Organic Corn

Growing organic corn should be done in a warm area with lots of open space. Because corn is a wind-pollinated plant, it should be placed in a fairly breezy place with lots of wide rows and columns. Corn does extremely well in hot temperatures, and it is important to make sure that during its germination phase that temperatures remain around 70 degrees. If you are looking for a delicious summer or fall vegetable, corn is a sure bet for a dinner complement. Happy gardening!

Gardening Tips

If you are just starting your garden this summer, the plants that you can start to sow directly into your garden at this point are as follows: beets, carrots, collards, corn, mustard greens, soybeans, New Zealand spinach, beans, rutabagas, zucchini and squash. Cosmos flowers and dill are all right to start germinating inside your home, and your lettuces, cucumbers, tomatoes and flowers are safe to transplant. Gardening tip-most vegetables prefer 6-7 hours of sunlight a day, and planting them in open areas will yield the best growth results.

"Chocolate is a vegetable: Chocolate is derived from cocoa beans.
Beans = vegetable."

Compost

If you are living in a suburb or rural area, one of the easiest ways to provide rich soil for your garden is to use your garbage for compost. This form of recycling is easily overlooked, which is a shame because so much of our daily waste can be transformed into treasures for our plants. However, it should be noted that some meat, dairy, and poultry products can attract vermin when turned into compost, so the best kind of recycled fertilizer should be the remains of previous plants. Simply mix your daily waste in with a layer of soil followed by leaves and hay, and you've got your very own compost for your garden!

“One man's trash is another man's treasure.” --English Proverb

Shaded Gardening

Are you thinking that you'll never be able to garden because you have a location that is kept primarily in the shade? Nonsense! There are plenty of vegetables that can grow with minimum sunlight, and will produce almost the same amount of nutrients as those that were raised in the sun. Here is a slight list of vegetables that will grow in highly wooded or shaded areas:
1)Salad and leafy greens, such as spinach and kale
2)Broccoli and cauliflower
3)Brussels sprouts
4)Beans
5)Peas
6)Radishes
7)Beets
Happy Gardening!

“Though the sun is gone, I have a light.” --Kurt Cobain

Ladybug Summer

As I was taking a walk this morning, a ladybug that had been flying around me for a while landed on my arm. After taking a moment to admire this unique looking bug, I made a wish and sent her on her merry way. As the weather become increasingly hotter, ladybugs will undoubtedly become more populous. Contrary to what many may think, ladybugs are not harmful; but rather beneficial to plants. Ladybugs are helpful insects that eat aphids, which in turn ARE harmful to plants, taking the rich nutrients away from their leaves. Ladybugs also eat soft bodied insects and plant mites, which are most commonly found on diverse species of flowers. So, the next time you see a ladybug in your garden, you should thank her for her services instead of shooing her away—it's never too late to turn over a new leaf and start helping your plants thrive in the summer sun!

“Two little Ladybugs flew around a flower, then crawled beneath a leaf to nap for half an hour!” -Anonymous

Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day! I hope you all had a fabulous holiday weekend with friends and family-this was the perfect opportunity to spend time with your loved ones, kick up the grill and slice fresh tomatoes on your barbecued hamburgers (or in my case, fish). Today was exceptionally interesting because I was lucky enough to try fresh tomatoes all the way from Florida on my salad! They were so juicy, and went perfectly well when complimented by french goat cheese, topped with garlic seasoning. My two friends drove all the way up from their vacation home down South to bring these tomatoes straight to my stomach. Ultimately, they made my Memorial Day memorable by accenting my meal with their ripe juicy fruits!

"A world without tomatoes is like a string quartet without violins." - Laurie Colwin

Planting your Tomatoes

It's warm enough in NJ to have all your tomato seedlings nicely planted in your garden.
These beautiful fruiting plants need 6-8 hours of sun, please plant them in thhe sunniest spot of your garden (or in large pots on your sunny patio).

Botanically speaking, tomatoes are a FRUIT. In 1893, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a tomato is a VEGETABLE because it is served alongside the main course at meals :)