Grow Your Own Healthy Harvest
Good Morning Everyone!
Earlier this week we had the pleasure of Amanda and Tonya from Growing Hope in Ypsilanti come to give us a crash course on creating healthy harvest in your own backyard!!! I wanted you all to have this valuable info so here is an overview of some of the broader topics they touched on.. This is a longer one, so flag this email if you don’t have time to read it right now, and come back to it when you have time!
At the bottom of the email, I have provided you with contact information of several different resources that can answer any questions you may have about gardening.
5 P’s of Gardening
Planning your garden revolves around locating the right site with plenty of sun and water access.
Sunlight: 5 – 6+ hours of sun
Water:
Where is your water source?
Flat land is preferred when gardening
Low areas can flood
Avoid windy and high traffic areas
Far from competing shrubs and trees
Can you see and enjoy your garden?
Preparing the soil by turning it over, weeding and adding 1” – 3” of fresh compost.
For new gardens:
Lay Down 2”- 4” of cardboard to prevent the growth of weeds
Add fresh compost or garden mix to fill your garden bed
Water before planting to settle soil
For preexisting gardens:
Turn your soil over to break large chunks of dirt
Remove unbreakable chunks and rocks
Add fresh compost to the top of your garden soil if too sandy or clay- based. This will allow for good drainage of water in your garden.
Water before planting to settle soil
Planting fruits, veggies, flowers and herbs you and your family can enjoy!
Plant what you enjoy eating, or try something new!
Choose plants that grow well in your space.
Fast Growers:
Radish
Leaf lettuce
Spinach
Beets
Slow-Pace Growers:
Sweet potatoes
Winter squash
Melons
Corn
Water seeds and seedlings right after planting in the garden.
Trellis, String and Stakes support tall plants and plants that climb like cucumbers, peas and tomatoes.
Extend Growing Season by covering garden with plastic and hoops or row covers.
Give Enough Space for plants to grow to full size.
Protecting your plants by weeding, managing pests and diseases common in Michigan, and watering regularly.
Common Weeds
Grasses: crabgrass, quackgrass, and plantain grow in many lawns and gardens.
- TO REMOVE: handpick grasses out of soil; remove as much of the root as possible.
Chickweed: grows in dense patches with shallow roots. Click here for an example.
- TO REMOVE: handpick out of soil; remove as much of the root as possible. Click herefor an example.
Pigweed: red long root, likes warm weather; remove before it flowers.Click here for an exmple.
- TO REMOVE: handpick out of soil.
Pest Control
Aphids: gray, red or green, very small; live in clusters under leaves and on new plant growth. Click here for an example.
- TO REMOVE: apply insecticidal soap.
Cabbage Worms and Moth: small green worm, yellow moth chews holes in broccoli, cauliflower, kale and cabbage; check underside of leaves, white moth is adult form. Click here for an example.
- TO REMOVE: brush off eggs, handpick off worms, or apply BT insecticide.
Cutworms: dark colored worms, clips off seedling stems near or just below the soil surface; also eat large holes in plants. Click here for an example.
- TO REMOVE: sprinkle Diatomaceous Earth on ground around plant base.
Beetles: various sizes; chew holes in crops. Click here for an example.
- TO REMOVE: handpick beetles, cover floating row cover immediately on seedlings and leave in place until plants are old enough to tolerate damage.
Hornworms: large green worms found on tomato plants. Click here for an example.
- TO REMOVE: handpick worms and drop into soapy water to destroy.
Slugs: active at night; feed on live and decaying plants. Click here for an example.
- TO REMOVE: sprinkle with salt.
Disease Management
Blossom End Rot: rot is caused by low levels of calcium when fruits are forming. Common in tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. Click here for an example.
- TO PREVENT: proper and regular watering
Nitrogen Deficiency: poor plant growth, and leaves that are pale green or yellow. Click here for an example.
- TO PREVENT: Add Nitrogen dense fertilizers like kelp and fish emulsion or compost to soil.
Damping Off: wet and cool temperatures can cause seeds and seedlings to weaken before and after germination. Click here for an example.
- TO PREVENT: Avoid over watering
Powdery Mildew: dusty white or gray coating over leaf surfaces and other infected plant parts. Mostly found on squash and cucumbers. Click here for an example.
- TO PREVENT: Often times won’t kill plants before fruiting.
Picking and enjoying the fruit of your labor is the best part of gardening!
Portable Gardening
I know what you’re thinking, “Who has time to garden????? And even if I did have time, I have no where to plant a garden!!!” Well, today is your lucky day, because I am presenting you with fantastic reasons why you SHOULD make time to garden! I am also presenting you somealternatives to large plot gardening.
Here’s why you SHOULD garden:
Great opportunity to get outside, grow nutritious food and explore new tastes and flavors
Provide fresh food to your and your family
Gardening is a great (and productive) way to relieve stress
You’ll actually know where you produce is coming from
Save you money at the grocery store
Gardens are beautiful and can be healing agents
Maybe you don’t have a huge backyard or an optimal space to setup a garden, don’t fret! There are numerous types of portable gardens, space saving techniques and many plants that can be grown in a pot.
Portable Gardens and Space Saving Pots:
Smart Pots use a patented aerated fabric to produce healthier plants. You can read more about or purchase Smart Pots here.
Bloembagz is a company based out of Hudsonville, MI that is dedicated to creating decorative planters and accessories. You can browse all Bloembagz products here.
Plastic pots can be found at variety of local gardening stores or can be bought from Growing Hope.
Vertical Garden can be found at Growing Hope.
Seed Starting Stand can be found at Growing Hope.
Now that I know you are 100% more motivated to go home and start up your own personal garden, here’s a few additional resources, just in case you have some question!
Amanda Edmonds
Executive Director
734-330-7576
Growing Hope Center
922 w. Michigan Ave, Ypsilanti, MI 48197
Monday – Friday :: 9 am – 5 pm
734-786-8401
YpsiPlanti Garden Supply
16 S. Michigan Ave, Ypsilanti, MI 48198
Tuesdays – Friday :: 2pm – 7pm
Saturday 8am – 4pm