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Author: JESSIE KEITH

Plants are the lens Jessie views the world through because they’re all-sustaining. (“They feed, clothe, house and heal us. They produce the air we breathe and even make us smell pretty.”) She’s a garden writer and photographer with degrees in both horticulture and plant biology from Purdue and Michigan State Universities. Her degrees were bolstered by internships at Longwood Gardens and the American Horticultural Society. She has since worked for many horticultural institutions and companies and now manages communications for Sun Gro Horticulture, the parent company of Black Gold. Her joy is sharing all things green and lovely with her two daughters.

Hot New Vegetables for 2014

Pepper Mama Mia Giallo F1-NotHighRes
The pretty ‘Mama Mia Giallo’ is a new, AAS winning sweet pepper worth growing in 2014. (image care of All-America Selections)

Vegetable gardeners love seed selection time. The seed catalogs are simply brimming with good new things to eat.  New tomatoes and peppers are always at top on my list, with great new melons and squash coming in second, followed by root veggies, brassicas and so on. With seed starting time just around the corner, there’s no better time to get your list together and design those new vegetable beds for 2014.

Blue Gold tomatoes
The beautiful ‘Blue Gold’ tomato is an exciting new slicer from Wild Boar Farms. (Image care of Wild Boar Farms)

Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes! There’s never a shortage of great new cultivars to choose from. So where do you start? I always go for flavor and utility (a paste, a cherry and a slicing tomato or two). Good looks are also welcome but only if the fruit has flavor to match.  One great new selection with all the bells and whistles is ‘Blue Gold’, bred by Brad Gates of Wild Boar Farms. The golden-fleshed, medium-sized fruits are flushed with blue-black, and the dense, juicy flesh is said to be sweet with a full tomato flavor. Two other Wild Boar tomatoes I’ll be trying include the super sweet, small fruited ‘Yellow Furry Boar’, which has lovely yellow stripes and fuzzy skin that I know my daughters will love, and the delectable looking ‘Amethyst Cream Cherry’, which bears lots of purple-kissed creamy cherry tomatoes.
Of the new sauce or paste tomatoes, Burpee’s giant ‘SuperSauce’ hybrid is one I cannot resist. Its huge sauce tomatoes are supposed to be bountiful and delicious—just what I need for midsummer sauce canning.

Numex Suave Oranges
‘Numex Suave Orange’ is a milder habanero with fruity flavor and great color. (Image care of The Chile Pepper Institute)

Many new hot and sweet peppers are available this year. Two sweets are on my list: the 2014 AAS winning golden sweet pepper ‘Mama Mia Giallo’, which bears lots of long, golden sweet peppers on compact plants, and the big, blocky, red bell pepper ‘Currier’, which is highly disease resistant. Hot peppers are increasingly popular, and the famed ‘hottest of the hot’ ghost pepper (bhut jolokia) is popping up as a new introduction in practically every seed catalog, but at 20,000 Scoville units it won’t have a place in my child-friendly garden. Instead I plan to grow the relatively mild, orange habanero ‘NUMEX Suave Orange’. This New Mexico State University Chili Pepper Institute introduction is sure to be a winner for hot sauce making.
Romaine lettuce is satisfying to grow, and super crisp dwarf varieties tend to have extra dense, sweet hearts, so I was excited to discover the compact, crispy ‘Dragoon’, offered by Johnny’s Selected Seeds. In addition to good texture and flavor, it boasts resistance to downy mildew and lettuce mosaic virus. Another nice new salad green is arugula ‘Dragon’s Tongue’,  offered by Park Seed, which has spicy, red-veined green leaves.

Tronchuda Biera Kale
‘Tronchuda Biera’ kale is a Portuguese heirloom that stands up to heat. (image care of Renee’s Garden Seeds)

Heart-healthy kale has become more and more popular, and the newer, heat tolerant kale ‘Tronchuda Biera’ is a Portuguese heirloom that gardeners can continue to grow through summer. Offered by Renee’s Garden Seeds, it produces many large, blue-green, paddle-shaped leaves that are said to remain tasty and mild during the summer months when most other kales flag and start to taste bitter.
No garden is complete without root vegetables, and the purple daikon radish ‘KN-Bravo’, also offered by Johnny’s, is a crisp, sweet, eating radish that I can’t wait to harvest. Johnny’s also offers a red, baby beet, aptly named ‘Babybeat’, which looks and sounds delectable for the spring garden.

