter.

  2. Sprinkle or broadcast the seeds over the bed as you would with grass seed.

  3. Firm them in for good germination, using the back of a regular hoe. To germinate well, seeds should come in good contact with warm, moist soil on all sides.

  4. Now comes the important step — covering the seeds with just the right amount of soil. Small seeds like carrots and most annuals usually need about ¼ to ½ inch of soil to cover them. Larger seeds such as peas and beans need about 1 inch. A rule of thumb for seeds is to cover them with enough moist soil to equal four times their own diameter.

  Outdoor Seedling Care

  If the soil is dry on planting day, use a sprinkler on the rows after planting.

  Keep the soil slightly moist until the seedlings come up. Once the seeds germinate, don’t let them dry out.

  Watering is usually unnecessary early in the spring, when most garden soils have quite a bit of moisture in them.

  After a rain or watering, a clay-type soil may become so hard that young seedlings can’t burst through. Here’s how to beat crusty soil: Drag a garden rake carefully over the seedbed with just enough force to break up the crust. The tines should penetrate the soil only about ¼ inch. You may have to water hard-packed seedbeds before loosening the soil.

  The easy way to cover seeds is to use a rake and pull soil from 1 to 2 feet beyond the row up onto the seedbed. The important thing is to lift up the soil onto the bed and not to rake into the seedbed. Once you have little mounds of soil sitting on the entire seedbed, smooth them out gently with the back of the rake, being careful not to disturb the seeds. Once the bed has been planted, the strings and stakes can be removed.

  Four Easy Steps to Sowing Seeds Outdoors

  1. Use a string to mark straight rows and then drag your rake down the bed.

  2. Sprinkle seeds over the bed.

  3. Firm them with the back of a hoe.

  4. Cover the seeds with soil.

  High-Yield Gardening

  People who have acres and acres of corn don’t worry too much about a few straggly stalks here and there. But those who have only a 20-foot-square garden must use that small space wisely. Many factors — from spacing to weeding — have a profound effect on garden yields.

  Proper Spacing

  Certain plants, such as root crops (carrots, radishes, beets), are less sensitive to close spacing than others. Leaf crops, such as spinach, celery, and lettuce, can also grow closely together. Fruit-bearing upright plants, such as peppers and tomatoes, give highest yields when their foliage is almost overlapping. If they are spaced so the foliage of mature plants is separated by 3 to 4 inches, the total yield declines but the size of the individual fruits increases. Vining crops, such as melons, cucumbers, and pumpkins, need more space and more light.

  Light

  Fruits such as melons and storage parts such as potato tubers are reservoirs that hold accumulated energy gathered from sunlight by the plants’ leaves. These plants should be in a spot where sunlight falls on the entire plant. Leaf crops such as lettuce and Swiss chard, on the other hand, do not need as much light.

  Watering

  To produce the best crops, plants should have uninterrupted growth — which translates to an even, constant supply of water. Under most conditions, this means about an inch per week; however, this may depend on the stage of growth. Ripening strawberries that receive slightly less than an inch of water per week produce smaller but sweeter fruits. A little less water while fruits are ripening will reduce the yield but increase the quality. Potatoes and onions need much less water just before harvest. This helps the crop last longer after you harvest it.

  Weeds

  It comes as no surprise that an unweeded garden produces smaller yields. What is a surprise is just how muc
h a difference weeding makes. Studies show that regularly weeded fields produce six times as many tomatoes as do unweeded ones. Potato yields increase threefold; onions, more than tenfold; carrots, more than fifteenfold. But the timing of cultivation is critical. Do not weed after a rain of less than half an inch or you will lose soil moisture. Weed during dry times or after a heavy rain. Vegetables are most susceptible to competition from weeds from the seedling stage through the time fruits begin to enlarge and mature.

  If seeds fail to germinate, fill gaps in the row with additional seeds.

  Pinch out suckers on tomato plants so more energy goes into main stems.

  Hoe out weeds regularly so crops don’t have to compete.

