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Harvesting Tips...

Here are some great tips I found on when and how to harvest some popular summer vegetables. For more information go to Care2 website

• Beans (snap): Pick before you can see the seeds bulging. They should snap in two easily and because they can get tough quickly, check them daily.


• Corn (sweet): Harvest sweet corn when the silks are dry/brown and the kernels are plump and tender. The kernels should exude a milky substance when pricked. You can check a few ears for maturity by opening them at the top of the ear and pressing a few kernels with your thumbnail and looking for this milky juice.


• Cucumbers: Make sure to harvest them early, before the seeds become about 1/2 inch in size although seed size does vary by variety. Generally, most varieties will be 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches in diameter and five to eight inches long. Over-ripe cucumbers can be bitter or stringy so make sure to check them daily. They should be firm and smooth.


• Peppers (sweet): Harvest when fruits are firm and full size. If red peppers are desired, leave on plant until they are red in color.


• Summer Squash - Always harvest when the fruit is young and tender because the smaller the squash is when you pick it, the better it will taste. Cut all fruit off and never lift squash by the stem. You want to cut it before it gets about eight inches long when the skin is still soft (when skin can be easily broken by a fingernail) and before seeds ripen. Letting it get too big will also slow down production of tender new fruit.


• Tomatoes - While each variety varies, in general, the best time to pick your tomatoes is when the fruit is evenly red and the end is still firm and not soft. Try to pull them from the vine by gently twisting them. Leave the fruit on the plant to ripen as long as possible unless you are having trouble with pests to give yourself a longer season

Want to win this gardening tool kit...

Leave your best tip for controlling weeds in your garden (the all-natural way of course) in the comment section of the Garden Party Blog here. At the end of the month, they will choose the favorite tip and award this fabulous prize. Visit their website !

Growing your own organic veggies...

I have been so excited about my little organic garden that I started recently! You actually don't have to have a large area to start your own. I am actually growing mine in pots in my back porch. I found out that the easiest to grow are: tomatoes, peppers, and some herbs such as basil. Imagine how much money you can actually save from growing your own vegetables! I found all these plants at my local famers market. I know from experience that organic produce can cost a lot more, but it tastes sooo much better.

Here are some simple tips that I have learned that help keep the bugs away naturally:

• Plant marigolds or basil near your plats. This works great for tomatoes because basil will also flavor them. Sage, thyme, or rosemary also work great.



• Plant garlic or mix dry granulated garlic into the soil around the plants. Good to keep japanese beatles away.



• Plant Spearmint or Peppermint to keep ants away. It can be planted near your house to naturally deter ants from your house.



• Bugs that eat other bugs are a fantastic organic gardening pest control. Ladybugs, praying mantises, and lacewings are all beneficial insects. You can buy them at the garden store and release them into your garden.

There are some awesome site that teach you how to grown your own organic garden. There is some here. There is also some great information from local backyarfarming