Experienced observer. I write this column not as a gardening expert or guru, but as one who has extensive experience observing gardening and landscaping successes and failures. As only a brother can, my brother Jim pointed out years ago that I garden by pointing. I consult with homeowners, plan and advise (when asked) what is to be done, then point to my landscape crew as to what they should do. There are times when an experienced observer is not enough, but when the advice of an expert is needed. This is one of those times.
For this column, I interviewed Elmer Britton. Elmer has 80 years of vegetable gardening experience. In my book, this qualifies him as an expert. Vegetable gardening was done out of necessity for many of those 80 years. His vegetable gardening began in 1932. It was a way for his family of 15 to feed themselves. As Elmer states matter-of-factly, âVegetable gardening was a must. Without it, we would have had no food.â
In Bartlett they had 24 acres of very rich low land on which they grew a wide variety of vegetables including: tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, carrots, eggplant, cucumbers, green beans, watermelons, sweet corn, popping corn, squash, and potatoes. They even experimented with celery.
At eight years old, the one thing Elmer learned from that experience was to take instruction from his father. In addition to 12 children working the soil, they also had a team of 2 horses. Using the team of horses and a single bottom plow, he learned the value of preparing the soil well prior to planting. I was also reminded of this recently when someone said to me, âYou plant a $5 plant in a $50 hole.” Yes, high quality plants are important, but the quality of soil is more important. Mushroom compost and Peat moss are excellent soil amendments. They add valuable nutrients to the soil.
When planting day arrives each spring, Elmer takes his time marking the rows. He uses two stakes, a string, and a wooden folding ruler. He carefully measures out the distance between each row, varying the distance depending on the type of vegetable. Zucchini need more room between the rows and hills, green peppers need less. âDonât plant pumpkins and muskmelons near each other,â Elmer reminds us. âThey can cross-pollinate, and you can end up with very strange looking and tasting fruit.â For fine seeds such as lettuce and carrots, Elmer uses a coffee can filled with moist sand. He mixes the seeds with the sand and then using his hoe on an angle creates a very small trench. He then gathers a handful of the sand and seed mixture and carefully spreads it out along the small ditch. This helps to spread out the seeds and prevents them from germinating too closely.
Procrastination is not possible with vegetable gardening. A little weeding each day will keep your garden clean and the plants healthy. Take into consideration the width between your rows and the width of your rototiller when planting. Hand cultivation is a necessity. There are commercial products available to assist with weed suppression. Preen makes a product designed to suppress weeds in vegetable gardens before they germinate.
âRain is the best form of watering a garden can get,â Elmer said. If supplemental watering is needed, water in the morning. This helps to prevent the spread of disease in your garden. It is vital that you keep the garden clean. These days Elmer is assisted by his great grandchildren. He helps them with the planning, and they help him with the weeding and harvesting.
Planting and growing vegetables in containers is becoming more and more popular. Container vegetable gardening is a great way to successfully grow your own produce. Although you donât necessarily need a fancy container, there are container systems that are specifically designed for growing tomatoes and green peppers. I recently saw on a Sun City patio two large planters filled with lettuce. The homeowners had the foresight to plant lettuce seeds early last winter and are enjoying the lettuce this spring. Walking out to your own patio and harvesting cherry tomatoes for lunch is one of the true joys in life.
âHarvesting is the easiest part of the whole job,â Elmer tells us. During the harvesting season, your garden needs to be checked daily, and the fruit and vegetables need to be picked promptly. Elmerâs wife Jean is standing ready in the kitchen to process the fruits of Elmerâs labor. She has canned each of the last 65 summers.
Thinking of planting a few vegetables this year? Take Elmerâs lead. Now is the perfect time for you to put those thoughts into action and enjoy the own fruits of your labor.
Thanks, Grandpa, for this interview and all the knowledge over the years.
