Crockett's Victory Garden; Victory Garden 101; 101

This is the simplest solution to this is a problem boston rock a victory garden. Welcome to crockett's victory garden. I'm jim crockett and this is a very special occasion. For this show because for the first time. It's going to be seen by viewers all across the country. On their public broadcasting service stations. Now my garden is here in boston which reminds me to lay to rest any ugly rumors that we're still need even snow. Actually this garden is within a mile or two of the ocean. Yet all that tempering influence of the water. And i read that weather is reasonably mild. Now i'll say it's not as mild as michigan or as i say it's virginia. But certainly. Milder than maine or minnesota on michigan.

Actually it's like most of the country. We already have crops up and growing in our garden. But really i don't want you to worry about whether my garden is ahead of yours all behind your eyes. Because what i'm going to do is talk about gardening techniques. How to garden successfully. With a minimum amount of effort. So i'll give you information that you will lose. Use as long as you garden. Now last year in this little piece of ground which is. Only forty feet by forty feet. Very go something over one hundred different varieties of flowers and vegetables. The vegetables themselves would have cost seven hundred dollars. If we bought them in a supermarket. But this year. This is not going to be just the vegetable garden. It's going to be the whole backyard. Roses and fruits. Flowering vines. volves. Evergreens and vegetables. In fact we're going to garden here until thanksgiving and. That's a long way away now. Well gardening is fun. Not drudgery. Too many folk plant their seed. And then they forget

to continue the process. And results of a soul disappointing. Well that doesn't have to happen. If you'll follow along with me i promise you whether you are a new gardener or an all time a. You and i'll have a lot of fun together. And we'll have good results all through the season. Now today i'm going to talk about spring lawn care. This is the time for we're going to plant some potatoes. And i'm going to answer some questions on gardening. But first. With the indulgence so the viewers on the east coast to watch this garden grow last year. Let me show you around. I'll begin right here with this beautiful green house behind me. That's where we go on rainy days. That's where for example or started a bunch of seedlings this spring but. I should say right there that we started many of seedlings in our coal frame and hot beds also so. You don't need a greenhouse. Course that greenhouses where we go. When we talk about house plants too. If you look above my shoulder over the greenhouse. You'll see some of that power from the area. All the w.b. just g.b.h. studios here

in boston. That's where this program is starting. Now here at this time of year. I would like to show you some of the bulbs. Which are coming out here the first tulips opening up. These are some that we planted last october. And underneath them. This close close is maybe a new word to you. It's a kind of a. Fancy word for a little plastic cobbler to give plants. An early spring time. This type of thing you could make very easily. And you can see what we have going on in the here. Here for a sick. Example some radishes coming up making fine growth. Much further ahead than those which were planted out in the open ground. And over in here we have some. Eyeing insets put in these will be fresh galleons. Will harvest them when they're only about eight or nine inches tall and in the ether rest of this we have lettuce. Getting a good. Early start for the year. And we have still another idea. Last summer i planted some pansies. And we loaded them all

the weather with a mulch. All high in needles. And then about a month ago. I cover them all over with this piece of plastic. Sold as they would have an early spring time. And you see what happens. Even in new england hands these will come through the window. And we have them here in full bloom. Weeks and weeks ahead of those. That would they would have been if they had not been covered. Let's talk about something that's growing. Right here in the garden itself. Here for example. Some of this is a variety called little marvel. You can see that's up and growing. The piazza. But it no it's not too late to plant peas this is just the beginning of the season. Here we see some. Turn something on. That's a variety called. Tokyo cross. Comes up very early. And we have some. Long standing. Blooms deal spinach. I mean long very nice you know i say. Walking on a board today that's here for cameraman but. We often use it in the garden.

Because it helps to distribute the weight. So that you don't compact the soil. Here we have some more radishes coming along these you see and not this far than just as the ones under the close. Even though they are. Planted a couple of weeks earlier. Next to it a some more. Onions. Now we will. Hole every other one of those ice galleons. The rest will allow us to mature. A song ends. And we have some more peas coming up here. Variety called. Alaska. Not the best on flavor but it certainly isn't early one. No let's talk about the garden. As a whole. And i should say that. This is probably the worst gardening soil. That i have ever encountered. I noticed that in its previous reincarnations this place just to be the town dump. And for fourteen years prior to last year's garden. It was a parking lot for trucks. Well we added a lot of heat loss to the soil. And some fertilizer and