Pink Porcelain Doll Pupkin pack of seeds
The pinkish ‘Porcelain Doll’ pumpkin is perfect for kids and delicious to eat. (image care of Renee’s Garden Seeds)

We always make space for pumpkins. This year, my girls are very excited about the new pinkish ‘Porcelain Doll’ offered by Renee’s Seeds, among other vendors. Not only are the blocky pumpkins pretty, but their deep orange flesh is said to be great for cooking and pie making. Many of the proceeds also support the Pink Pumpkin Patch Foundation to cure breast cancer.
Sweet, seedless watermelons are always expensive to buy, so I’ll be growing my own this year. The new, small, seedless, red melon ‘Sorbet’ is a Johnny’s exclusive that looks perfect for my family’s needs. Each vine yields two to three ice-box melons with sweet, crisp fruit.
No garden is complete without zucchini or summer squash; the golden, round ‘Summer Ball’ looks cute and tasty. The space-saving, compact bush squash is offered by Harris Seeds and looks ideal for stuffing.
These are but a few of the great new vegetable offerings for 2014. And before planting any of them, I will be sure to amend the garden soil with Fafard Premium Organic Compost. It’s the best way to give vegetables a great start each year.

Yellow Furry Boar Tomato
‘Yellow Furry Boar’ is a fuzzy yellow striped tomato with exceptional sweetness. (image care of Wild Boar Farms)
Amethyst Cream Cherry Tomatoes
The unique ‘Amethyst Cream Cherry’ is a lovely new cherry tomato. (image care of Wild Boar Farms)

All About Seed Starting

The seed-starting season is upon us. Soon loads of colorful and alluring seed catalogs will be populating websites and mailboxes nationwide. For the ardent gardener, raising plants from seed has huge benefits. One can grow cooler homegrown plants from seed for less than purchasing from most garden centers, but it’s not without challenges.

Even advanced gardeners need a little know-how and experience to produce homegrown seedlings that are as robust as nursery-grown; the key is maintaining the right balance of light, temperature, soil, nutrition, and water through good care and smart decision-making.

Homegrown Plants from Seed: Various Seed Packets
There’s a reason why seed-starting is popular. Gardeners can grow cooler plants, for less.

Seed Starting No Nos

Seedling woes and mishaps are many. Truth be told, the average seed grower tends to grow leggy, pale green, weak plantlets rather than stout, multi-stemmed, medium green ones. The causes are basic: poor light causes legginess and pale color and inadequate nutrition, poor soil and/or improper watering can all cause poor growth and weakness. This matters because weak seedlings have a higher mortality rate and are slower to establish, while robust seedlings look better, fill out faster, and yield more flowers and fruits sooner.

Good growing light is most essential because too little causes etiolation (long, spindly, pale growth) and too much causes foliar burn. Gardeners lacking a sunny conservatory or greenhouse should choose the next best thing, a light table. And for high-grade seedlings refrain from window-growing; even south-facing-window-light is rarely uniform or strong enough for robust growth. A growing table fitted with broad-spectrum shop lights will do a much better job.

Four Steps to Good Seed Starting

Here are four growing table “dos” to abide by:

  1. Do choose the right location and table. A warm, sunny room is ideal. Prefabricated grow tables (sold by many seed vendors) are handy but expensive. Standard 4-level utility shelves (sold at home improvement centers) fitted with shop lights are just as effective and much cheaper.
  2. Do choose the right fixture and bulbs. Standard 48-inch shop lights can accommodate two flats of seedlings, and high-Intensity fluorescent bulbs have the broadest spectrum for good growth. (Avoid metal-halide high-intensity discharge (HID) bulbs, which are expensive, hot, and unnecessary.)
Homegrown Plants from Seed: Seedlings Placement
Place seedlings a few inches from high-Intensity fluorescent bulbs to keep them from becoming leggy.

