A well planned vegetable garden will produce crops all summer long and this article is intended to help new gardeners solve their gardening problems. Vegetables for good health: Vegetables produce valuable sources of vitamin such as Vitamin A, B and C. Vitamin A is found in carrots which are full of carotene and is not affected by cooking and is stored by the body for future use.
Vitamin B (Thiamin) is necessary for the normal functioning of the nerves and the correct utilization of starch and sweet foods. And Vitamin C helps to build up bodily resistance to infection, and helps your teeth and gums. Tomatoes lose very little of this vitamin when cooked.
Improving your soil: The perfect garden should be loamy and friable. If your soil is loose and light it probably has an over abundance of sand. It is therefore necessary to add this type of soil, peat moss or mature compost or grass clippings or mature animal manure. These materials will change the consistency of your soil and increase its water holding capacity. By adding organic materials you will enrich the soil with valuable nutrients that all plants require.
If your soil is heavy and contains too much clay you should add the above mentioned materials to the soil which will change the consistency by making it more loose for the roots of seedlings to penetrate the soil. The application of adding a complete fertilizer which contains proportions of Phosphoric Acid, Nitrogen and Potash should be applied only when the ground is damp and in small quantities of two ounces to one square yard of the garden beds and should be forked into the soil.
Mulching: The use of organic mulch is recommended since it decomposes slowly and is incorporated in the soil. It adds nutrients to the soil and makes it more friable. Other good materials for mulching are sawdust, composed leaves, animal manure mixed with straw and dry grass clippings. A layer of mulch around your plants helps to conserve moisture in the soil and helps to keep down weeds.
Watering: During hot summer months and probably rainless days, the garden will become dry and young plants with shallow roots will suffer from the heat. It is necessary for you to provide water to these roots. Frequency of watering during hot summer months should be carried out either in the early morning or in the afternoon about two hours before sunset to enable the leaves to dry off if wet thus helping to keep your plants healthy.
The damping off problem: In The Bahamas we have conditions of warmth and high humidity which encourages seed germination and also encourages the growth of fungi that causes seedlings to collapse in a matter of hours. To prevent this problem occurring it is necessary for you to use a fungicide such as Benomyl during the watering of your seedlings.
Planting guide for July
Flowers: Aster, cosmos, gaillardia, marigold, portuluca, periwinkle and salvia.
Vegetables: Celery, collards, eggplant, okra, pepper, spinach and turnip.
Grasses: Bahia and Bermuda.
For help with you garden problems, write to Garden Korner, P.O. Box N-3011, Nassau.
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