Nature’s Call

Get Your Tools Ready for Gardening

Ever notice how that hoe or shovel worked much better when brand new? Now, using either one gets into some real work! The reason is simple. They’ve lost their “edge” and instead of slicing through whatever, they are forced to slog through!

Take a look at your hoe, specifically the angle of the cutting edge. Is the edge sharp or just blunt. If blunt, it’s time to put that edge back in shape! You can do this with a file or grinding wheel, or you can take it to a machine shop where they’ll put that edge on a LOT faster. Except for new hoes, most blades are as much as 4” from top to cutting edge. One way to really improve your hoe’s efficiency would be to cut the blade down to no more than 2” from top to cutting edge. Doing this takes a wee bit more effort, but you can avoid this by simply buying a new hoe with a shorted blade.

How about your shovels, or rather spades. A spade has a flat blade tip and is used for moving things like snow, coal or dirt . A shovel has a pointed edge and is for digging in the dirt. While a sharp edge may not be so important on a spade, it can be critical for a shovel. Trying to cut roots with a shovel’s dull edge can quickly change a simple job into some real work. Wider blade shovels can be worked with a regular file or grinding wheel. Narrow bladed shovels often have a ruffled edge, and must be sharpened with a round file.

If the handles become rough, simply sand them smooth. To check, close your eyes and run your hands over the surface. You’ll quickly find any areas needing more sanding.

Beets in Your Garden

Everybody thinks tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers and Okra for their garden, but a refreshing change might include beets. White, golden, and orange varieties exist, but most are familiar with the red beet, so let’s talk about that one.

Beets are one of the more early planted vegetables, with seeds being planted a month before the last expected freeze. If you want continual production, make successive plantings every 2-3 weeks. Seeds germinate in 5-10 days and provide leafy, edible greens in just over a month. The beet itself takes at least another month to longer to attain decent size. A frequent problem is pulling the vegetable based on foliage size rather than checking the size of the beet.

You can plant seeds as close as 2” apart, but this means you’ll have to thin them as they grow. Beets expand in all directions as they grow, which means a portion of the beet will be above ground. Be sure to keep them covered or shaded to avoid having a tough vegetable.

Beets can be harvested when they are smaller than a ping pong ball, but patience will allow them to achieve baseball size. Along the way, you can pick 1-2 leaves per plant for green salads, but leave much of the foliage until you’re ready to pick the beet. They tell me leaves are best when about 6” long, but shorter leaves seem to taste just fine. For fall plantings, put seeds in the ground 10-12 weeks before the first expected frost.

Rabbits and voles (looks like a very short, very fat mouse) love beets, so if not in an urban area, fencing to keep them out may be necessary to protect the crop. Beets are a very easy vegetable to grow in your garden., and trying them may prove very satisfying