PRIVACY POLICY
We don't share your information with anyone else. We ask that parents subscribe to the newsletter. We respect our community's children. We believe we are part of "our village" and need to care for one another.

Even in the dead of winter, you can recall the juiciness and sweetness that burst forth in your mouth as you tasted the first sun-warmed cherry tomato picked straight from your garden. The first bite is most memorable, yet the superb flavor is there in every tomato you harvest throoughout the season.

It's a fact that any homegrown food is superior to comparable store-bought veggies or fruit because the seed stock is different. Home grown garden plants are selected for taste and commercial foods are bred and selected for shelf-life and perfect form. Does that say something about our values?

Growing from seed is much more rewarding than growing from small vegtable plants that have outgrown their pots and are stressed. When seeds sprout in their new home, they take root in a welcoming environment. No stress from forced growth, root bound pots or rough treatment during shipment.

For some people, the idea of growing vegetables from seed is daunting, yet it's easy when you sow the seeds outdoors at the proper time, rather than starting them inside. A few veggies may need special soil preparation or may not be suitable for your environment, so focus on the easy ones like beans, tomatoes and squash.

Do Your Garden Research

Taking the time to read the information on seed packets and in catalogs will give you all the information you need to select and succeed at growing your new garden vegetables. The choice of varieties seems limitless when you go the seed route -- whereas the selection is quite limited when you rely on the selection of small plants or starts in your local garden shop. You can find quality seed at garden centers, at farm stores, and in seed catalogs -- both print and Internet. You can find specialists such as potato companies or tomato companies who provide a magical array of varieties from all over the world...each with their own unique character and values to match your preferences and end uses. There are more than 400 varieties of tomatoes offered on the market...from raisin-size currant tomatoes to two-pound beefsteaks. And they come in a range of sizes, shapes and colors and hues -- yellow, red, orange, pink, green, and puple...solid color, striped, or bicolor.

By planning what you will do with the harvest, you can make a smart choice. If you want salad ingredients, you would choose very different attributes than if you want to can or dry the vegetable.

Seeds planted directly in the garden will usually catch up quickly with transplants purchased or started indoors. If you want to see that early color in your garden and are tempted to get it with prestarted plants -- try an artistic approach instead. Paint your tomato stakes or tomato cages bright colors. You can even turn them into folkart and sculpt these annual additions to your gardenscape!

Many plants that will add drama and color to your garden a bit later in the season aren't even available as starter plants. Many new vegetables aren't even grown as starters -- such as new varieties of yellow or purple carrots, red celery, purple-podded beans, purple Brussels sprouts, red and white beets, yellow lemon-shaped cucumbers, white eggplant, and others that are only available as seeds. Wouldn't these unique plants make great conversation starters!

For more articles about INSECTS