Hoosier Gardener, Fox 59 talk veggies and sustainable gardening

The Hoosier Gardener will talk about vegetable gardening and sustainable landscape practices on Indianapolis’ Fox 59 on May 5. Here’s a summary of the discussion

Vegetable gardening still hot

There's nothing like the taste of a homegrown heirloom tomato. (C) iStockphoto

The survey says…

• 66 percent of us plan to grow our own food this year, according to the 2010 Early Spring Garden Writers Association Foundation’s survey. That’s up from about 50 percent in 2009, according to the survey conducted annually.
• 76 percent of us say we’re growing our own food because the vegetables will taste better, have higher quality and more nutrition. Then there’s just the pure joy of eating food you’ve grown yourself and sharing that pleasure with family and friends.
• The garden size will be 400- to 800 square feet.
• 42 percent say growing our own is less expensive than buying from a store.

Sustainable gardening practices

Migrating monarch butterflies depend on asters and other late-blooming native plants for food. (C) Fotolia.com

There are several, easy steps we can take in our landscapes to make them more environmentally friendly with reduced maintenance.

• Right plant right place. Plant according to the mature size of the tree, shrub or perennial. And place the plant in the right environment, such as sun or shade, wet or dry soil. When it’s the right plant in the right place, maintenance is reduced…no more pruning to keep away from the house or from blocking the sidewalk, for instance.
• Reduce or eliminate the use of pesticides. When we kill all the bugs, the landscape no longer provides food for birds. Insects also are responsible for plant pollinations — no bugs, no buds for flowers or food.
• Avoid creating monocultures, such as planting only a certain type of tree, shrub or perennials. Diverse plants
• Include clusters of plants rather than onesies. Clusters of plants attract birds and butterflies more readily than a single plant.
• Include native plant species in the landscape. Native insects, birds and other wildlife are hard wired to seek food or shelter among native plants.
• Use a bird bath or other water source in the landscape if you want to attract birds. Water will draw in more birds than most other features.
• Know what disease or insect you have before you treat it, and use the least toxic method available first. No one wins when an insecticide is applied to a plant suffering from a fungus disease or frost damage, not the environment or the pocketbook. Many insect problems can be controlled with a strong spray from a garden hose. Following the right plant right place motto you will likely reduce the chance a plant will get diseased.
• Conserve water in the garden. Set priorities, such as food first, then containers and annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees and lawn, in that order. Water deeply, but infrequently to help plants establish strong root systems and improve their ability to withstand drought, disease and other environmental factors.
• Feed the soil. Add organic matter, such as compost, rotted manure, shredded leaves, to the soil when making new beds or planting. Organic matter feeds the microorganisms in the soil, which supports healthy plants.
• The food in your garden, especially if grown in a sustainable manner without the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, will have a smaller carbon footprint.
• If you don’t have a vegetable garden or pots of produce, visit your local farmers market. Buying local not only gets you fresh food, it supports the area economy, including the families who operate the small farms that depend on farmers markets for part of their income.
• Be prepared to have some plants eaten by wildlife. The caterpillars of the swallowtails and monarch butterflies have a taste for members of the parsley and dill families, for instance. If we want butterflies, we have to have caterpillars. The caterpillars eat the leaves of these plants and the butterflies are drawn to the nectar of the flowers.

For info on specific crops:

Purdue University Vegetable Gardening Info