last fall some annoyance with built the soil up a little bit. And we raised the beds we put some boards around here. Primarily so the cameraman could get through. Even have a concrete path up the middle so smooth the big cameras on it. Well. You can do the same sort of thing in your own yard. If you have very poor soil or very wet soil. With some boards around it or some railroad ties. Which are dirty and it will drain quickly. But remember that also means that nourishment will be lost from it. But it is. Gives you a good early garden. So a trick of the trade that you will learn as you go along in here. And you see we planted some when i arrived. Last fall. Growing up very nicely. That went awry will dig into the ground to enrich the soil. In on this side bed over here which is only thirty inches wide. We'll have what amounts to a perennial garden. With delphiniums and foxglove and hollyhocks and roses. And you will see for cutting it up on the fence. We're going to have some cucumbers

and melons and clematis finds and. Some of those great scholar. Run of beans. I mean here. We had a little of that applause. This is the english daisy. Which we grew up on in the mulch pine needle mulch last one a lovely little fall. So few people know the english daisy. Well let's go on back in the this end of the garden this couple of things i'd like to show you here for example. Are some alpine strawberries. Now i planted these alpine strawberries in december from seeds. They grow very rapidly. They will get to be about a foot tall and equally. Wide. Will be a flowers and fruit all summer long a great board of plants. Again something which a lot of people never heard of. But us so easy to grow. Back in this particular section where you. Nothing is growing at this point apparently. I haven't in the here. And asparagus bed. Which

i planted last year. Not up yet. But you wait. I'm going to i'm going to plant another roll of asparagus next to it and. I'm going to show you how to get to a year's worth of growth in a single season. By the way i've planted asparagus in a couple of weeks. Be over my shoulder. You see harvard stadium. Off e.c.l. across game going on in the background there too. We have a resident mocking bird i heard a song sparrow up in the tree this morning. And we do get jet planes too. But i don't want to show you right here. This contraption. This is a compost and compost. Is this marvelous material that you make out of the waste. Stems and weeds and such a view from your garden. This is what i call a serious garden as. Secret weapon. There's nothing that can fail to respond to compost. All the through here we're going to grow some corn this year. We have some stems of the old. Josel

modest joke from last year. And back here i have a cold frame. You like to just take a peek in here to see where i have been planning for this show for a long time. I see various kinds of plants all over in this corner. You see some. Some cabbages and some cauliflower. And broccoli. Two or three different kinds of lettuce seedlings coming along. We have some onion seedlings in here. These of various kinds of petunias coming along. Different stages. This is a very inexpensive way to get an early start on spring. Now in this garden. Also you say you were in the northern area. We're going to even grow peanuts. And sweet potatoes things that you don't. Are nearly think of growing. In this part of the country. But now. Let's go over we're stuck talking about lawn care. And this is certainly an appropriate subject at this time of year. I want you to look at this little piece of ground that i have.

Over underneath these trees we left we. Naturalized. Some daffodil bulbs last fall. And they're beginning to come up now but. Looking at the grass itself. Ashore. See what we have here. Here for example. As a good. Clump of fescue. I find foliage grass. Something that's very very good. Permanent grass. Next to it. Is some kentucky bluegrass. But right beside it isn't an ally in a more dandelion. I see is a chiquita over here. There's all sorts of weeds. Movies. And then you see these bare spots. Yes used to be some crab grass in there last summer. And if that sounds familiar to you. Well let me show you how you can correct. This kind of a lawn. With a minimum amount of effort. I use what i call. The thirty percent test. If. Thirty percent of this ground is covered with a permanent grass. I would not dig it

although i did. Providing the grade it's what i want and don't want to change the. Elevations any. I would not dig it because that's the hardest possible way to get a no go on. Why don't we do what you say we go ahead and get rid of the weeds. We'll see the grass. And then we'll see how nicely this lawn will improve as the season goes along. On the first thing that we have to do. In the eastern part of the country to improve the lawn. Is to add some lime. Now. In the western part of the country. It would be salsa. Because the soil is already too alkaline. Here we go. Just using us. A spread us such as this. Running across your lawn. So that it looks as though there are a light snowfall. Now as to amounts. Roughly thirty five to fifty pounds of lime. To a thousand square feet of lawn. That is. Like to get the lime on in the fall but lime is so important to the good to the grass. That i would get it on. Anyway.

Regardless of the season. Next as fertilizer. Fertilizer pos money. You ought to get the kind that gives you the most value for your money. And that is a high nitrogen. Slow release fertiliser. Now. You look on the bag and you'll find a series of three numbers. The first one. Always is nitrogen. It's a high number. Because nitrogen is the element. Which makes grass green and makes it grow fast. The second one is phosphorous. Not as important in a lawn. Nor is a very good. Which is potash. Always look for a high. First number. For a lawn fertilizer. Get a slow release fertiliser. Something which you can apply in the spring. And again in the fall and with a perfect seeding throughout the year. It's a shame to have to go out every. Every month or two and add a water saw uble fertilizer. Which may

