Sunday, May 08, 2005

starting gardening at retirement?

How much sun does your garden really need?

Vegetables prefer a full day of sun, but if you live in a shady suburb you don't have to give up the idea of growing vegetables.
Here are some minimum sunlight requirements:

Fruiting Vegetables - eight hours of sun.This includes tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and vine crops such as cucumbers, melons and squash.

Root Vegetables - six hours of sun.This includes carrots, beets, etc.

Leafy Vegetables - four hours of sun.These are your "greens" such as lettuce, spinach and collards.

* Keep in mind that these are minimums. Increasing the amount of sunlight your vegetables receive will increase the yield and quality of your crop.

* Even though your vegetables may get enough light when planted near a tree, they will not get
enough nourishment and water.
Vegetables can't compete with an established tree for essential
nutrients and moisture.

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