Grow more per square foot, with less water, less back stress, fewer pest problems and an extended growing season, by growing vegetables in a raised bed. Nan presents different examples of raised beds and includes construction diagrams plus some tips and tricks she has learned in her years of raised bed gardening
Raise Your Vegetables in Bed
You May Also Like
To Prune or Not to Prune Tomato Plants
To Prune or Not to Prune Tomato Plants
Pruning tomato plants is a hot topic among home gardeners this time of year. To prune, not to prune? I’m firmly in the “not to prune” camp. I often hear gardeners say they remove leaves or pinch off “suckers” (side branches) so their tomato plants can “put energy into making flowers and fruits.” To my botanist brain that makes zero sense. Here’s why: leaves are the plant's “engine.” Leaves are where photosynthesis happens, the process plants use to make energy from sunlight, carbon dioxide and water. The energy from photosynthesis powers plants to grow, flower, and for the flowers to become fruits. Pruning removes leaves. That means, pruning LIMITS the plant’s ability to make the energy it needs to grow, flower, and fruit. Pruning => fewer leaves => fewer flowers => fewer fruits. A while back, I asked two experts about pruning tomatoes: Renee Shepherd, founder of Renee’s Garden seed…
Bare Roots for Nuts and Fruits
Bare Roots for Nuts and Fruits
Do your summertime dreams include picking juicy plums off a tree in your own backyard? Or harvesting tart, crisp apples in the fall? What about small, sweet blueberries in spring or warm, honey-filled figs in late summer? These are just a few of the fruits that you can purchase and plant as "bare roots" in nurseries this time of year. What is a bare root plant? It is a young, deciduous tree, shrub, woody vine or perennial, that is grown in the ground, dug up while dormant (without leaves), and cleaned of all the dirt on its roots. Once the roots are clean, they are carefully packaged to keep them moist, then shipped to nurseries across the country. Bare root trees travel well and, because they are dormant, transplant easily. January is the perfect time for buying and planting bare root trees across California. The days are clear and cool,…
Planning for Fall Planting
Planning for Fall Planting
I received an email today with the subject line “Get a head start on fall planting!” Right away I knew it wasn’t written by a knowledgeable gardener. People who know about gardening in our climate know that a “head start” on fall planting is a death sentence for plants. We know to wait until that one morning in October when the air suddenly feels like fall - a little cool, a touch humid. On that morning, it’s like the whole earth takes a deep breath and says “Summer’s over. Now, get busy.” Why do we wait to plant in the cool months? It’s when plants have the best chance of establishing and thriving. Here’s why: All plants experience transplant shock. In the nursery, their roots grow all cozy and comfy in their pot. When we bring the plants home, we yank ‘em out of their pots, shake those roots up,…
