Wednesday, May 16, 2012

A letter to Belair-Edison Front Porch Farmers


Hello Belair-Edison Front Porch Farmers,
Planting time is here.  You will find with the attached packet of information your boxes planted, or plants to plant in your box(es).  Some of you have planted in your boxes already, so you can find a home for these veggies and flowers anywhere that gets 6 or more hours of sunlight per day.
These plants are from Valley View Farms and might include: tomatoes, peppers, basil, and marigolds.  I tried to pick plants that have been bred for containers.
Watering
Last season, most of our crop failure was do to a lack of watering. Water:
The limited volume of growing medium available to container vegetable plants makes it critical to keep the root system moist at all times. See the attachment, Water, Water, Water, Happy roots and plants by Grow it, Eat it at UMD Extension services.  Please be mindful of watering.  A plant not watered regularly is at least not going to produce, if not die.  
Fertilizing
I have included some organic fertilizer with instructions.  For a non-organic fertilizer I have also included Osmocote and Miracle-Gro with instructions.  Feel free to pick which you would like to use, or use both.  Think about this, University of Maryland researchers were able to double pepper production when 5-gallon buckets containing 100% compost were fertilized, at planting, with a slow-release fertilizer. This occurred because nitrogen is usually the limiting nutrient.  This highly soluble nutrient is required in large quantities by vegetable crops and is easily lost in the water that drains from the bottom of your containers”. From Grow it, Eat it.
Attached are planting and watering guidelines.  Feel free to contact me with any questions at 410-488-5312.  Come by the Green School’s gardens at anytime and see what is growing throughout the season.
Happy growing!  Did I say to remember to water...

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