April is National Garden Month and today is National Gardening Day. During the month of April, gather up your gardening shovels and tools and let’s push some dirt and get dirty! The month-long observance brings gardeners, gardening groups, and those new to gardening together to share tips and offer support for a bountiful season!
Does anyone have any tips or tricks that they would like to share? If so, please feel free to do so. No one knows everything, even though, some may think that they do and we never get too old to learn something new.
It is now late spring and the weather in April and May, becomes warm and pleasant with a little rain that our gardens new. I actually prefer raised beds and planting in buckets. But, I will poke a plant or seed anywhere I can find a place that they will grow. An empty yard yields nothing.
Top fruit crops to plant in spring are:
Apple Pomme De Neige-Suitable fruit tree for smaller gardens.
Plant while dormant, from winter to early spring.
Requires another apple variety close by for pollination.
Suits cool, temperate and airy zones.
Great apple variety for kids.
Best planted before Spring ends.
Blueberry Sunshine Blue-Dwarf semi-evergreen bush with large, sweet fruit.
Plant in early spring, they are Self-fertile and less fussy about the soil than other some other varieties are.
Usually begins cropping at about 2 years of age.
Strawberry Red Gauntlet. Productive, high yield variety with a long fruiting season.
Plant in early spring.
Tasty variety for jam making. Great in beds, hanging baskets and pots/containers.
Passionfruit/Panama Red.
Tahitian Lime.
Mulberry Black/Hicks Fancy Dwarf Lemon Lisbon.
California and Southern Florida are the two best states for gardening with California producing the majority of the crops for the United States.
Tomatoes are the number 1 most popular vegetable, it’s technically a fruit and not a vegetable however.
Fun Fact about Bell Peppers. Bell peppers start out green, but they mature to red, orange, yellow, purple and even chocolate brown.
The best survival crops for most people are:
Winter squash — they are easy to grow, easy to store, and calorie-dense.
Sweet potatoes — are very nutritious and you can even eat the leaves.
Potatoes — is a starchy superfood.
Field corn — is high in calories and can be distilled.
Some of the best vegetables to grow in containers are: Potatoes, chard, lettuce, cherry and bush tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, summer squash, Asian greens, pole beans. Don’t forget about your herbs and fruits like blueberries, strawberries, lemon trees, lime trees, etc.,
Radishes are one of the fastest-growing vegetable plants you can grow. Some types are ready to eat in as little as 3 weeks from seeding. They are a cool-season vegetable, meaning they do best in the spring or the fall, before or after the hot heat of the summer months.
Place the taller bearing veggies toward the back of the bed, mid-sized ones in the middle, and the smaller plants in the front or as a border for your garden. Consider adding some pollinator plants to attract insects that can not only help you get a better harvest, but will also prey on garden pests.
Pollinator-attracting annuals include zinnias, sunflowers, cosmos, lantana, tithonia, and snapdragons. Look for plants that have simple flowers—double-petalled, frilly flowers make it harder for pollinators to reach the nectar and pollen.
Homegrown cucumbers, beans, carrots, and peppers taste better. Not only are they as fresh as can be and brimming with healthful nutrients; when you grow your own you can choose from a wide array of varieties bred for flavor.
Blueberries takes the title of healthiest fruit. Blueberries' hue comes from their anthocyanins — an antioxidant believed to be responsible for their numerous health benefits. Long-term studies suggest that including blueberries in your regular regimen may lower the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Growing your own food is a healthy way to save money and enjoy fresh produce at home. When done correctly, even the smallest backyard plot can produce copious amounts of fruits and vegetables and possibly even a significant saving to the grocery budget.
Okra seeds germinate in 3-4 days time and an Okra plant has a lifespan of 6 months. The height of this plant can reach pretty high. Make sure that you have adequate space prior to planting Okra. It is very nutritious with many health benefits.
Superfoods: Lemons
Known for their tart taste, lemons were shown to help with weight loss, improve insulin resistance, reduce blood glucose, and lower blood pressure.
If you have medical or health issues that inhibits your bending over or getting on your knees, please take full advantage of the raised gardens, buckets, containers, trellises and hanging baskets. Not only are they delicious and nutritious, but it makes a great hobby and then you also know that has been put on your veggies/fruit as it grew.
This post could go on and on because there is just so much good information when it comes to gardening. I hope that this has shed a little insight into the beautiful world of gardening.
Happy Gardening!
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