HOW TO PLANT A CABBAGE

In early spring rake over and level the area you have chosen as a seed bed frosts will have done a lot of the work for you by then... hopefully. If you only require a few plants then this need not be too big an area. Cover the bed with sifted mature compost if you have some - the bed may be small enough to purchase a bag or two from your garden centre, especially if you're just beginning your adventure in growing cabbage, you might not have the organic matter to compost. Firm the bed by tamping the surface with the back of your rake... but only when the soil is dry enough i.e. not sticking to your boots. Then give it a light raking over. Mark out the rows using string stretched between two stakes for a straight line and make shallow drills along the length of the string with a trowel or the edge of a hoe 13mm(1/2") deep and rows 15cm(6") apart. Sow the seed thinly into the drills and cover them over with soil, lightly firming with the back of the rake. Mark both ends of the row, labelling one end with the variety and date of sowing. Keep the seed bed moist, always use a fine spray. When the cabbage plants are about 2.5cm(1") tall, thin the seedlings to about 7.5cm(3") apart in the rows. This is to stop overcrowding thus causing the seedlings to become weak and spindly. The seedlings are ready to plant out when they are about 10cm(4") to 15cm(6") tall. Water the bed the previous day before removing them to their permanent position. When growing cabbage there is no need to remember which varieties to grow: spring, summer or winter etc. Part of the enjoyment of growing vegetables is to get hold of some of those amazing seed catalogues (they're sent out free by seed companies - up to now, see NB. above) and get to know what is available - then make your choice... especially around a nice cosy fire. The anticipation really energises you for the coming sprifirst-time grower. More experienced growers will find it easy
enough to start their own tomatoes from seed. ~ Begin to raise your own plants, if you wish, from seed, in a greenhouse or sunny window indoors about a month before you intend to set them out in the garden. ~ You can use fluorescent lights hanging a couple inches (5cm) above the planting flat and keep raising it as the plants grow--in a not well lighted room.Raise these plants until they are about 6 to 10 inches tall (15 to 25cm) for example and then transplant them when spring weather is appropriate for your zone.

HOW TO PLANT A TOMATO

1.Buy small tomato plants from a near by nursery and transplant them to your garden for the first-time grower. More experienced growers will find it easy enough to start their own tomatoes from seed. ~ Begin to raise your own plants, if you wish, from seed, in a greenhouse or sunny window indoors about a month before you intend to set them out in the garden. ~ You can use fluorescent lights hanging a couple inches (5cm) above the planting flat and keep raising it as the plants grow--in a not well lighted room.Raise these plants until they are about 6 to 10 inches tall (15 to 25cm) for example and then transplant them when spring weather is appropriate for your zone. 2.Get good first-time growers varieties including Better Boy, Creole, Big Boy, Early Girl, Brandywine, Celebrity, Lemon Boy, or just about any cherry or grape tomato variety. ~ Plant several varieties rather than all of one type -- this ensures a steady harvest. 3. Grow two plants for each member of the family who will eat lots of tomatoes, as a rule of thumb. If you plan on canning tomatoes or making fresh and canned salsa, use up to four plants per person. ~ OR, for 6 small plants in 6 plant packs of 1 1/4 inch (3cm) compartmental trays.

4. Choose a sunny spot to place the plants to transplant them. Place tomato plants in a site receiving full sun (7 hours or more daily). Tomatoes need lots of warm sunshine for optimum taste. ~ Caveat: In hot climates when the nights get to a low temperature of about 75F (24C), then most tomatoes "quit setting new fruit". The ones already set will grow great. But none will set when nights are very warm through the wee hours really near sunrise. ~ Don't wait more than a few days late to put them out past the recommended dates for your climate zone, or it may be too late (if there are such early warm/hot weather nights.
5.Prepare the garden bed by adding lots of well rotted--not green--compost (5 to 8 pounds per square foot/25 to 40 kilograms per square meter) to the soil. Turn compost into the top 3 inches (6 to 8 cm). Tomatoes demand a growing medium rich in organic matter. If you don't make your own compost, use store-bought compost or composted manure available in the 40-pound bags. Compost or Manure is usually less than US $5 per 40-pound bag. 6.Transplant the tomato deeply. Bury about 50 to 75% of the plant (especially for leggy plants, that became skinny in raising them before transplanting). Its okay to bury some of its lower leaves. New needs to focus on root production.

7. Give each plant about 1 gallon (about 4 liters) of warm water (about 80 degrees F/ 27 degrees
C) within ten minutes of transplanting to avoid transplant shock.

HOW TO PLANT A CARROT

Choose a site that gets full sun (carrots will tolerate light shade but won't do as well). Soil should be light, with a pH of 5.8 to 6.8 (see "How to Have Your Soil Tested")
1.

Dig to a depth of at least 12 inches, and remove all traces of rocks and other debris - even a small twig could injure a carrot's growing tip, stunting the root or making it fork.
2. 3.Add plenty of organic matter; it will lighten heavy soils and increase the moisture retention of sandy ones. Carrots grow sweeter and less fibrous in soil that remains moist.

Add plenty of organic matter; it will lighten heavy soils and increase the moisture retention of sandy ones. Carrots grow sweeter and less fibrous in soil that remains moist.
4.

5.Speed germination, which can take 10 days or more, by soaking seeds in water for 6 hours before you plant them. 6.Make early sowings shallow to capture warmth from the sun; sprinkle the seeds on the soil
surface, tamp them gently and cover them with a thin layer of finely sifted compost. If planting later, when the soil has warmed up, plant seeds between 1/4 and 1/2 inch deep. 7. Thin seedlings before the tops become entwined: Either clip off the greens with scissors, or pull the roots very gently from the ground so you don't disturb the remaining plants. Allow 3 to 4 inches between carrots, depending on the variety (check the seed packet for details). 8. Spray young plants once with compost tea (see "How to Make Compost Tea") to ensure good growth, and mulch with compost to deter weeds and retain moisture. Young plants need at least an inch of water a week, but cut back on watering as they near maturity (check the seed packet for timing). 9.Begin harvesting carrots when they've turned deep orange.

HOW TO PLANT A CAULIFLOWER

1. Choose a site that gets full sun. The soil should have a pH of 6.0 to 7.0 and must be well-drained, evenly moist and amended with plenty of organic matter.

2. Start early varieties indoors about a month before the last expected frost. Move the plants to the garden when they're about 6 inches tall, all danger of frost has passed, and temperatures of both air and soil have warmed to about 50 degrees F. Set the plants in their holes, cover them just short of the bottom leaves, and build a little saucer of soil around each plant to help hold moisture.

3.Sow seeds directly in the ground for a fall harvest. Place them in clusters of four seeds each, with the clusters 2 feet apart. When the first true leaves appear, remove all but the sturdiest seedling from each group. 4. Keep cauliflower plants evenly moist; especially when they're small, they need about 1 inch of water a week, whether from rain or the garden hose. 5. Start the blanching process when the flower head (also called a curd or button) is about the size of an egg. Make sure neither it nor the foliage is wet; otherwise the plant may rot. Loop heavy twine around the leaves, gently lift them up and tie them together. The aim is to keep light and moisture out, but to let air in and also leave room for the flower to grow inside its shelter. 6. Harvest cauliflower heads when they're full but before the sections begin to loosen. The timing depends on the variety, so start checking plants daily when the heads reach 3 to 4 inches across.