For you who like an instant melon instead growing them in your garden, there are some tips you may want to consider before purchasing one. Should you have to buy melons at a farmer’s market or store then the test of all melons except for watermelon is not “thumping” or pushing in on the stem end, but smelling. If they smell like a melon then they are ripe. If they do not, they are not ripe, but will probably be in 2 to 4 days when left at room temperature. Most people put their melons in the refrigerator. However, some people like their melon at room temperature because the flavor is just more flavor to them at room temperature.

If you really interested to growing some melons in your garden, here are some recommended steps to plant them properly. Try to remember each of them to get a good result. When you sow your melon seeds sow in place about two weeks after the last spring frost and plant your seeds about 1 inch deep, 12 inches apart, in rows 5 feet apart. For those who follow the “hill” planting method then plant 4 to 5 seeds per hill with your hills about 5 feet apart. Small melons can be trellised but larger ones would need a cloth sling to support each fruit. You can use an old panty hose, recycled mesh onion and orange bags. The ideal weather for melons is 2 weeks of dry climate just before harvesting.

Recommended

• December 6, 2009 — The Victory Garden (7)
• November 23, 2009 — Are You A Lazy Gardener? (1)
• November 7, 2009 — Planting Sweet Potatoes in Your Garden (4)
• October 10, 2009 — Wild-Flower Garden (1)
• August 21, 2009 — The Important Preparation Before You Step to your Garden (1)

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Maybe you are wondering if this old age projects are convenient to be implemented in this era. Let’s think of advantage from building this kind of project on these days. You will have better fresh produce. You will have outside activity. You will have a family project. You will be teaching your children something. You will be having quality time with your family. You will have exercise. You will have remade a connection with the planet and mother earth. You may or may not be reducing your food budget, but your food will taste better. You may even learn how to do other things such as canning or preserving food.

From every point of view, this project can only bring goodness, isn’t it? It will be a big good step to reach a better progress in your life. If you decide to plant a victory garden remember that a space of 5 ft. by 20 ft will produce enough produce for one person, ergo should there be 4 in your family you will need reproduce that space 4 times. Plant veggies and fruits those are able to grow in your zone. You do not need a lot of equipment. If possible, try to do some research. Make your garden organic. Do not use pesticides. Get other friends and family members involved should you have a big enough space to do some like a community victory garden in.

Recommended

• December 14, 2009 — The Delicious Melon (6)
• November 23, 2009 — Are You A Lazy Gardener? (1)
• November 7, 2009 — Planting Sweet Potatoes in Your Garden (4)
• October 10, 2009 — Wild-Flower Garden (1)
• September 6, 2009 — Garden Pests (4)

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1. The bucket
   You can purchase a garden tote that’s made of fabric and fits into a five-gallon bucket. It has loads of storage pockets and you can carry your trowel, pruning shears, garden gloves, seeds, a knife, popsicle sticks for marking plants. Keep a bag of bone meal in the large center of the bucket so it will be on hand when you plant bulbs or new plants.
2. Soaker hoses
   They work well and are more environmentally friendly. You just need to leave them in the garden all the time and only remove them to till up the soil, then put them right back. Soakers are a better way of watering your plants because wet leaves can lead to disease and mildew.
3. A mailbox
   If you too lazy to walk all the way back to the ‘Bucket’ in the barn, put up an old rural mailbox on a post in the middle of my perennial bed in the front. You can keep an extra pair of pruning shears, gloves and a hand trowel in it. Keep some mosquito repellant in the bucket and the mailbox is another good idea. Put decals or paint decorative designs on your mailbox if you want it to blend in more with your garden.
4. Round up
   It kills only the plants you put it on. It does this by preventing the cells from dividing. It breads down into the soil and does not harm the environment. You can also use it for large areas of grass that has invaded my flower beds. Just be careful not to apply it on a windy day as it will be hard to control. It kills what it touches. If you have a large area of grass or weeds, you can use an old sponge mop to apply the Round-up.
5. Weed prevention
   Preventing weeds is helpful for the lazy gardener. In spring you just need to pull weeds, trowel in a little bone meal, compost, composted manure and then sprinkle it with some Preen. Then, lay a layer or three of newspaper down and cover that with cedar mulch.
6. Plants
   Perennials make gardening a little easier, but they aren’t work-free. Research your plants before you buy them if you want the least labor intensive perennials. Perennial ground covers are perfect for lazy gardeners. Sedums, Myrtle or Vinca, Violets, Sweet Woodruff and Bishop’s Weed all fill areas in quite nicely and require very little attention. They are invasive, however, so keep this in mind. They may take over an area too fast for your needs.

Recommended

• December 14, 2009 — The Delicious Melon (6)
• December 6, 2009 — The Victory Garden (7)
• November 7, 2009 — Planting Sweet Potatoes in Your Garden (4)
• October 21, 2009 — The Cultivation of Vegetables (4)
• October 10, 2009 — Wild-Flower Garden (1)

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