Garden Experiment Updates

I have several ongoing experiments in and around the garden. They are each seeing varying degrees of success and failure. Following is an update to each of them.

The Healthy Tomato Plant Experiment

The garden is so overgrown you can scarcely see how
awesome Esther Epsom looks.

The experiment with my tomatoes was a noble one. I chose four different tomato plants and side-dressed one with epsom salt, one with coffee grounds, one with egg shells, and one was left to accept its nutrients from the soil. The dog immediately ate the plant that was treated with egg shells. The day after I updated the experiment, the dog also demolished the plant that was treated with coffee grounds. The experiment was no more. However, I did continue giving epsom salt to one plant and nothing to the other to see what would happen. The tomato plant with the epsom salt treatments grew fast and strong and was the first to bear fruit. It has many more little green tomatoes than the other one, though the other one is looking quite healthy now as well. Still, I'm more than ever sold on the merits of epsom salt on tomatoes.


The Power of Epsom Salts
I have heard and read that epsom salt is an amazing choice for gardens. Supposedly, it makes leaves greener, vegetables brighter, and the soil healthier. I have used epsom salt throughout the garden, both on inground plants and in containers. I have learned that epsom salt is excellent on tomatoes, peppers, and flowers. It definitely had the opposite effect on the cucumbers. While the vegetables themselves are still going strong, the leaves are very unhappy.

Brown cucumber leaves due to a direct
application of epsom salt.

Natural Pest Repellents
I have used no chemicals on my garden this year to repel bugs, a trend that I plan to continue. I tried several methods and found the ones that work and don't work:

• Peppermint rubbed on the undersides of leaves repelled nearly all pests from squash and okra. The okra plants were covered in aphids until a quick treatment with peppermint.
• Ground chili pepper around the perimeter of the garden kept rabbits away. This had to be replaced after rain, but after a while they just stopped coming around.
• Coffee grounds keeps slugs away. However, the coffee grounds must stay on the soil and can't actually touch leaves, especially lettuce. 
• Lemon balm and garlic were ineffective in combating pests.

Gardening in Shade vs. Full Sun

A number of plants were given to me and I conducted an experiment with them, putting some in an area that is shaded for the majority of the day and the rest in a spot that receives full sun all day long. The results were a bit surprising to me. They do not receive the same amount of water - I have been watering the sun-plants every day and the shade-plants every other day. They are in various sizes of containers and some of the shaded plants are in the ground.

Sunlight is a foe when temperatures are 105.

I expected the shade garden plants to die quickly. Quite the opposite is true. All but one of the sun plants are dead. The high temperatures and extreme sunlight has destroyed them almost completely. On the other hand, the shade garden plants look okay. They are certainly not dying, but they are not growing either. In fact, they look pretty much the same now as they did when I first planted them almost a month ago.  

Shade Garden: June 17

Shade Garden: July 5

Tomato Plant in Shade Garden: July 5

Planting the Fall Garden
My 6-year-old and I are planning the fall garden and we decided to start our plants as suggested. We had to place the seed tray outside due to lack of adequate sunny spots in the house. We chose the filtered sun of the shade garden for the location of the seed pots. I'm happy to report that, after only three days, seedlings are already emerging. In fact, all of the varieties have sprouted and only three out of fourteen seed pots do not have signs of life yet. Now the question is, can we keep the momentum going until it is time to plant these little guys in the ground?

Seed Pots: July 5

Planting a Kids' Garden
I let Gus decide what he wanted to plant, when to water, where the seeds would go, and basically gave him complete control over the destiny of the kids' garden. He placed a variety of vegetables and herbs through the garden in an assortment of containers. I am pleased to report that the pumpkin, green beans, and cucumbers are growing very well. In fact, we are ready to begin pruning back some of the growth. The rest of the plants have not yet grown and it looks unlikely that they will at this point. I have mostly found that giving the kids their own garden helps them to be excited about the entire process.  I consider the kids' garden to be a huge success.

Kids' Garden Container Pumpkins: July 5

Planning the Fall Garden

Summer has already been brutal here in the Midwest. For the past week or so, we have experienced extreme temperatures, ranging from 101 to 105 most days. We haven't seen any rain for weeks and the forecast as of now is to expect more of the same.

We're not quite there yet, but it's getting Grapes of Wrath-ier.

I checked out some books from our public library to help me to be the best hobby gardener I could be. So far, the best I've read is The Essential Urban Farmer. This book gives a lot of detail, and goes into much greater ventures than I ever plan to undertake, but it's quite helpful and a good resource for anyone who wants to start giving themselves a healthier alternative to store bought foods. As I've said repeatedly, the cleanest foods are those you grow yourself, organically, without the need of pesticides, growth agents, and other chemicals.

One thing that stood out for me with this book, and others, is the thought of a garden being a year-round project. I grew up with a garden in the backyard. My family ate a bounty of zucchini, cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, and green beans every year. Still, I never once thought that gardening was a project that could continue through the fall and even winter months. It's hard to think about fall crops when temps are topping out at 106, but according to the resources I've consulted, it's time to start those seeds.

