For so many of us here in Morris County, our gardens are our little piece of heaven. And I say that as a new veggie garden planter, blissful over my tomatoes and peppers and soon-to-be cucumbers. For longtime gardeners, it becomes a ritual to plant ‘the usuals:’ tomatoes, peppers, basil. You know right where they go, and it’s a rite of passage when you put them in the soil.

But since variety is the spice of life, why not add a little something new to your garden?

Choose a slightly different vegetable or herb, just to mix it up a little. For instance, while looking for my red bell pepper plants at The Farm, I was amazed to see how many different kinds of pepper plants there were. I’d never heard of a banana pepper, for instance. Same goes for the many types of beans I saw on the beds that day. I’ve never planted jalapenos, but given the fact that salsa clears up my allergies, I could use a hot pepper or two in my home-made salsas, which we eat and which I love to give as hostess gifts. No more canned, salty-tasting jalapeno circles from the grocery store. I’m going to grow my own.

Lettuces are one area I plan to branch off into next season, when I have my expanded garden bed. From salads to wraps to garnish on plates during my parties and book club meetings, the crisp and scented freshness of home-grown lettuce is a wonderful thing.

Which new plantings would you love to try in your garden bed? Trust me, you’re going to discover some amazing new varieties when you walk through The Farm’s collection of garden plants, with an open mind…not just zipping over to the basil plants you recognize. And keep in mind my garnish tip…any plate will look so much more presentable with a tuft of spinach and some julienned zucchini, or the bright red arches of jalapenos on it.

Sharon Naylor is the author of over 35 books on family celebrations, including weddings, bridal showers, vow renewals, and more. She is beyond thrilled to be the new guest blogger for The Farm, and she will be posting inspirations and tips for your parties, get-togethers and big family moments throughout the year. Visit her website www.sharonnaylor.net for more on her books and articles.

Some don’t think twice about gardening in fall. Many gardeners start in spring and have vegetables through the summer. The fact is here in New Jersey we have hard zones from 5 to 7 which makes for great fall family vegetable gardens. You could be planning in fall or planting in fall, it doesn’t matter. Planting in fall has key benefits for gardens and there are a few tips to follow to have a successful fall garden.

There are many benefits to fall gardens. The benefits to a fall family vegetable garden are that it’s cool in the fall for the most part. Insects are usually less of a problem for gardeners come fall. Falling leaves can be used as mulch and compost in most situations. With weather moderately cooling, the bugs will start to diminish, it will be more pleasant to work in the cooler days, soil will become moister and your need to water will be less. The only drawback to fall gardens is you must act fast before it’s too late for many crops. With fall gardens it is usually ideal to start from plantings to avoid the winter coming and destroying your corps.

There are many vegetables that will thrive in a fall family vegetable garden. You can plant summer squash, green beans; cucumbers maybe even another round of tomatoes. You can plant cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, collards, Brussels sprouts, and more. So many plants to start with and the perfect time to do it, with fall being a cooler season in most areas; the whole family will enjoy working together keeping up the garden and eating the fruits of the families labor. What is stopping you? Grab a gardening catalog and see what you can plant in your local area today.

vegetable garden

In today’s day and age young children don’t want anything to do with their vegetables, seem to not want to partake in family activities, nor are they getting enough exercise. Why is this that most families are getting fast food for dinner more often, not spending time together, and not getting enough exercise? Too many people are busy at school, working on their careers, playing on video games, and watching their favorite shows? Something needs to be done to get the family together, eating well, and to get them much needed exercise.

How about starting a family vegetable garden? I know, lil’ Jimmy doesn’t like his vegetables and wants to play his video games after school. Wouldn’t it be a site to see lil’ Jimmy eating his vegetables, getting his exercise and spending time with you? It’s not just lil’ Jimmy that needs help, you need to make that extra time for him and you need to be creative.

Starting a vegetable garden means you will work together as a whole family. Not only spending time together, all the digging, bending, and lifting means all in the family will exercise and have fun doing so. Get this, once lil’ Jimmy sees that his vegetables are producing real food… he may want to eat the fruits of his labor and may even want to work on cooking meals with his new creations. Gardening and cooking as a family, what a site to see!

Starting a family garden is a benefit to the whole family for health reasons and to keep the family strong with values. You may even catch lil’ Jimmy working out in the garden by himself a time or two. Even better, he may invite his friends over to partake, creating a community bond because of your excellent example of setting a family bond like no other.

This is a guest post written by Elizabeth Krause

Elizabeth Krause publisher of an Italian food website featuring simple Italian recipes.

Gardening is becoming a popular hobby in recent years. One can attribute a few factors for this increasing trend. First, the trust people have in many of the companies that supply our food has been shaken. Because of salmonella outbreaks from food in Mexico to even within the United States, some of us begin to wonder if it just wouldn’t be safer to grow our own vegetables at home.
If you are interested in having your own garden, whether small or large, here are a few tips to help make your garden as green as possible:
1. Use organic soil and fertilizers. This insures your soil is free from harmful chemicals and pesticides.
2. Use only water from a trusted source. Tap water or water supplied from your city contains large amounts of chlorine. Of course, this is needed to kill the bad bacteria which otherwise could send us to the hospital. But the contribution of chlorine to our plants is unnecessary. Use either fresh rain water by using a rain water bucket (enclosed so it will not attract mosquitoes), or use filtered water. This is common practice in places in Italy which cannot rely on city water. Many Italian farms are not equipped with water irrigation systems and instead place huge water tubs or barrels in the field.
3. Use drip irrigation systems. These work in a way that you can position the hose, and mark where you want the water to drip out – obviously only at each plant. This has two main benefits – first, less water is being wasted. Second, by concentrating the exact place where you need the water, you will experience fewer weeds in the surrounding area because most weeds need water to grow. By limiting or eliminating the water to those pesky weeds, they will have less chance of survival.
4. Use organic pesticides. These products are made of natural ingredients, such as garlic, water, vinager etc. There are many homemade concoctions available online. You can also check your local nursery to see if they carry these products.
5. Use organic compost. This is not as intimidating as it may appear. By now you pretty much have an organic garden more or less. So when you use your fresh fruit or vegetables such as tomatoes, zucchini or peppers, do not throw away the unwanted leftovers. Instead, place them in a composting unit, or for some people, a pile at the back of the garden. Give them a good turning from time to time throughout the season and let them decompose, thus turning into a rich organic material loaded with nutrients for next year’s garden.
There are many ways you can make your garden greener. By following these 4 steps you will be on your way to a healthier garden and therefore a healthier food supply for you and your family.