Refreshing the Vegetable Garden: Ecological Gardening in the Mid-Summer Months

Thank you to class participants in attendance for "Refreshing the Vegetable Garden" at the Tyler Arboretum on June 26.  It was a pleasure to share and connect with fellow food gardeners on such a pleasant evening in such a beautiful location.  Be sure to stay tuned for Tyler's fall vegetable gardening class with their new vegetable gardener coming in late September. 

Click here to view the reference slides presented in the class (PDF)

Click here for Agricola's 4-8-4 bioactive, slow release mineral meal fertilizer
This product is to be added to, preferably thoroughly mixed in to your garden soil.  It can also be incorporate into compost used in the garden.  Mineralized compost can be made into compost tea and applied as a foliar spray every 1-2 weeks from seedling to mature leaf stage (until appx. 1 week before harvest) or through blossom stage of fruiting/flowering plants. 

Click here for Crop Services International COMPLETE soluble concentrate mineral meal
This product can also be applied as above, as well as dissolved in water with addition of fish emulsion/liquid kelp and foliar sprayed as above.

For starting seeds in flats, find either a fine quality seed starter soil mix or a soil-less media (such as "Pro-Mix"), keep in dappled shade for temperature control, keep consistently moist through early germination, and when seedlings are up - water per foliar spray directions as above for using COMPLETE with fish/kelp.  These activities will support a health start for your crops.  For much more information on seed starting, please acquire a copy of the highly recommended reference book: The New Seed Starter's Handbook

For calculating seed starting times for the remainder of summer through the fall season, please refer to the chart on your handout from the above book. 

The list of seed sources and suggested seed varieties from your handout can be viewed online by Clicking Here (right click to save file).  Please note the seed source "Willhite Seeds" in Texas and Southern Exposure from Virginia.  In personal experience, I have found using hot or warmer climate adapted crop seeds in our region during the summer months can withstand the heat and less soil moisture or variant soil moistures with improved resilience to regional grown crops.  This is especially so with crops such as radishes and lettuce mixes.  I have also added recommended bush bean varieties to the list.

For any further questions, please contact us at info@depermaculture.com
With great appreciation, wishing you health and growing success,
From, Delaware Permaculture

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