JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – This week, we’re focusing on thinning your vegetables as they begin to sprout.
We planted carrot and lettuce seeds four weeks ago. It’s natural that some of our seeds will grow too close to others.
It may seem counterintuitive, but you will need to sacrifice some of the new growth to make room for your vegetables to thrive.
My mother, Mary Ellen Waugh, created and manages 60 vegetable boxes planted for clients of BEAM in Jacksonville Beach.
Beaches Emergency Assistance Ministry provides financial resources and food to people who live and work at the beach. The vegetables grown in BEAM’s Grace Garden are provided to clients in BEAM’s food pantry.
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Waugh showed us how to know which seedlings to pull and which to leave.
“You want to make sure there is this much room around each carrot seedling,” she said holding her fingers in a circle the size of a small silver dollar.
She said none of the vegetable plants will grow to their full potential if you don’t thin the ones that are clumped together.
Waugh also showed us how to fertilize your vegetable plants, which needs to be done once a month.
She carefully spread a small amount around the base of our broccoli seedlings. You want to avoid putting any of the granules on any of the leaves, which will cause them to brown.
Waugh only uses organic fertilizer on the vegetable plants growing in BEAM’s Grace Garden. She uses Organic Tone, which can be bought at any nursery and at most hardware stores.
She said you need to water after you fertilize. Each vegetable box needs a gallon of water a day for your veggies to grow to their potential.
If you have any questions about growing your own vegetables at home, email me: jwaugh@wjxt.com, and I’ll work to get your questions answered.
If you have a vegetable garden, I’d love to see it, send me a picture and tell me about it.