Raised Beds

I cannot stress how important building your organic garden with raised beds can be.

The perfect bed should be 4 feet wide so you can weed and tend to your plants without disturbing your soil. Your length can run as long as you want.  As far as your height I reccomend at least 8 inches.

By eliminating pathways in between your plants you have more room to fit more plants.

Raised beds also give you a deeper root zone so your plants grow healthier and more productive. You can also plant closer together because your roots will grow downward and not all over the place.

Kholrobi The Lost Vegetable

Kholrobi is a delicious vegetable that lots of people never heard of. Back in european history this was  very popular in Italian and French cooking.

Kholrobi is a member of the cabbage family , and comes in a purple or light green color . It has a sweet mild flavor that can be eaten raw or cooked.

You can steam it ,stir fry it ,or even slap it on the barbecue.

I prefer to dice mine up and throw it in a nice summer salad .

It does not matter how you try it , just try it , you can thank me later.

Drown Those Slugs and Snails

This time of the year slugs and snails are in your garden , patios , and flower beds.

You can get rid of these slimy critters by placing a shallow bowl filled with beer and a teaspoon of sugar.

Place several of these shallow bowls filled with this mixture around your garden ,patio , and flower beds and you will rid yourself

of these slugs and snails without the use of harmful chemicals.

Good Soil

Good soil is the most important element of a successful garden. It keeps plants healthy , holds water so your plants get just the amount of water they need without rotting the roots. Make sure you till around your plants to keep the soil loose , and add as much compost as you need around plants to keep them healthy. This will also act as a mulch to keep weeds at a minimum and give your soil the nutrients it needs at the same time.

Time to weed.

Finally some cooler weather here on the eastern part of Long Island N.Y.

Today was a great day to get in the garden and pull all of those nasty weeds around your vegatables. After I pull those unwanted weeds I like to rake the soil around my plants just to keep the soil loose for better drainage.