  Tips for Setting Out Plants in the Garden

  Double-check planting dates before you start moving plants to the garden. Most annuals and vegetables must wait until the danger of frost is past; some can go out earlier. Tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers must wait until the ground has completely warmed up.

  Prepare garden soil with organic materials to get the most from your plants.

  Water both the ground and the transplants to cut down on transplanting shock. Do your transplanting on a cloudy day or late in the afternoon, so the heat of the sun won’t cause excess wilting.

  Dig a hole about twice the size of the root-ball. Set the transplant into the hole deeply enough so the root-ball will be covered by ¼ inch of soil. Press the soil firmly about its roots.

  If seedlings are growing in peat pots, plant them as they are. Peel back peat pots slightly so the walls will not confine roots, and cover them completely with soil.

  Use a knife or a trowel to cut out transplants growing in flats that are not compartmentalized.

  Transplants in individual pots can be turned upside down and tapped out.

  Water immediately after transplanting and again every day for a week, until the plants are established. If some of them wilt, misting or shading them will help them revive quickly.

  Dig a hole about twice the size of the root-ball.

  Growing Plants Vertically

  If your garden feels crowded, take advantage of vertical space. It is healthier for vining plants to climb upward into the air and sunlight than to sprawl on the damp earth.

  Stakes

  The simplest of all plant supports are stakes or poles. Drive them into the soil near the base of a plant and the vines instinctively latch on to them. Tie tall or heavy plants to the stakes to support them. Then prune the excess growth at the top. Garden centers offer a variety of wooden, bamboo, and manufactured stakes, or you can make your own from scrap lumber, pieces of metal or PVC pipe, or other rigid materials.

  Tepee Trellises

  Tepees make excellent supports for beans, peas, and tomatoes, and for heavily fruited crops such as melons and squash. To build one, you will need three to six poles — thin ones for flowers or lightweight plants, stouter ones for heavily fruited crops. Cut the poles 10 to 12 feet long so you can sink them 1 to 2 feet into the ground. Use twine, raffia, or strips of rawhide or cloth to lash the poles together near the top. Pull the poles into a tight bundle, wrap the twine around the bundle a few times, and tie it snugly. Prop the bundles over the planting area, positioning the bottom ends so each pole will support one or two vines. Thicker poles are heavy enough to be freestanding.

  Try Vertical Growing to Expand Your Gardens

  Produces fruit that is cleaner and less susceptible to damage from rotting, insects, and slugs.

  Lets more air and sunlight reach the plants.

  Makes cultivating and harvesting easier.

  Requires less space.

  Yields generally larger crops.

  Creates a shady garden spot.

  Provides a framework for plant coverings.

  Allows more efficient watering.

  Makes monitoring and managing pests easier.

  Allows for earliest, cleanest, and longest-lasting harvests.

  Simple stakes offer excellent support for twining vines.

  Constructing a Tepee Trellis

  Making tepee trellises is easy. Use three to six or more poles to make a tepee. Sink them at least 1 foot into the ground and lash them together at the top. Not only does this create a sturdy and attractive structure for vining plants to climb up, but it also provides a cool and shady nook underneath in which children can nap, read, or hold tea parties. Leave one section between the poles unplanted for easy access.

  Fence Trellises

  Drive a post at each end of a row and place other posts in between where needed. String with twine, wire, netting, or wire mesh and you have a fence-type trellis. Fences over 20 feet long should have an extra post installed every 10 to 12 feet. By attaching cross arms to the end posts and running wires between them, you can convert the simple fence trellis into a double fence or clothesline trellis that can support two or four lines instead of just one.

  Cages

  Another simple and efficient method to contain sprawlers is a cage. Cages can be nailed together from scrap 1 × 2 lumber or made with sturdy wire mesh. Bend the mesh into shape and arrange it over transplants such as tomatoes and cucumbers. Round or square cages, 2 to 3 feet in diameter and 3 to 4 feet high, will both contain and support a variety of vines.

  Fence trellises provide sturdy support for vining tomatoes.