seem less expensive when you look at the price on the bag. But the stuff just disappears and water carries the array and fall carries it right down. Out of reach of the roots. If you don't have to spread it isn't it is it i have with lime in my spreta. This is one way that you can apply. Your fertilize the two of the soil. To your lawn. Just throw it out like this i is telling someone the other day this is. Reminds me of a kid when the seed chickens. Just throw the seed out like that. Throw the fertilizer on the lawn and. When it rains or when you water the lawn. No trance will go right down in and see the grass. You know the best weed control. Not chemicals. But it's. Fertilizer and cutting the grass high. Well said grass. Is is so strong that the weeds can't compete with it. But an offer to kill and sense. We have a problem where the weeds are now in control. And so i am going to have to use a chemical. To put

them where they belong. And i'm but i'm not going to use a chemical in a broadcast manner. I really. I i hesitate to use chemicals at all but. Here we have a weed problem. Where i guess is a. Is many dandelions in this. Lawn as there are grass plants. I have two kinds of what we are not going to broadcast it. I'm going to simply. Spot kill them. Now this is an expensive way to do with you have a small lawn it's pretty effective. Just take your list one which has a foam attached to it upside down and spray it right on that dandelion. So you can get pretty good for your target practice after a while. You know. Two weeks. Those. Dandelions will have sure away. One day you'll go out and they won't. Even be there. You wonder what happened to them. Now another thing to use. Is this cane which they weeds tilling spray.

This go on you do this me ending up you know and yes. You have each one a little shot. No problems to it at all. Well that's the way. It will control the weeds. But now. Let's talk about the bare spots. Because everyone seems to have them at this time of year. And this particular spot in our garden we had a cold frame sitting. Last year and all the grass got killed. So we're going to start in by saying we. We know the ground. Yes. Is tough and hard. And it lacks organic matter. So i'm going to suggest to you that you begin by putting some heat loss. Just like this all over b.s.. Try to get. About an inch of the moss on the soil. And then use a spading fork such as this. Dig it into the top six inches of the soil. Ras roots are concentrated and that layer of the earth. So you don't have to go. Too deeply. But mix it in there early as you can. I got in here in athens fine.

With many rocks and just. As well. You can see immediately having. Dug that all over the soil is higher than the surrounding surface. But what do we do now this. Here's your feet. Press write down on its impact that's because the soil should be firm and the grass roots are going to get started. Well. I we have it firmed. We have the organic matter in it. Fertilizer has been spread on the top. Now we use an iron right now this in this instance and this. Breaking that right across now we'll gather a few clods and such which will have to be carried away. But there. There's a good seed bed. For the grass. This like that. Next we talk about grass seeds. And i want to talk about the difference between cheap seeds. And good seeds. And i me tell you right off the bat.

That the good seeds. Are the best of by in the long run. This is annual ryegrass big corps seeds. Two hundred thousand seeds in a pound that seems like a lot. But look at here. Look at the blue grass beside it how much smaller they are this. Two million two hundred thousand seeds in the pound. That's a far superior thing because they cover all many more plants you're going to get what i'm going to plant. Is a mixture of the blue grass. Which like sunshine. Best deal which does well in sun or shade. And so this would be a good mixture. For either location. Probably so a little bit on those bare spots like that. All you have to do to it is that of the way. You noticed a minute ago. I raked in that direction. No i'm going to rake. Across that. I did agree.

And most of those grass seeds. Will have disappeared. Those that lie on the surface. Won't be bothered at all they will still sprout. Grass will struggle very easily even thoughts lying on the surface. Provided. You keep the ground. Moist. I'll try to water it. So that the water does not stand on the surface. You've got to keep that. The i like to use an oscillating sprayer actually. Because that way we get a minimum of problems. Well we're coming back to lawns again and again. But that's going to talk about some potatoes. Now potatoes. Are cold weather crops. There you know that they're grown in northern states. Like idaho or mean. Even when they've grown in the far solve. And in the fall they grow in the winter. Harvested in the spring. Which means again. I think growing in the cool time of the year. Some gardeners might say well. I just wonder if i have the space for potatoes. All i have here. One fourteen foot roll. It's going to take four potatoes.

Cut up. To make enough pieces. To give me a dozen the so plants in here. From this. I'm going to dig on. Minimum of twenty five pounds of potatoes. And maybe even fifty pounds. As you see you do get a darn good return for your investment. But tadros must have sunshine. Full sun. They like a light sandy soil if possible. And they like an acid so well. Very important because if it's this money lying on the soil. The potatoes develop scarab which is a whole sort of a descriptive term of what happens to the skin of potatoes grown on the sweet soil. So if you have a lime just garden. Scatter some sulfur on the soil too. And dig that in. There are many many varieties of potatoes. Some have some interesting names. Now you know there's the burbank potato. We think of the. Idaho potato. The idaho russet. But in the state of maine there are no interesting ones kind of indian names qatada and then kenya back again.

