Okra is a tall growing, warm season, annual vegetable from the same family as hollyhock and hibiscus. The immature pods are used for soups, canning and stews or as a fried or boiled vegetable. The upright plants have ornamental flowers for backyard gardeners. Okra seeds do not germinate well in cool soils, plant seeds after the soil has warmed in the spring, probable a week to 10 days after the last frost in your area. Sow seeds 1 inch deep in hills 12 to 24 inches apart. When the seedlings are 3 inches tall, thin all but the strongest plant per hill. Okra usually grows well in any good garden soil.

Buying pre-planted tomato plants can be pricey, I recommend growing your own. Find out when the last frost is expected in the area where you live and subtract about 8 weeks and plant indoors in planting containers. After the last frost hits you will be ready to plant and you will have a head start. Prepare the tomato bed with composted soil. Too much nitrogen will make the plant leggy with to much vine and not much fruit. The plants likes to sprawl on the ground but you will lose to many fruits this way and it is better to train the plant to grow upwards with the use of poles or cages. Some tomato vines can reach 15 feet and require a fence railing.

Organic seeds will produce organic fruits and vegetables with proper care. Your produce will not have any traces of harmful chemicals and are not genetically modified in any way. The environment and the gardener will benefit from organically grown garden seeds because they do not contribute any harmful chemicals to the earth or to the person that eats their produce. Organic garden seeds also yield genetically correct plants compared to planting seeds from genetically modified seeds. The flavor of the fruits and vegetables grown from organic seeds are greater than plants grown inorganically.

Healthy vegetables comes from healthy plants, and healthy plants comes from healthy soil so soil preparation is very important. Chemical fertilizers only feed the plant for a short time but organic fertilizer enriches the soil by feeding microbes that live in the soil and supply nutrients to plants, as well as creating a healthy environment for mycorrhizae. Adding organic material to the soil will feed the microbes that live below the earth. Mycorrhizae is a beneficial fungus that lives below the soil surface. These tiny fungus attach to plant roots, establishing a symbolic relationship with the plant. Through threadlike hyphae, they capture moisture and nutrients from the soil and share it with the roots of the host plant. In return, they receive nutrients from the plant through its photosynthesis process. This is one of the benefits of learning about Organic Gardening.

It seems almost every time I watch the news I hear about some impending world food shortage so I decided to grow a garden to produce my own vegetables. Plus I was also in an accident, the doctor at rehab said I did not have a stroke but I had stroke like conditions ( I have a brain injury). I am doing much better but some fresh air and sunshine can’t hurt. In addition to my regular rehab exercises a little work in the garden is going to help out. Plus learning how to grow vegetables can’t hurt. I been reading a lot about Organic Gardening. I think thats the way to go.