| 1. Planting Methods: There are several methods for | | | | planting each vegetable in a different location each |
| planting. | | | | year. The advantages of croprotation are: |
| Picking any of these methods depends on the | | | | A) The chances of transmitting diseases and insects |
| vegetable, the size of your garden, and your | | | | to next year's crop are very much reduced. Certain |
| fondness. Three methods of planting, namely, single | | | | diseases and insects attackcertain vegetables. These |
| rows, wide rows, and hills are clarified as follows: | | | | diseases and insects move from the plants to the |
| A) Single Rows: In this method, seeds are sown in | | | | soil, where they winter. If the same vegetable is |
| rows or lines that are spaced equal distances apart. | | | | planted in the same spot the following year, the |
| The distances between therows and between the | | | | diseases and insects will surface from the soil and |
| seeds within the rows differ from vegetable to | | | | attack the new plants once again. |
| vegetable. If you want the rows to be straight, | | | | B) Each vegetable absorbs trace amounts of specific |
| which gives apleasant appearance to your garden, | | | | minerals from the soil. If the same vegetable is |
| stretch a string between two stakes and sow the | | | | planted in the same spot yearafter year, the minerals |
| seeds along it. If you think this is too muchwork, use | | | | the vegetable needs to grow healthy plants will be |
| a stick to mark a line on the ground and try to make | | | | depleted, resulting in a meagre harvest. |
| the line as straight as possible. With some training, | | | | C) The roots of legumes (peas and beans) have |
| you will get itstraight. | | | | bacteria that soak up nitrogen from the air and fix it |
| B) Wide Rows: In wide row planting, seeds are | | | | on the roots of the plants and inthe soil. To take |
| sprinkled at equal spacing in both directions over a | | | | advantage of the nitrogen they fix in the soil, the |
| wide area. The width of the rowvaries from 6 to 16 | | | | legumes should be followed by a leafy vegetable, |
| inches. The row's width is limited by your arm's reach | | | | such as lettuce and or spinach, which both need |
| to the area in the middle of the row while standing at | | | | nitrogen-rich soil. This is one of the techniques organic |
| the edges. We find that wide rows are convenient | | | | growers use to grow vegetables without the use of |
| and productive for peas and beans. In addition to | | | | chemical fertilizers. It may be impractical to rotate |
| giving high yield per unit area,they cut down on | | | | every crop each year if your garden is small. |
| weeds. Wide rows are also good for starting leaf | | | | This difficulty can be overcome by taking the |
| vegetables like lettuce and spinach. When the | | | | following measures: |
| seedlings emerge,they can be thinned and | | | | (1) choose disease-resistant vegetable varieties, (2) |
| transplanted elsewhere. Double rows are a special | | | | keep your garden clean of rubbish, and (3) watch for |
| form of wide rows. | | | | insects and diseases. Ifa plant becomes teeming with |
| C) Hills: In hill planting, 3 to 5 seeds are sown close to | | | | insects, pick them by hand; if a plant is infected by a |
| each other. They need not be sown on a formed hill, | | | | disease, pull it from the ground and dispose of it. |
| as the name implies. | | | | 4. Proper Gardening Clothing: In the course of |
| This method is used for example when planting | | | | gardening, your footwear and clothes are likely to be |
| zucchini and cucumbers. | | | | soiled. You walk on dirt andor mud, your clothes |
| 2. Gardening Tools: There are many gardening tools | | | | make contact with plant leaves and stems, and your |
| available on the market today. The basic tools you'll | | | | hands are soiled. You are also exposed to the sun. |
| need are a shovel, trowel,steel rake, tomato cages, | | | | Your shoes accumulate mud and will soil the floor if |
| and a water hose or can. The shovel is used to till | | | | you walk directly into the house. Therefore, you |
| the soil, mix potting soil, move soil around, and cut | | | | should have a pair of aged shoes set aside for |
| the weeds if they grow big. Some gardeners use a | | | | gardening. Put them on before going into the garden |
| fork instead of a shovel to till the soil, but we don't. | | | | and take them off before entering the house. Leave |
| The choice is yours. The trowel is used for cultivating | | | | them in the garage or put them in a bag until you |
| the weeds, transplanting the seedlings, mixing soil or | | | | use them again. |
| fertilizers, and filling containers with soil. The steel | | | | Also, have special clothes for the garden. If you |
| rake is used to grade the soil and to compact the soil | | | | don't, your ordinary clothes will be soiled no matter |
| over the seeds. Tomato cages are indispensable for | | | | how careful you are. Toprotect your hands and |
| supporting tomato plants. You can also use them to | | | | fingernails from collecting dirt, use a good pair of |
| support running plants such as cucumbers and peas. | | | | garden gloves. Some are washable and can be |
| Without them the plants will collapse on the ground | | | | reused again and again... |
| and their fruit will get into contact with the soil and | | | | Please feel free to forward a copy of the "Gardening |
| eventually decay. A hose or a can is used to water | | | | Online Newsletter" to any of your friends and |
| the plants in the garden and within containers. | | | | associates. |
| 3. Crop Rotation: Crop rotation is the practice of | | | | |