The Sprainbrook Catalog

| Catalog | HOME |
Previous Catalog Item	Next Catalog Item

Search only in Vegetables

---

Sprainbrook now offers organic vegetable seedlings. We offer a selection of tried and true varieties as well as a selection of heirloom tomatoes. All of the vegetables are grown organically. Varieties grown from organic seeds are marked as such. 

Vegetables in the same price range can be mixed and matched for the dozen price. Any additional purchases over a dozen are charged at the lower rate.

Listed are the vegetables available as plants at Sprainbrook Nursery. Those not listed should be started from seed.

If there is one reason to go organic then it is to grow Organic Vegetables on your property. Vegetables require a sunny well drained rich organic soil. Most people will section off a special area on their property to grow them in. These areas can be fenced in to keep animals and rodents out. We have a pamphlet on how to fence in a vegetable garden. Raised beds have become popular in the vegetable garden and drip irrigation can save you time and provides plants with the necessary water for their survival. It is often difficult to find a location for your vegetable garden that will fit in aesthetically. Side gardens or gardens behind structures often work out. Foreground planting with perennials and annuals can soften these gardens. If you have turned your whole property into an organic program, you can plant your vegetables wherever you want and if you are clever enough and creative enough they will become part of your landscape design. This concept is called Edible Landscaping. While many gardeners would like to grow their own vegetables they do not have the time or the space. However they would love to pick a few fresh tomatoes or gather some fresh herbs. Integrating vegetables with perennials, annuals and flowering shrubs goes along with the organic concept. The greater the mix the greater the success. I am fully integrating plants on my own property and finding it an exciting challenge in Landscape Design - a concept dating back to ancient Egyptian times. When reintroduced into the landscape design, gardeners find that edibles can also be beautiful. Growing good vegetables requires a good understanding of organics. Once you have selected your site and designated a specific area, you will need to prepare your soil. The preparation of the planting bed is essential and below is a successful formula to use. Spread these materials evenly over the top of your soil and dig or till them in to 12 inch depths. Once the proper bed has been created, the area can be reused each year by following our monthly program.

ORGANIC PREPARATION OF A NEW PLANTING BED
Per 100 square feet dig and mix into the top one foot area:
2 bales of peatmoss 3.8 cubic feet.
2 bags of Lobster mix: 1 cubic foot
2 bags of Penobscott mix: 1 cubic foot
2 bags of Cow Manure: 1 cubic foot
2 bags of Fafard Topsoil
1 lb. Mineral Rock Dust
5 pounds of Lime
4.5 pounds of Bone Meal
5 pounds of Plant Tone (Espoma)
1.4 quart Myke for Vegetables

It is important to plan your vegetable garden. A lot depends on the size of your plot and the amount of space you are willing to give up for this garden. Large vegetable gardens lend themselves to row planting and fencing in to prevent animal damage. Raised beds can produce a more intensified planting. Container planting can provide another choice where little or no adequate land is available. Whatever your choices are it will be beneficial for you to decide what crops you want to grow and to make a plan of where you will place them. Vegetable gardens are not particularly pretty to look at so foreground planting them with perennials and annuals can make them look more attractive. Although rectangular designs are more efficient for planting you can play with various shapes and designs to see what fits into your overall scheme.

Growing vegetables organically is more nutritious. The microbes in an organic soil work as de-composers breaking the organic matter down not only into the macro nutrients but into micro-nutrients. This diverse mixture of nutrients makes for a better tasting and more nutritious vegetable.

Vegetables require different times to be planted. We break them down into three groups Cool Weather, Warm Weather and Hot Weather.

Cool weather crops should be planted about 2 weeks before the last frost. They include Beets, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Celery, Garden Peas, Lettuce, Onions, Radishes, Spinach, Turnips. Warm weather crops should be planted just after the last frost. They include Cantaloupes, Carrots, Chard, Corn, Cucumbers, Peppers, Potatoes, Pumpkins, Snap beans, Squash Tomatoes.

Hot Weather crops should be planted about 3 weeks after the last frost. They include Eggplant, Field peas, Lima beans, Okra, Shell beans, Sweet potatoes, Watermelons.

Harvesting: The art of harvesting your vegetables at the right time is important. The basic rule is to harvest your vegetables early and often. If you eat your vegetables on the same day that they are harvested and if they are harvested at the right time you will be eating them at their greatest nutritional value. This will require tending to your garden frequently.

