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This latest buzz in gardening began to reach its hype last season with many of us reading terms like 'sustainability', 'eco', '100 mile diet' everywhere we turned. All indications point to this trend continuing to grow as we all start to questions where our food comes from and it's impact on our health and the environment. Whether you are a die- hard foodie looking for the freshest tasting produce, an eco conscious consumer who cares about the sustainability issues of trucking food halfway across the planet or a passionate gardener (veteran or beginner) who simply just wants to grow their own vegetables ,you all share the same goal...a great veggie garden!
5 Key Elements To A Great Veggie Garden:
1. LOTS OF SUN
- Most edible plants require at least 6 hours of sunlight a day. Be sure to assess the light in your yard before digging up your veggie plot.
- Leafy veggies such as lettuce, kale & swiss chard can tolerate partial shade as well as some herbs. They can be planted beside tall trellises of pole beans to shade them in the afternoon.
2. GOOD DIRT
- Compost and manure(sheep, mushroom and Biosol, a sea compost, are the best!) should be added to your veggie garden every season.
- Good healthy loamy soil will increase your yields and grow good healthy plants
3. WATER
- Watering on a regular basis helps reduce stress on veggie plants.
- Long deep soakings encourage deep strong roots versus light sporadic sprinklings of water. Invest in a good sprinkler or soaker hose rather than standing over your garden with a hose end sprayer.
4. BUGS BE GONE
- Invest in a good Insecticidal Soap which is an effective eco choice for most garden insects.
- Nothing worse than looking out in the morning to see your entire crop ravished by midnight snackers. So for all you country dwellers battling Bambi, Bobbex is an excellent repellant.
-The age old tradition of planting marigolds to ward off aphids and other pests is another great 'green' way to keep your garden happy and healthy. Adds a great colour splash too.
5. HEIRLOOM
- These tasty varieties are the vegetables your ancestors grew. They are often far more flavourful than the hybrids but often not as pretty. Heirloom tomatoes are some of the best tasting on the market right now. Brandywine is my all time favourite.
- Be sure to include a couple of heirloom vegetables in your garden I promise you will not regret it!
Be sure to make it a family affair, teaching children the love and respect of gardening is an investment in the future.
HAVE FUN | 
After one season plants with Myke used in the soil at planting time have shown a % stronger root system than ones without. 
SAMARITAN FLOWERING DOGWOOD