  A-Frames

  Construct an A-frame trellis of lightweight lumber — 1 × 2s or 2 × 4s. Wire-mesh fencing, garden netting, or vertically or horizontally strung wire or twine will serve as the plant support. You can design an A-frame in any dimensions, but it must be of manageable size if it is to be portable. Both sides of this versatile trellis are used, and it can be made sturdy enough to support heavy crops such as gourds and pumpkins.

  Cages are another favorite technique for supporting tomatoes.

  Use A-frame trellises for vines with heavy fruits, such as melons, gourds, and pumpkins.

  Harvesting Vegetables

  As a home gardener, you have an advantage over the commercial vegetable grower and do not have to harvest crops before they are ripe. You can pick your vegetables just as they reach their prime.

  In general, bring things in from the garden just before you are going to eat them or prepare them for storage. With every minute that passes from the time the produce is picked, the vegetables lose quality and food value. Never leave fresh vegetables sitting around for a long time. Keep them in a refrigerator or a cool, dark cellar. This will slow down the deterioration process.

  Some vegetables can be picked before they are completely mature. Young onions, beets, carrots, cabbages, and the leaves from head lettuce plants that have not formed heads are all delicious. Most of the early crops in your garden will mature quite suddenly, so there is an alltoo-short period of time to harvest them. Later varieties are not apt to mature quite so quickly.

  If you want your plants to continue to bear vegetables, keep them harvested. Pick everything as soon as it is ready, even if you know it is impossible for you to use it all. Throw any surplus on the compost pile. Or better still, make plans to share with friends, neighbors, and needy folks. Giving away fresh vegetables is one of the friendliest gestures of all.

  The crops you harvest later in the season are the easiest and best ones to store. If you have a root cellar, it will have cooled off by this time. Potatoes, cabbages, and turnips should be ready just in time to go into the root cellar. Eat your first plantings of beets and carrots throughout the summer months and plan to use later plantings for canning and freezing.

  Big, big vegetables have passed the point of being ripe, tender, and flavorful. Many gardeners like to grow vegetables commonly called “table size.” This means harvesting beets, for example, when they are slightly larger than a lemon. Carrots shouldn’t be much bigger around than your thumb.

  The more you harvest, the more you grow. If you don’t pick your lettuce, it will go to seed. Chard and other heat-tolerant greens can be cut continuously all summer lo
ng.

  Won’t They Freeze?

  Some edibles can survive a bit of frost, but others actually relish it. Spinach, kale, and a few lettuce varieties (‘Winter Density’, ‘North Pole’, ‘Rouge d’Hiver’, and ‘Arctic King’) have evolved a cold-weather strategy that allows them to survive even subzero temperatures with ease. As colder temperatures signal the coming of winter, these plants begin to produce compounds (including sucrose) that act as antifreeze; they prevent the formation of ice crystals within a plant’s cells. By the time really cold weather arrives, spinach, mâche, and kale are ready to survive whatever Mother Nature serves up. As an unintended culinary bonus, these “chilled-out” salad greens are sweeter than they were before the frost hit them.

  Seed Saving

  Saving seeds is a good way to wind up the gardening season. By allowing a few plants to reach their full maturity, you won’t have to buy seeds the following spring.

  Harvesting and Cleaning Seeds

  Timing is important when harvesting seed. Observe your plants carefully and note the time and method of their seed dispersal. You’ll soon get a good sense of when to collect seeds from each plant.

  Methods for collecting seed vary, determined in part by the type of plant you are working with. Some seeds can be removed from their pods by hand. With others, the entire plant must be cut down and threshed (beaten or flailed). Many seeds can simply be shaken free of their pods into a container.

  Storing Seeds

  Most seeds can be stored for at least a year and still germinate, as long as the storage conditions are right. Temperature is critical. Try to keep seeds consistently cold, or at least cool; fluctuating temperatures can be fatal. The refrigerator, or any other place that stays just above freezing, is ideal for storing most seeds. They can also be stored in the freezer, but they must be completely ripe and very dry.