Shady vegetables

Have you ever wanted to plant a vegetables garden but figure you can't because you don't have day long of sun? Well guess again, there are vegetables that will grow with two to four hours of sun, they might grow a little slower but they will grow. And you can maximize the length of sun you receive by pruning back tree branches if they are a problem. Study your area, time the suns length and mark the best spots before you plant. One of the benefits of less sun is plants like lettuce, broccoli, radishes and cauliflower have less chance of bolting.

Potato plant/Pixabay

To get a start below is a list of vegetables that have been proven to grow without sun all day. If you do not care for any of them or they do not produce, try a different variety or experiment with other plants, like I have found potatoes, which just looks like a short bush that flowers will grow with about a five hour sun window every day, you just have to be willing to dig them up at the end of their season.

Two to four hours of sun

chard

kale

leaf lettuce

Cauliflower/Pixabay

mustard greens

collards

spinach

Four to six hours of sun

cabbage

cauliflower

carrots

cucumbers

radishes

Brussels sprouts

broccoli

Lettuce/Pixabay

beets

leeks

onions

turnips

tomatoes

Brussels sprouts/Pixabay

Fall bulb planting (Video)

Its getting around that time to plant your spring and summer bulbs, so here are some reminder tips on the do and do not when planting them.

Remember to label your plants because as much as we would like to believe we will not forget which plant went where – we do forget.

Make sure you plant bulbs where the drainage is good, and watch you do not over fertilizer – bone meal should be used according to the label.

Plant bulbs the required depth and spacing to get the best blooms. Remember the foliage and leaves need to be healthy in order for bulb to feed from at the end of the season for next years blooms.

If you can not plant your bulbs when you get them because of bad weather or to wet ground, store them in a cool, dry place with good ventilation to avoid mold or mildew.

Planting Bulbs in Fall The Bulb Lady (Dutchbulbs.com

Breathing is not just for humans

The need for proper air in the #garden can not be overstated, as it is the last thing most gardeners are thinking about when setting up plans for a new site or trying to fill in bare areas.  Proper air circulation ranks high on the list just as healthy soil and proper moisture does, just as the climate around each individual effects them in one way or another, the climate around a plant can make the difference to its adaptability in your garden.  The lack of good air movement or breathing around the plants various components can cause them to grow sparse and leggy, it can subjects them to more diseases, bug invasions and truly hamper their survival.

Steps to take to insure good air circulation are do not crowd – over planting in a area will not give a fuller look, plant according to given instructions on spacing.  It may look a little open and bare at first but with time the plant/s will fill the area. Choose carefully when planting under low branching trees and shrubs, while some trees and shrubs can be enhanced by pruning off low branches, others will look like they were hacked.  When planting a new plant make sure any low dense overgrowth from other plants is cut back, also check the finished height of the plant to insure it will be able to reach its full height with no interference.

Proper air movement will allow plants to dry quicker after a light or heavy rainfall and permits the sun to filter through to help in the drying process, keeping your plants healthy. 

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