3. Do place your seeds and seedlings at the right distance from the light. Pots and seedlings should be kept 2-to-3-inches from fluorescent bulbs and fixtures hung from chains for easy height adjustment.

4. Do slowly acclimate sun-loving seedlings to natural light before outdoor planting. Sunlight is stronger than artificial light and can burn tender seedlings. Over seven to ten days, slowly move seedlings from indirect outdoor light to full exposure—increasing exposure by two hours every two days.

Homegrown Plants from Seed: Help Seedlings Adjust to Natural Sunlight
Exposure to dappled sunlight can help seedlings adjust to natural sunlight more quickly.

Seed Starting Containers and Mix

Containers and growing medium are the next essentials. Standard six-cell, six-pack growing flats with non-draining trays are perfect for most seedlings, and Black Gold Seedling Mix, with its blend of high-grade Canadian Sphagnum peat moss and perlite, is recommended. It is also easily wetted and uniformly fine for light seed coverage. Light coverage is essential because most seeds naturally germinate on or close to the soil’s surface, so when planting seeds stick to the mantra “lighter coverage for lighter seeds and greater coverage for greater seeds.”

Dust-like seeds can simply be sprinkled on the top of the medium, and large seeds rarely need to be planted deeper than ¼ of an inch—despite what some seed-starting guides advise. Seeds can also be lightly covered with washed or fine vermiculite instead of mix. Coverage with both is shown to reduce instances of “damping off” (seedling fungal disease); planting in the fresh, unused mix also reduces damping off.

Seed Starting Temperature

Temperature needs vary from seed to seed and plant to plant; some like it cool and others like it warm, but most thrive at room temperature (68 degrees Fahrenheit). Warm-season plants, like tomatoes, peppers and zinnias, germinate and grow faster with warmer temperatures; a seedling heat mat will hasten germination and growth for these and other summer growers. Temperature needs vary from seed to seed and plant to plant; some like it cool and others like it warm, but most thrive at room temperature (68 degrees Fahrenheit). A heat mat for seedling flats costs around $25.00 and will last for years.

Watering Seeds

Good watering technique will make or break growing success. The key is remembering that overwatering is worse than underwatering. Too much water encourages fungal disease and root and stem rot and invites pests like fungus gnats, whose larvae feed on seedlings, and shore flies, whose excrement damages seedlings. Once these problems are established, they are hard to get rid of.

Homegrown Plants from Seed: A Perfect Seed Waterer
Left: A plastic bottle with holes punched in the top makes a perfect seed waterer! Right: Be sure to allow only one seedling per planting cell for best success.

To avoid overwatering seeds and seedlings: (1) water gently and (2) water until mix is moist but not wet. These steps are most important before and right after seeds germinate because seeds and seedlings use less water and are easily drowned. A plastic water bottle with five holes poked into top makes a great gentle seed and seedling waterer (see photo). Bottom watering with a self-watering capillary mat is also recommended. Just be sure that no standing water remains at the tray base at any time.

Homegrown Plants from Seed: Properly Grown Seedlings
Properly grown seedlings should have healthy roots to the bottom of the pot.

Seedling Care

Once plants develop multiple leaves, more water can be applied. The amount ultimately depends on how quickly plants are growing and using water. It’s wise to check fast-growing seedlings twice daily to assess their water needs. If you think you may be watering too much, err on the side of less water. Slight wilting is better than rot and ruin. If seedlings need to be upgraded, move them to 4-inch pots filled with Fafard Ultra Potting Mix with Extended Feed for fast growth and success.

Seedling Fertilization

Nutrition is not a factor until plants develop their “true leaves” (sometimes called the second set of leaves). In fact, fertilizer can actually inhibit seed germination and burn new seedlings, which is why good seed-starting mixes are always fertilizer-free. Once seedlings have reached two inches or so, a feather-light sprinkle of light starter fertilizer will keep them pot-healthy until planting day.

