TIPStricks
2022 is the Year of the Salad Greens—Yum! According to the National Garden Bureau, salad got its start not as a dietary staple, but as an aphrodisiac! We know this because leafy relations to modern romaine are depicted in ancient paintings as sustaining Min, the Egyptian god of fertility. Salad greens are all unique in terms of how they grow best, so it’s well worth following the specific planting instructions as written on the package for each variety to ensure a bountiful and continuous home harvest throughout your growing season. Most greens prefer cool weather (50 to 75°F)—the cool seasons of spring or fall in our area. Plant all greens in full sun. Soil that’s evenly moist but not too wet yields the best greens. As a general guide, spinach, kale, and mustard greens can be sown six weeks before the last frost, followed by lettuce and chard three weeks later. You can choose to transplant seedlings or sow seeds directly into the garden. Transplants can be started indoors earlier to get a jump on the season. Leafy greens grow well in the garden and are also ideal for containers. To prepare outdoor soil, consider mixing in 1 cup of organic fertilizer for every 10’ row, and ensure the soil is evenly moist. For containers, choose one that is large enough that it won’t easily dry out. Fill with quality potting mix and consider mixing in peat and coir. Soil should be kept moist, not soggy. Planting depth varies by variety, so be sure to read seed package instructions. Note that some seeds, like lettuce, need light to germinate, so take care not to plant them too deep. o 10
WASHINGTON GARDENER
APRIL 2022
How Do Nutrients Get into My Vegetables?
Use Rain Barrels to Capture Rainwater
Like all living organisms, vegetables need nutrients for their proper growth and development. But where do they get their mineral nutrients from? A March 22, 2022, post to the Sustainable, Secure Food Blog, sponsored and written by members of the American Society of Agronomy and Crop Science Society of America, explains how nutrients get into your vegetables. According to blogger Carlos B. Pires, “The answer is from the soil. The three processes responsible for nutrients from the soil reaching the plant are diffusion, mass transport, and root interception.” • Diffusion When the concentration of nutrients is higher in the soil than in the plant root, the nutrients in the soil will move from a region of higher concentration (soil) to a region of lower concentration (vegetable). Potassium and phosphorus are examples of nutrients that get into vegetables by diffusion. • Mass transport Nutrients move to the roots via water. As plants transpire water, they draw water and nutrients from the soil up through the root system. Mass transport accounts for nutrient acquisition of mobile nutrients, such as nitrogen and sulfur. • Root interception Vegetable roots grow through the soil to meet nutrients. As the root grows through the soil, it generally only comes in contact with about 1% of soil volume. Good soil structure is essential in the process of root interception. Soil compaction can significantly limit root growth and interception with nutrients throughout the soil. Some important macro and micronutrients such as calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, and zinc are absorbed by root interception. Of course, some nutrients are absorbed in more than one way. For example, iron and zinc can be absorbed by three different methods. As you can see, a lot of variables may affect how vegetables acquire their nutrients. To read the entire blog post, visit https://sustainable-secure-food-blog. com. o
Put rainwater to use in your landscape with the help of rain barrels. This centuries-old technique allows you to capture rainfall to use for watering ornamental gardens and containers. Purchase a rain barrel or make your own from a large, recycled food-grade container. In either case, there are some features to consider when purchasing, creating, and adding a rain barrel to your landscape. Make sure the top is covered to keep out bugs and debris. Some come equipped with a solid lid with an opening just big enough to accommodate a downspout. Others use a screen to keep out debris while letting in the rain. Don’t worry about mosquitoes breeding inside your rain barrel. Just use an organic mosquito control like Mosquito Dunks and Mosquito Bits (www. SummitResponsibleSolutions.com) in rain barrels and other water features. Mosquito Bits quickly knock down the mosquito larval population, while Mosquito Dunks provide 30 days of control. They are both safe for people, pets, fish, wildlife, and beneficial insects. Look for one with the spigot near the base of the barrel so water does not stagnate in the bottom. Use the spigot to fill watering cans or attach a hose. Include an overflow outlet near the top of the barrel to direct excess water away from the house or for connecting adjacent barrels. A downspout diverter is another way to manage rain barrel overflows. When the rain barrels are full, this device diverts the water back to the downspout that carries it away from your home’s foundation. Elevate your rain barrel on cement blocks, decorative stands, or similar supports. This provides easier access to the spigot for filling containers and speeds water flow with the help of gravity. A water pump will boost water pressure for a steady flow of water. Start your conversion to rain barrels one downspout at a time. With these useful devices, you can capture as much as 623 gallons of water from 1,000 square feet of roof in a 1-inch rainfall. o
