Growing Your Own Vegetables: An Encyclopedia of Country Living Guide Read Online Free PDF Page A

greensand. Potassium is like nitrogen in that it is quickly lost to the soil and must be replenished.
AN ARGUMENT AGAINST THE USE OF CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS
◗ Plants don’t distinguish between organic or inorganic nutrients, but their impact on soil health is critical.
◗ Chemicals are injurious to soil microbes that naturally produce plant food, creating a sterile environment that must constantly be artificially replenished.
◗ Water-soluble chemical fertilizers leach and contribute to ground-water contamination, and the quick burst of food they do provide does not last for the entire growing season.
◗ Most artificial fertilizers are petroleum based.
◗ Chemical fertilizers do not improve soil texture and water-holding capacity the way mulch, compost, manure, and cover crops do.

GARDEN COMPETITION

    WEEDS
    A well-nourished plant is a healthy defense against most garden pests. However, there is a limited amount of fertility in any garden. If your garden has one weed for every vegetable plant, then half of your soil’s plant food is going to the weeds and half to your vegetable plants. That means your vegetable plants will be half as big and healthy and productive as they could be if there were no weeds. Although the reality may not be quite that simple, the bottom line is that weeds compete with the plants you are trying to grow for soil nutrients, water, and sun.
    Thoroughly till the garden each spring before planting to get rid of weeds that may have over-wintered or sprouted in cool spring weather, and continue to diligently weed during the growing season. Cultivate between rows with a rototiller or a hoe and weed by hand close to the plants. The best time to hand weed is right after a rain, when the ground is damp; roots seem to relax their hold on the soft ground, only to regain their grip when things get hot and dry.

HAND TOOLS
Although a larger garden may employ a rototiller or even a tractor to work the soil, hand tools are invaluable for working in tight quarters and around existing plants.
Spade —a shallow blunt-nosed shovel used to “plow” or turn over the soil.
Spading fork —a fork that looks like a pitchfork, but with wide tines, also used to plow the soil.
Hoe —a long- or short-handled tool used for chopping and breaking up dirt clods to create a fine, crumbly soil ready for planting. There are several styles of hoes with narrow or wide, fixed or oscillating blades. All must be sharpened to remain effective as weeding tools.
Rake —its rigid or flexible tines are used to smooth the seed bed, level the dirt, spread fertilizers, and pull any remaining clods or rocks out of the seedbed.
Trowel —the pro gardener’s upgrade of a big spoon, used for close-in hand weeding or digging holes for transplants.

    GARDEN PESTS LARGE AND SMALL
    If you plant a crop and then find that something else ate it before you could, you won’t be the first person it ever happened to. The number of possible plant diseases and plant-devouring insect species, to say nothing of fungi and garden-munching mammals, is legion. The organic gardener’s best defense against bacterial and fungal problems is well-nourished soil and plenty of sunshine and water. Frequent your local nursery and get to know experienced gardeners in your area to learn from their expertise. Most likely they will be able to help diagnose ailing plants and mystery weeds and offer important advice for dealing with regional pests and gardening conditions specific to your area.
    Problem mammals
    If you grow it, they will come. Critters don’t understand property rights, and many gardens are often and disastrously lost to predators unless the owner takes garden defense seriously. Identify the predator (or the one that got into your neighbor’s garden) and act quickly to prevent the problem or risk losing the fruit (and vegetables) of your labors.
    In some parts of the United States, where the natural predators of deer have been eliminated, deer