Hardening Off Seedlings

When the threat of frost has passed, incrementally introduce your flats of plantlets to the great outdoors. Incremental exposure allows tender plants to healthfully acclimate to the high light, wind and temperature changes of the garden. Start by placing them in a protected location with diffuse light and slowly move them into a more open spot with higher light. After seven to ten days your plants should be garden-ready, and if you follow this guide they should look like those grown by the pros!

Homegrown Plants from Seed: Happy Seedlings
Happy seedlings have good colors and are not leggy.
Homegrown Plants from Seed: Homegrown Fennel Plantlets
Homegrown plantlets, like these fennel, should only be planted in the garden after they have hardened off.
Homegrown Plants from Seed: Homegrown Cabbage Seedlings
These newly planted homegrown cabbage seedlings are healthy and robust!

Savoring & Sowing Winter Root Vegetables

Rutabagas
Rutabagas are delicious, productive root vegetables perfect for winter growing.

Late fall still brings garden bounty in the form of earthy, late-season root vegetables—turnips, parsnips, winter carrots and rutabagas among them. Not just any root vegetable is adapted for colder seasons. The best are made for fall and winter—remaining crisp, sweet and delicious even after deep frosts. All are also bestowed with remarkable storage qualities.

For most Americans, the best time to start these vegetables is in early fall, but those with cold frames, or those living further south, can continue to grow cool season root vegetables well into winter. All one needs are growing temperatures that remain between 35 to 60 degrees F, fertile soil that’s deep and light, full sun and protection from wind. Amending soil with Fafard® Premium Topsoil and top-dressing with a layer of Fafard® Premium Organic Compost will encourage healthy growth while protecting plants.

Daucus carota 'Kinko'
Crisp winter carrots can stay in the ground in the cold of winter.

Rutabagas are the underground kings of the cool season vegetable patch. One enormous, globe-like, purple-topped white or yellowish root can be enough to feed a family, and the sweet cabbage-like flavor adds a pleasant wintery taste to stews and mashed vegetable blends. The high-yielding behemoth ‘Helenor’ is a great purple-topped variety for new growers to try. The best time to plant them is in early fall, where winters are cold, or late fall, where winters are mild. Their round seeds should be lightly covered and will germinate in 7 to 15 days, if planted when temperatures are a little warmer (optimally around 65 degrees F). On average, they take between 80 and 100 days to mature, depending on the variety.
Winter carrots are distinguished by several characteristics. First, they tend to be cold hardy and store very well. Many even overwinter well in the ground. Two great carrots for winter growing include the sweet, medium-sized, orange carrot ‘Napoli’ and the comparable ‘Merida’. Both are remarkably cold resistant and remain pleasant and sweet during the cold months. In most areas, mid-fall is a good time to plant these for winter growing, but further south or under cover they can be planted into late fall. In really cold areas, hoop row covers are recommended for protection. The small, flattened seeds should be lightly covered and will germinate in 12 to 15 days if given moderately warm days between 70 and 75 degrees F.

Hakurei turnips
Pure white ‘Hakurei’ turnips have an unusually sweet, crisp flavor and texture.

Turnips may be round or elongated, purple-topped or all while, but all are easy-to-grow cool weather vegetables. Their sweet flavor is best enjoyed cooked, though crunchy fresh turnip salads or relishes are not uncommon. The fast-growing vegetables can mature between 30 and 60 days, depending on the variety, and their small round seeds germinate quickly in as little as seven days. Two excellent varieties for flavor and performance are the classic ‘Purple Top White Globe’ and pure white-rooted ‘Hakurei’, which is best eaten fresh. It can be a challenge to start parsnips from seed (they are notoriously slow, taking 14 to 25 days), but it’s worth the effort. The large, ivory-colored, carrot-like roots are delicious when cooked—lending a unique sweet flavor to dishes. The long, tapered cultivar ‘Javelin’ is a great variety for overwintering and maintains a clean ivory color.

Classic turnips
Classic purple-topped turnips are the best for cooking.