And so they go. Great potatoes but that doesn't mean that the varieties that i have named. Are necessarily the ones that was do well for you. What you want to do is to go to your garden center. And get what's called. Certified seed potatoes. For your area. They mean that means that they have been grown by people who. Guarantee that the seed potatoes and cells are free of disease. And also the right this is do well. Now i'm going to cut one of these potatoes up and show you. Just how we handle them. This is a variety costs of piri a good early variety. These details only came in here yesterday. The eyes have not developed a very much a matter of fact. Here's one that i got about a week ago friday call red pontiac which is a mid season. And i let this one stay out in the light and got some nice for. Small shoots on it. That one is an easy one to cut up and not want to just cut that one

for the fun of it and see how. What we can get out of it. Each piece. Should have. Two to three. Eyes and should the. About the size of a hand say one and a half to two ounces. Now it's certainly one good division there. Can make a good decision right here. One has three eyes that one has three. One has to find. Let's give you three plants from one potato. But i would have put those right into the ground. There's a very good chance some disease would develop. And some of these would rot. So i'm going to just dip those cut surfaces and sulphur plain odd meringue sulphur. Just like that we can use kept him. With what all you going to do is to help it so that the disease will be. Well i won't be able to get into it. Now we go back to the soil preparation we have the potatoes ready. I would like these by

the way. To sit out in the sun for two or three days before i plant them. Because i really and. I like that sort of cauterised sober eyes they say a little bit before i plant. Now this is the way i advised planning potatoes. Degas trench something about a quarter five inches deep. You know to say. I set my string. To one side about six inches to one side of where i want the trench to go. I can tell we're about six. Is this. So i can come right along. Make my trench about the way i want it. When the next thing comes is this we need some fertilizer and fertilizer for potatoes. Just. You might say. Diametrically opposite from what we have. Progress. Instead of a high nitrogen it's a low niketan of five high farce for us. Hypoxic five ten ten. Actual on. Potato fertilizer. Here is all we do.

Take a handful of this. Sprinkle it in the trench. Don't need very much. Just a little. Yes a little along it we can always see these potatoes. A little bit later on in the season. Now i who are like that this little four pronged. Color veda. Which i can ride along the bottom of the trench. Like that and i'm going to mix that fertilizer. In so that when i put the pieces of potato. Into the ground. They won't actually touch the fertiliser. I would pick up a couple of these tailpieces which i started a few days ago. And they have dried out. We do now. Starting right here with the man. Oh about nine to twelve inches apart. But the cut surface down. Three hills of potatoes. Planted. Cover the nowness. Carbonneau. Only about two inches.

That means they'll be up in about three or four weeks we'll use this extra soil. To pull here in on. On the sides the potato plants themselves. Will be down with the soil is nice and cool. Well let's go into the greenhouse. And i want to answer a few questions for you. I have a couple. Plants up on the bench this. You might be interested in. First of all this is a rather expensive. Dahlia. I bought just one tuba. If i would have planted that in my garden i haven't had one plant. But by planting it in the house or here as we have here in the greenhouse. I have now four stems coming from that. I'll simply take cuttings off this. And wrote them now have have five plants. There be no coming from here. I'll get a dozen plants or so from that one before the spring seed planting season has arrived.

Is a gladiolus. Growing a flower pot it's ready to be shifted to a bigger size. With get blossoms in here just for the fun of it. Something is a deal on a sunny window sell. Well let's get to a couple of questions. This lady would like to know can we use compost in the same way as peat moss. To improve our sandy soil on the cape. Well you know compost and caviar are somewhat in the same category as far as i'm concerned. I wouldn't put caviar on a hero sandwich. And i wouldn't spread compost. Just all over my garden. I don't have enough of it. So what i'd do is say to compost put underneath the crops. Can i plant strawberries between my asparagus plants. The rose at two feet apart. Well first of all your smartest rows should be about four feet apart. The certainly no room for strawberries. Besides the strawberries. Would like full sunshine. Not the shade of the asparagus plants. Can lyman fertilizer be put on

the garden at the same time do they neutralize each other well ideally lime should be put on your garden in the fall. And it works into the soil all through the winter. But line is so important that i would put that on in the spring if this is your first garden with your peat moss. And your lime on together. Examine. Edge of fertiliser just at your time of planting. Because if it goes on at the same time. And it rains. Part of their fertilizer will go right down. Out of sight. Well that's all we have time for today. But next week's program. Really going to do a job for you on soil preparation. Which includes soil testing which talk about the dish not blind to the garden or solve or talk about. Fertilizers and the new plants and vegetables. I'm going to plant a clump of rhubarb and plant some great prions. All those things which i hope you won't. Won't want in the us right here on crockett's victory garden.

I hope you enjoy the program. Every week.