Getting By On A Dime: TIP O' THE WEEK #2 START A VEGETABLE GARDEN

Tip O' The Week #2

Start a vegetable garden.

It's fun, it's easy and it's healthy.

With current food prices, the economic down turn and the need for good quality, safe, good tasting vegetables more people are turning to vegetable gardening. Many plants will need to be started with transplants that you start indoors, in late winter early spring or purchase from a local nursery or garden center. Listed below are some of the easier vegetable to grow.

Start planning your garden now, if you haven't already started

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Broccoli-start from transplants: Early Spring. Cool season plant. Good choice for fall planting.

Cabbage-start from transplants: Early Spring. Cool season plant. Good choice for fall planting.

Cucumbers-start from transplants or direct seed if you have a long growing season: Warm season plant. Bush varieties will take less space in your garden.

Green Beans-Bush direct seed: Late Spring Early Summer. Warm season plant. Bush beans are very easy to grow and prolific. Keep beens picks to keep your plants productive.

Lettuce-start from transplant or direct seed: Cool season plant. Easy to grow. Harvest before the heat of summer. The heat will cause your lettuce to be bitter and will cause the plants to go to seed. Good to grow in fall. Leaf lettuce matures quickly and will keep regrowing if you cut your leaf lettuce down to about 1 inch from the soil.

Onions-start from transplants, sets or direct seed for green onions Cool season plant. Plant in early spring for best results.

Peppers-start from transplants: Warm season plant.

Radish-direct seed: Cool season plant. Easy to grow and average radish matures in about 22-29 days. Good choice for fall planting.

Tomato-start from transplants: Warm season plant. Be sure to use tomato cages or orther support.

Great books for vegetable gardening

THE JOY OF GARDENING

Wide row gardening. Expert gardening tips from Dick Raymond

SQUARE FOOT GARDENING

Mel Barthalomew's guide to easy gardening in smaller areas.

SUNSET WESTERN GARDEN BOOK

The "Bible" of Western gardening

Here are a few links to University Extension Sites. They are safe sites, usually no ads and are a wealth of gradening information.