Our Growing Tips

The main reason we garden is to be able to enjoy the fruits of our labor in the kitchen! Since the beginning of agriculture there has been a separate growing area in every household for growing food specifically for eating by the family. This kitchen garden, or "Potager" in France, was always close to the kitchen and foods were gathered at their peak of freshness for dinner that day or to be canned and preserved for the winter.

The Tasteful Garden carries on this tradition by providing a way for even the smallest kitchen garden to provide fresh produce. Plants can be grown in containers or in raised beds or in large garden plots, whichever suits your conditions best. Read more below to help you get started with your own kitchen garden.

A note about how we grow:

Some chemical fertilizers, such as Miracle gro, were originally developed for growing in greenhouse conditions and we do not recommend them for use in the garden. These fertilizers wash away into ground water and streams and can also create salt buildup in your garden soil which keeps the plants from getting the nutrients they need. We feel strongly about using natural fertilizers such as worm castings, leaves, and compost which create a living soil with bacteria, micro-organisms and insects that constantly work to break down organic material into nutrients for your plants. Many good commercial organic fertilizers are available now and should always be used in place of water soluble types.

Organic or natural gardening is done in the backyard by understanding that a healthy, happy plant, in good nutritious soil helps prevent most diseases and harmful insect damage. It is not necessary to kill every insect in the garden, as many pesticides do, but it is important to keep your garden mulched, watered, weeded and clean of debris to prevent problems. Click on the topics below for more helpful information.

Growing HerbsGrowing TomatoesGeneral Growing
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Our Herb Encyclopedia

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Herbs-What you need to know (sizes and growth habits)


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Herb Gardening for Beginners




Herb Garden Designs




Indoor Herb Gardening and Over wintering herbs

Planning a Kitchen Garden click to see our Kitchen Garden Design Plan




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Growing Heirlooms & Hybrid Tomatoes

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Composting & Mulching

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When do I plant?




Staking and Supports for Tomatoes

Video Available





Tomatoes in Containers




Blossom End Rot - What is it & how to prevent it.


Videos:

Video AvailableExtend Your Tomato Season Using Wall-O-Waters




Preparing Your Soil

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Growing Vegetables for Beginners




Garden Designs & Layouts




Vegetables in Containers




Fall Vegetable Gardening




Kitchen Gardening in Raised Beds


 




Growing Fruit

Growing Citrus in Containers

Fertilizers for your garden


More Vegetable Growing Help
Growing Sweet & Hot PeppersGrowing AsparagusNatural Pest control
Growing ArtichokesGrowing Garlic
Growing Potatoes

Video Available

Video: Hilling Potatoes
Growing StrawberriesGrowing OnionsGrowing Blueberries
Growing CornGrowing Eggplants
Insect Information

Read more about common insects in the garden and what to do about them

Videos:



Video Available

Tomato Hornworm Invasion

Video Available

Japanese Beetles and what to do


 

More Gardening Videos:






We grow using only organic fertilizers and no pesticides.

Our plants are grown in our mix of Potting soil and 25% worm castings which we have found to be the best form of fertilizer for our herbs and vegetables. Worm Castings and our soil mix we call "Magic" soil, are available in our Catalog. Worm castings are the some of the richest natural fertilizer known to humans. As little as a tablespoon of pure worm castings provides enough organic plant nutrients to feed a 6" potted plant for more than two months. Worm castings also stimulate plant growth more than any other natural product on the market... click here to read more. Live worms and worm eggs are also available!

 



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