Growing your own fruits and vegetables is a rewarding hobby that is good for your body, mind, soul and taste buds! Plant now for a delicious bounty all summer long. Starting with plants from Blackhawk Hardware’s Garden Center gives your garden an advantageous head-start. Only the finest seedlings wind up in our assortment. We have a terrific selection of tomatoes along with squash, cucumbers, green beans, okra, watermelons, cantaloupes, and then some. Read on for growing tips for these edibles!
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are easy and rewarding to grow in the Carolinas. When choosing your tomato plants, you may notice the words “determinate” and “indeterminate.” Determinate tomato plants grow until they reach a certain size, whereas indeterminate varieties are vines that continue to grow and grow unless you trim them occasionally.
These vines will need support as they grow. Set-up tomato cages when you plant your tomatoes or place stakes next to them and tie them to the stems as the plants grow.
Water your tomato plants deeply and regularly. Remove sucker sprouts that suck energy from the main and fruit-bearing branches. Occasionally treat them to a dose of compost tea fertilizer!
Squash
Squash or Zucchini are delicious additions to your Charlotte vegetable garden for not only their fruit but their edible blossoms as well. Keep your squash plants evenly moist. To reduce the chances of pests, you can cover your plants with row covers and lift them for a few hours each day for pollinator access.
Cucumbers
Whether it’s eating pickled or fresh cucumbers, they are a refreshing delight in the Charlotte summer heat! The vine varietals of cucumbers will need support to help carry their heavy fruit. These guys really need water so make sure to keep them moist throughout their growing season. Soaker hoses are fantastic ideas. Cucumber plants also appreciate lots of compost tea to help them produce plenty of cucumbers. To help prevent pests, consider the use of neem oil and pyrethrum.
Green Beans
Bush and pole beans are easy plants to grow that will produce all summer long. Get ready to share with all your friends! Pole beans, as the name implies, will need stakes or a trellis to thrive. Try growing them around a teepee-style arrangement of stakes!To help keep the surrounding soil moist once they have blossomed, consider mulching.
Okra
Okras are not only tasty but their plants have the most beautiful blossoms! Grow this southern staple for fresh additions to gumbo and other stews or roasted, fried or pickled okra. Easy to grow, okra is very pest resistant and only needs infrequent (but deep) waterings.
Watermelons and Cantaloupes
Melons are such a fun fruit to grow in your garden! As they need to acquire all the water their juicy fruits store, these plants need lots of water. Soaker hoses are preferred over watering from above. Make sure you attract pollinators by planting flowers like marigolds (a wonderful companion plant) near-by. If you want to be absolutely sure that pollination occurs you can hand-pollinate the female melon blossoms with a small paintbrush.
Happy growing folks! We hope your Charlotte garden will be bountiful for you this year! If you have any questions, our knowledgeable staff is happy to assist you!