Mice, voles and other critters are big root vegetable enemies—especially in cold months when food is harder to come by. Several measures can be taken to keep rodents away from your root crops. Fine-holed wire mesh fences sunk into the ground around a plot and extending above ground 12 inches or more will dissuade most of these critters. Some commercial repellents can also be helpful; just be sure they are approved for vegetable gardening.
Die hard food gardeners continue to grow crops such as these into the winter months, and with a little effort you can too. Build a cold frame or buy a few row covers and get your winter root veg into the ground while you still can.

Savory Winter Root Vegetable Mash

Nothing is nicer for fall and winter festivities than a savory vegetable mash of potatoes, rutabaga and parsnips. This simple recipe is also healthier than your standard mashed potatoes because rutabagas are high in vitamin C and potassium and parsnips are high in folate.
Ingredients
1 lb peeled Yukon Gold potatoes
1 lb peeled cubed rutabaga (2 inch cubes)
1 lb peeled, thickly sliced parsnips
3 tablespoons soft butter
¼ cup heavy cream
A dash nutmeg (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Place vegetables in a medium-sized saucepan, and just cover them with water. Put the pan on high heat; add a pinch of salt and cover. Bring the water to a boil and reduce the heat to medium, keeping the pan covered. After 15 to 20 minutes the vegetables should be fork tender. Remove the pan from the heat.
Drain the vegetables and potatoes and place them in a large bowl. Add the cream and butter. Using a potato masher, gently mash the mix until fairly well mashed. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg, then, using a hand mixer, whip the vegetables just until smooth. Be careful not to over beat the vegetables. Add a little additional cream, if needed.

Shrubs and Trees with the Best Fall Leaves

Rainbow flowering dogwood leaves
The tri-colored leaves of Rainbow flowering dogwood (Cornus florida ‘Rainbow) are a fall delight!

Cool, moist, bountiful summers lead to gloriously bright fall leaves. Why? Because the healthier the trees and shrubs, the brighter and more colorful the leaf pigments. (Leaf pigments require a lot of energy to make, which is why plants need to be healthy and productive to produce a lot.) So, if the growing season has been generous, the season’s leaf colors should be off the charts!

Blackgum leaves
A blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica) glows against fall blue skies.


It’s almost like magic when the fall leaves turn from green to fiery fall shades. Red, yellow, orange and purple fall leaf colors are present even in summer, but they are hidden behind a mask of green chlorophyll. This dominant green pigment hides nearly all other leaf pigments until temperatures cool down and leaves begin to die in autumn. As the leaves end their cycle, water-soluble chlorophyll breaks down while many of the brighter leaf pigments remain intact. So at the end of the season, leaves truly show off their true colors (or underlying pigments).

Different pigment types produce different leaf colors, and there are three primary pigments, including chlorophyll. The two other types are carotenoids and anthocyanins. Carotenoids (think carrots) are water repellent and product bright yellow and orange colors in fall leaves. (The most common carotenoid is the healthful ß-carotene, which is in many of the foods we eat.) Anthocyanins are water-soluble and responsible for red leaf colors as well as purplish leaf colors. When the green chlorophyll in the chloroplast dies away, carotenoids and anthocyanins are the showy pigments left behind.

Super maple leaves
Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) leaves turn the finest shades of orange and gold.

Best Gold and Orange Fall Leaves

Of the yellow-, gold- and orange-leaved fall shrubs, few are as nice as native witch hazels (Hamamelis virginiana) and Fothergilla (Fothergilla major and F. minor). The low, spreading fragrant sumac (Rhus aromatica ‘Gro Low’) is also a winning shrub with bright gold and orange color. For peachy golden orange leaves, nothing is better than the sugar maple (Acer saccharum); the cultivars ‘Legacy’ and ‘Green Mountain’ are particularly bright orange show stoppers. Two more trees of note include the two deciduous conifers, the eastern larch (Larix laricina), which has lovely golden needles, and bald cypress (Taxodium distichum), which turns rich russet orange. Finally, the pure gold leaves of the ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) look like golden fans on the limb before they quickly fall to the ground creating a bright carpet of color.

Best Red Fall Leaves

Red maple tree leaves
The red maple (Acer rubrum) is a classic tree for great fall red color.