Yesterday, the 6-year-old and I dug out our seed album. A tip from Pinterest suggested that we store our seeds in a photo album, which has turned out to be a great way to sort and organize the seeds we want to plant at various times of the year. Right now, our album is filled with fall seeds. Supposedly, we will need to plant our seeds for the fall garden in mid-July for a fall harvest. However, the extreme heat, I feel, may be too much for the plants to grow well. Instead, we are going to wait until August and see what happens. If nothing grows, we chock it up to experience.

The Essential Urban Farmer suggests that we focus on crops that are fast-maturing, easy-to-grow, high-yielding, and are relatively expensive in stores. This will help the most with food bills and will make the biggest impact on daily meals. Because of this, according to the book, we should focus our efforts on broccoli, potatoes, spinach, lettuce, and carrots. So, we're going to do that. Sort of.

Gus and I started our broccoli seedlings yesterday, but we also threw in some cauliflower and brussels sprouts. Gus wanted to try to start lettuce and sunflowers early, and since we had extra seeds, we did that as well. We don't have adequate light inside our house, so we put the seedling tray in the shade garden. It will still be hot, but the filtered sunlight may be enough to help the plants grow. Really, it's our only shot at growing seedlings unless I invest in a grow lamp, so my fingers are crossed that the heat doesn't overwhelm.

The other issue that we face is our extremely limited garden space. Some people can plant fall gardens in the summer when their summer gardens are still producing, but I haven't the area from which to choose. Instead, I need to wait until some crops have stopped producing, or have died, and then use that spot for our new veggies. Or maybe I'll end up digging up a new spot for the fall garden. The grass is already dead, and by that I mean completely and totally dead to the point that we will probably have to re-sod. So, a new garden bed? Yes, that could happen.

Either way, along with the seedlings that may or may not happen, we will be planting kale, spinach, carrots, bunching onions, radishes, beets, and chard. With any luck, we'll have fresh veggies through early winter, at which time the winter garden should be in full-swing.

The Healthy Tomato Plant Experiment, Part 2

It is June 6, and the Healthy Tomato Plant Experiment continues. For those who aren't familiar with the experiment and are too lazy to read the previous post, I chose three different fertilizing techniques and tried them out on three tomato plants that seemed to be on death's door. A fourth tomato plant was left untouched. These all came from the same tray, they receive the same amount of sunlight and the same amount of water.

Esther Epsom, June 6

Esther Epsom, May 20

Esther Epsom was treated with epsom salts, both diluted in water and as a side fertilizer at the base. She began with yellow and brown drooping leaves. I was certain I would be pulling this plant, and all of the others, and cursing myself for wasting fifty cents on these four plants.

On the contrary, Esther has grown quite strong, tall, and very green. Yes, I realize that I am a horrible photographer and you will just have to take my word for it. From what I can tell, epsom salt is the real deal. Of course, the proof will be in the production of fruit, which is still on the horizon.

Esther Epsom received another treatment with epsom salts, both at the base and through watering, and the leaves and blossoms were spritzed with an epsom salt solution as well. The next treatment will be on Wednesday, June 20.

Cathy Coffee, May 20

Cathy Coffee, June 6

Cathy Coffee was treated with old coffee grounds in her base and was given a thorough "watering" with cold coffee. I had read mixed messages about whether or not coffee is a good idea for tomato plants, due to the acidity it adds to the soil. As you can see by the picture at left, Cathy did not have far to go to become damaged beyond any help.

As far as I can tell, the coffee grounds have not damaged the plant. The leaves are green and it is blossoming well. Cathy has not grown as well as Esther, but the experiment is still in progress.

Cathy received another treatment of coffee grounds this morning and will be "watered" with cold coffee this afternoon once I'm certain that my husband is finished with his coffee drinking and the pot has cooled off. It should be noted that we drink our coffee very, very strong. The next treatment will be Wednesday, June 20.

Eddie Eggshell, May 20

Eddie Eggshell, June 6

Eddie Eggshell was treated with crushed eggshells. This is supposed to add nutrients to the plant and is supposedly an effective deterrent against slugs, rabbits, and other garden pests. Eggshells, no matter how they are baked, cured, or mixed with soil, are not an effective deterrent against dogs.

Eddie was treated with eggshells on May 20. Eddie was eaten by my dog on May 21. RIP Eddie Eggshell. You will be missed.

I chose not to redo the experiment with eggshells for a couple of reasons. First, I felt that the experiment would not be as accurate as it could be, since these four plants were purchased together. Any other plant I chose would not have the same advantage or disadvantage as the others. Second, I assume the dog would just dig up any plant that had eggshells near it. Frankly, he already wants to tear up the garden. Eggshells are just taunting him for no reason.

Tom Tomato, May 20

Tom Tomato, June 6

Tom Tomato is the control plant, treated only with water and no other form of fertilization. I have not bought or used food spikes, fertilizer spikes, or any other thing at all. Water, sun, and love is it for Tom Tomato.

You may not be able to tell from this picture, but Tom is hanging in there, though he is easily the smallest and the least healthy looking of the three.

As of now, I believe that epsom salts are the best choice for a natural fertilizer. In fact, I'm so convinced of it that I'm treating several of my other plants with epsom salts as well. I have two Lemon Boy tomato plants that are dying, but have been given a thorough epsom salt treatment. I am also treating my okra plants, which are (for now) the only plants in the garden that have been attacked by spider mites. I also did a light spritz of  water and diluted epsom salts on all of the plants except for those that are part of this experiment.

The saga continues in two weeks.