Alexandria, VA – Spring is here, and if you haven’t put a shovel in the ground yet, don’t worry — it is not too late. After 40-plus years in this business, I can tell you the difference between a great gardener and a frustrated one usually comes down to a few simple things. Let me share them.
Start with the soil. Your neighbor isn’t a better gardener than you — they just have better soil. Every year before planting, you need to amend, refresh, add organic material to re-aerate, and build the nutrient-holding capacity back up. For a brand-new garden, I love Gardener’s Gold Organic Soil or Espoma Garden Soil. Both have everything you need to get going, and both also make blends designed specifically for raised beds. If you already have an established garden, top-dress with Bumper Crop Soil Amendment or Espoma Land & Sea — both have added calcium and all the good stuff Grandma told you a garden needs. Healthy roots, living soil, microbials at work — that’s the number one key.
Pick the right spot. Vegetables need at least six hours of direct sun a day — more is better for tomatoes, peppers, squash, and melons. Buy healthy plants from a reputable garden center, and mix it up. With tomatoes especially, plant a nice slicer, some grape or cherry types for salads (or popping in your mouth on the way back to the house), an heirloom or two for flavor, and an F1 hybrid for reliability. Cucumbers, squash, and melons are fun and easy — just don’t plant them all at once unless you want to be the neighborhood produce delivery service. Stagger your plantings two or three weeks apart and you’ll harvest all summer long.
One tomato trick: plant them deep, burying part of the stem. They’ll root all along it and grow stronger. Don’t do this with anything else — everything else plants right at the soil line.
Don’t forget herbs. Nothing beats a backyard cookout where you tell your guests the parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, mint, and bay leaves came out of the garden ten minutes ago. Send them home with a small bundle wrapped in a damp paper towel — they’ll remember it. And get the kids and grandkids involved. What’s more fun than a hose, some dirt, and a warm afternoon?
Feed and water. My favorites are Espoma Tomato-Tone and Garden-Tone — color-coded bags, fully organic, safe around dogs like my Gunner and Tank. Follow the directions and water everything in well. Be consistent — looks like a dry one this year. My wife Stacy handles the morning watering at our place, and that really is the best time of day. If mornings don’t work, water when you get home — a nice glass of wine in hand never hurt anyone. Just use a nozzle that breaks the stream into soft droplets and keep water off the leaves.
Slow and steady. Take your shoes off, get grounded, and enjoy the progress. I’ve got plenty more tips — but Mary only gave me 500 words.
Happy Gardening.
Ray Greenstreet II is president of Greenstreet Growers in Lothian, MD, with retail locations in Lothian and Alexandria, VA. A 40-year veteran of the horticulture industry, he served on Governor Hogan’s Maryland Agricultural Commission and is past president of the Maryland Agricultural Council. Follow him on Instagram @rgreenstreetii.