Gardeners love red-leaved trees and few are as crimson in fall as the red maple ‘October Glory’ (Acer rubrum ‘October Glory’), though the Freeman maple Autumn Blaze (Acer x freemanii ‘Jeffersred’ AUTUMN BLAZE) is a contender. A desirable tree with pleasing russet red leaves is the shumard oak (Quercus schumardii) while the native blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica) offers leaves of the finest scarlet. Sumacs (Rhus spp.) of all manner of brilliance typically redden roadsides across North America, and a few like Prairie Flame Dwarf Sumac (Rhus copallinum var. latifolia ‘Morton’ PRAIRIE FLAME) are also great for the landscape. Two more superb red-leaved fall shrubs of desire are the chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia ‘Brilliantissima’) and the orange-red-leaved Canadian serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis).

Best Purple Fall Leaves

Autumn sourwood trees
The purple-red fall leaves of sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum) trees are unique and attractive.


Many fall beauties have leaves emboldened with both purple and red hues. The ever-beautiful oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quericifolia) is one of these as is the classic flowering dogwood (Cornus florida). Of the flowering dogwoods, the disease-resistant cultivar ‘Appalachian Spring’, with its crimson-purple fall leaves, is the most recommended, but the tricolored cultivar ‘Rainbow’ is also a visual delight. The wonderfully hardy American cranberrybush (Viburnum opulus var. americanum) also turns pleasing shades of purple and red come autumn. And when it comes to trees with impressive purple shades, the sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum) and sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) are both exceptional.

There are several ways to keep fall-fantastic trees and shrubs in prime health for the autumnal show. First, it is important to keep them well-irrigated during very dry periods. A mulch of rich compost or well-deteriorated bark will also help them retain summer moisture while dissuading weeds at the root zone. Fafard Premium Organic Compost is an excellent product for seasonal mulching. And if care and the season have been generous, take time to enjoy the fleeting but glorious color of fall.

Rhus glabra fall color foliage2
Smooth sumac (Rhus glabra) is one of the better native shrubs for crimson color.

Getting an Edge on Garden Edging

Chanticleed
Clean, tidy edges beautifully frame a garden.

Good edges frame a garden’s picturesque beauty. They define the garden and help clearly characterize its design while providing a barrier to weeds and sometimes raising the bed level. Manual or cut edges are somewhat high maintenance while permanent edges are relatively low maintenance. Knowing the pros and cons to different edge types is important because a good edge will help define a garden while saving time and labor.
Cut Edges

cut beds
A clean, cut edge will give your garden a finished look.

Manually cut edges are the cheapest to implement but require the most work because they need to be cut yearly or twice-yearly to maintain good looks and effectiveness. Most commonly, edges are hand cut in spring and then maintained with a mechanical edging tool. The type of turf often dictates how often edging is needed; more aggressive, rhizomatous or spreading grasses like Zoysia grass often require more frequent cutting while less aggressive grasses like Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) require less frequent edging.
A cut edge is only as good are the smooth, fluid appearance of the cuts and line. A poorly cut bed can make a garden look amateurish and odd while a beautifully cut bed will make a garden look as sharp as any at a manicured botanical garden. Here are some tips for cutting a good edge in springtime:

1. Establish a bed line with either a hose, rope or landscaper’s marking paint.

2. Start with a sharp, flat spade and keep the bed line smooth and even with uniform cuts.

3. Maintain cuts at a 45 degree angle for best appearance.

4. Clean the finished edge of debris or excess turf and smooth the bed edge by hand.

5. Apply mulch, Fafard Premium Organic Compost or leave mold as a garden top layer to keep newly cut beds looking their best.

Any lawn or turf weeds growing into the beds should be trimmed and/or weeded away throughout the growing season to keep edge lines looking crisp. Bed edges should be trimmed whenever it’s time to mow the grass.
Plastic or Metal Edges?

Metal edge
Metal edging delineates this interesting garden.