Watering: Watering is the most critical aspect of growing a good plant. In most cases overhead watering will result in disastrous results. Drip irrigation is my watering method of choice. We can help you set up simple inexpensive systems that can be attached to your faucet with an automatic timer. If you chose to water by hand water the roots not the foliage. Water deeply and less frequently. A good grower will spot water plants that are dry rather than watering everything. Too much or too little water can be detrimental to your plants. Most vegetables need a half inch to an inch of water each week.

Staking: Plants that need staking require constant attention. Tomatoes need to be attached to their growing structure as they grow. Many vegetables require trellises to keep them off the ground. Check the Garden Center for the many methods of staking that are available to you.

Weeding: It is important to keep up with weeding from the start. Mulching is beneficial for your plants as well as aiding in weed control. In difficult to control weed areas apply double layers of newspaper covered with a 3-inch layer of mulch. Weed in the evening or early morning hours. Weed seeds exposed to sunlight germinate rapidly.

Fencing: Where rabbits, woodchucks, Deer and other animals are a problem fencing maybe your best answer. Use an inexpensive chicken wire fence. Bury 18" to 2 feet facing to the outside of the garden. Attach it to stakes three feet tall and leave 1 foot above the stake unattached. A friend saw a woodchuck go to the fence and start to dig under. It hit the underground fence, backed up and dug again with the same result. It backed up again and after hitting the underground chicken wire again gave up and decided to climb the fence. When it got to the top, the weight of the woodchuck propelled the fence backward, throwing the woodchuck to the ground. The woodchuck had enough and gave up.

Previous Level	Open All Folders in this page.
Vegetables
Asparagus	Likes a deep, rich soil with a pH of 6 to 8 in a sunny location.When planting Asparagus, dig a trench at least a foot or more deep. Add lots of organic matter, i.e.: cow manure, peat moss, etc. Apply 4-5 lbs of Plant-Tone fertilizer per 100 sq. ft. Set crowns 18" apart in a row and cover with 2" of soil. Water generously when tops are developing. Do not cut the first year. Cut sparingly second year. Should yield 4 weeks of cutting the third year. Pick when stems reach 8" in height and the buds are still tightly compressed. Beautiful fern-like foliage
Beans	$1.50 each, 12 for $15.00
Broccoli	Small pack $3.95
Brussels Sprouts	Small pack $3.95
Cabbage	Small pack $3.95
Collards
Corn	$1.50, 12 for $15.00
Cucumber	$1.50, 12 for $15.00. All varieties are monoecious, producing both male and female flowers on the same plant.
Eggplant	4 1/2" pot $2.00, 12 for $21.00
Kale
Lettuce	Small pack $3.95
Onion	Small pack $3.95
Peas	$1.50, 12 for $15.00
Pepper	$1.50, 12 for $15.00. Specialty peppers are $4.75 in 4 1/2" pots.
Rhubarb	Potted, 2 gal $10.95 Grows best in soil with pH of 5.5 to 7.0. In hole 2' wide by 2' deep, place 8" manure and compost, fill with equal parts of manure, peatmoss and topsoil. Space 3'. Harvest by twisting stalks near base. Cut seed stalks to ground. Not from an organic source.
Spinach	Small pack $3.95
Squash	$1.50, 12 for $15.00
Swiss Chard	$1.50, 12 for $15.00
Tomato	4 1/2" pot: $2.25, $24.00 dozen, 2 gal $8.95, 3 gal $9.95. Requires a sunny location and rich fertile soil. Use specific tomato food that is high in phosphate. Alternate location each year if possible. Stake or cage and space 24". Varieties are listed by number of days from planting out, until harvest: Some are F 1 hybrids; hand pollinated to produce seed for plants with greater germination, vigor, and consistency. I = Indeterminacy: The plant keeps growing taller, producing flowers and fruits until frost. Such a plant requires staking.   D = Determinacy: The plant grows to a certain height. Then it will branch out to produce flowers and fruits which ripen over a shorter period of time. These are often referred to as bush tomatoes and do best in cages. Disease Resistance is noted by the following letters: V = Verticillium. F, F1, F2 = Fusarium wilt, strain 1 or 2. N = Nematodes. T = Tobacco mosaic virus.
Watermelon	$1.50, 12 for $15.00.

---

| Catalog | HOME |
Previous Catalog Item	Next Catalog Item

 

 

SimpleMerchant 1.0.2