GARDEN FANATIC: Eating from your garden

“Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are.” “” Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

“Eating well gives a spectacular joy to life and contributes immensely to goodwill and happy companionship.” “” Elsa Schiaparelli

?

Many of us specialize in one kind of avocation and cannot be persuaded to try any other, be it tennis, blogging about ex-governors, or even growing orchids. Given enough time and space, I will try to grow anything and everything. Although the color from my Iceland poppies is indeed rewarding, why eat frozen vegetables or market produce three days removed from real freshness?

If so inclined, what shall we grow? Prior to readying gardening implements, make a list of vegetables you really like, and call your favorite nursery for their availability and appropriateness to your local clime.

I prefer “starters” to seeds (“early” tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini and eggplant are a few of the vegetables I spotted this week) because they require less initial care.

Vegetables are generally classified as either cool-season or warm-season types. The warm season (spring and summer) are vegetables that are grown for their fruit, rather than the leaves, roots or stems. Cool-season vegetables are generally leaf or root crops although peas, broad beans, artichokes, broccoli and cauliflower are exceptions.

Plan carefully, as it is easy to over-plant and produce a larger crop than you can consume. Some vegetables, such as corn and melons, occupy more space than their relative edible yield. Others, like tomatoes and zucchini, can overwhelm a family with just a few plants.

Vegetables require at least six hours of sunlight to prosper. Avoid shade and possible root competition by locating your vegetable plot away from trees and large shrubs. Select a spot that is protected from winds and avoid low-lying areas that can become frost pockets in the winter.

Vegetables thrive in rich soil. The addition of Gro Power will ensure that your vegetables begin with the proper diet. Heavy clay soils should be made lighter by the addition of Gypsite and humus-forming organic material like redwood compost or planter’s mix. A soil test kit will reveal any serious deficiencies that might exist.

Once the plants are established, watering should be applied slowly and deeply to soak the soil to the depth of several inches. Withhold water until the plants need it again. Drip irrigation is the most desirable irrigating method: Water is applied deeply and evenly, sun scald of tender foliage and fruit is avoided, and runoff waste water is kept to a minimum.

Steady watering and proper fertilization will allow a vegetable garden to flourish.

Vegetable plants cannot compete successfully with weeds, insects and diseases. The garden should therefore be kept clean by removing weeds before they become well established. All cultivation and hoeing should be shallow to keep root damage to a minimum.

Pests can be identified by visual sighting or by the damage they leave. Hand picking, spraying with water, or the application of soap and oil products are the first steps in combating insects and mites. Consult your local nursery person for proper selection and use of stronger pesticides, but only if all else has failed.

It would never occur to Catharine that anything other than eating well is essential for a meal; she eagerly prepares a personal treat of Swiss chard and brown rice whenever she can.

However, I am not convinced that vegetables alone contribute to a tasty meal or a marriage. Eager to satiate my impending hunger, my sweet wife recently added chicken broth to my portion of the stir-fried veggies. That is a true offer of domestic compromise. See you next time.

STEVE KAWARATANI is married to writer Catharine Cooper and has one cat and four dogs. He can be reached at (949) 497-8168, or e-mail to plantman2@mac.com.