When comparing plastic versus metal edges, always go with a good, high-quality metal product. Plastic wears down more quickly and is lightweight, relatively shallow and often poorly staked; more often than not it pops up after only a couple of seasons. It is also more susceptible to frost heave and trimmer damage.
Good metal edging products are easily sunk deeply into the soil and have deep stakes for increased permanence. Pro to semi-pro products are available to the average homeowner online or at large home and garden centers. Any heavy-duty metal edging product that’s easy to curve and install, deep (to help manage weeds) and crafted from aluminum or coated galvanized steel is recommended. Don’t worry about paying a little more money. Quality metal edging will last for years and can save hours of labor.
Stone and Brick Edges
Edges constructed of stone, concrete or brick are generally applied for their attractive appearance as well as utility. Paving stone or concrete edgers, generally constructed in 12 inches pieces that can be interconnected, are relatively inexpensive and somewhat easy to install but are often installed incorrectly. Two common mistakes are that they are either not set deep enough or they are set too far apart—both mistakes encourage weeds and cause the edge to come apart and/or heave in freezing weather. Another caveat is that edgers constructed in modular sections exceeding 12 inches are best used for beds with linear rather than curved lines.

Brick edge with plants
Well-laid brick makes an inexpensive, appealing garden edge.

Natural stone or brick also make good and good-looking edging, but both require a good bit of skill for proper installation.  For natural stone, it’s easiest to work with uniformly cut or shaped and sized pieces. It’s wise to set pieces as deep as possible with the tops only one or two inches above the soil’s surface. This will ensure the stones will stay in place. The possible setback is that natural stone can be expensive.
Brick is comparable to natural stone in function and installation but is less expensive. One appealing way to install it is to lay it at a 45-degree angle to create a jagged edge. This type of bed edge is best applied along the edge of pavement or a sidewalk, and is easiest to install if a brick-sized trench of uniform depth is created for the edge and set with a 2 inch bed of sand or fine gravel at the base.
Eco Edges
There are various recycled edging products to choose from on the market. Many are constructed from recycled rubber, plastics or wood. As a rule, eco edging products tend to be relatively inexpensive and are easy to install, but most are not time tested. When trying a newer product it’s always smart to test it out on a smaller garden space, to make sure it’s the right product for your needs. If investing in quality edging for a large-scale tract of garden, choosing a truly long-lasting product made of metal or stone will likely provide a more permanent border.
No matter what edging product you choose, be sure that your garden soil is always maintained and amended and beds are kept fed and free of weeds. An edge is a frame that’s only as nice as the picture it surrounds.

brick edge garden
Paving stone edges come in all colors, shapes and sizes and always look finished and professional.

Berm Baby Berm with Garden Berms

For vegetable gardening, berms are where it’s at. They provide increased aeration and drainage when weather conditions are wet, and encourage deep and expansive root growth to help veggies endure heat and drought. Truly berms are the perfect alternative for gardeners that don’t want to be locked into raised beds or can’t build them.
Lots of vegetables benefit from friable, bermed soil. Root crops like carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes and rutabagas develop larger, more perfect roots for harvest. And vegetables requiring well-drained soil, like tomatoes, peppers and eggplant, will be safe from excess root moisture if planted on berms. And don’t forget melons; those planted in amended bermed beds tend to develop better fruits that are sweeter and more flavorful.
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So how do you berm? Before berming the soil up, till or deeply turn your soil. Next, establish planting rows or mounds. Once these are set, apply a generous amount of Fafard Premium Organic Compost and work it in until well mixed. Bed berming is best done with a hard rake. Pull and lift the soil up along the planting rows or mounds. This takes a little elbow grease, but the results are well worth it.
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Once the berms are created, put a layer of removable mulch cloth down and cover that with a layer of seed-free straw or grass clippings. This can help keep weeding down by up to 75%, helps keep moisture in and makes it easier to walk around the garden after a rain.
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It’s best to use a very lightweight mulch cloth that’s easy to pull away, roll up and reuse the following season.
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Before the plants are in the ground, the vegetable garden may look like a bumpy straw-covered mess, but once your garden has grown, you won’t even see the berms. Only beautiful garden will shine through.
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