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 Herbs	Growing Tomatoes	General Growing
Our Herb Encyclopedia Herbs-What you need to know (sizes and growth habits) Growing Annual Basils Herb Gardening for Beginners Herb Garden Designs Indoor Herb Gardening and Over wintering herbs click to see our Kitchen Garden Design Plan	Growing Heirlooms & Hybrid Tomatoes Composting & Mulching When do I plant? Staking and Supports for Tomatoes Tomatoes in Containers Blossom End Rot - What is it & how to prevent it. Videos: Extend Your Tomato Season Using Wall-O-Waters	Preparing Your Soil 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 Peppers Growing Asparagus Natural Pest control Growing Artichokes Growing Garlic Growing Potatoes Video: Hilling Potatoes Growing Strawberries Growing Onions Growing Blueberries Growing Corn Growing Eggplants

Insect Information

Read more about common insects in the garden and what to do about them Videos: Tomato Hornworm Invasion Japanese Beetles and what to do