How to Plant a Gazpacho Garden

 

 

Reign in the summer garden fresh produce with this classic Spanish dish. Traditionally served as a cold soup, this is one perfect meal for a hot summer evening.

Things You’ll Need:

    Planting space that receives at least 6 hours of sun
    At least 6 tomato plants
    1 Green pepper plant
    1 Red pepper plant
    3 Cucumber plants
    Garlic cloves
    Red, white, or yellow onion starts
    Scallion starts
    optional, 1 cilantro plant
    optional, 1 parsley plant
    optional, 1 basil plant
    A LARGE tomato cage for each tomato and pepper
    Shovel
    Water

• Step1

You've located your garden bed in area that receives at least 6 hours of direct sunlight. After removing any sod or weeds, in an area that is 8' X 8' or bigger, top dress the soil with 2 inches of compost, 1 inch of well rotted or aged manure, 4 cups of bone meal sprinkled (more if the space is bigger), and organic slow release vegetable fertilizer sprinkled at the rate specified on the back of the package (different products have different application amounts). Double dig or till the amendments in 8 inches deep and rake the soil surface smooth before planting.

• Step2

Once all danger of frost has past, it's time for planting. Tomatoes and peppers are going to be your biggest plants and they're going to need the most water. Plant them so they don't shade out any other plants and it'll be easy for you to stretch the hose to them, about 15 inches apart. Leggy tomatoes can be planted deep with only 25% of the plant left above the soil surface. Everything else has to be planted at a depth that doesn't leave the plant sunk or buried deep in the hole (plant it high it wont die, plant it low it wont grow).

• Step3

Plant the garlic, scallions, and onions close to the tomatoes, since they naturally repel bad bugs. The 3 cucumbers should live in the middle or front of the garden, leaving enough space to walk between the plants for harvesting. The final layer should be the optional herbs (basil, parsley, and cilantro) since they need the least amount of water and nutrients.

• Step4

Install the tomato cages around the young tomatoes and peppers. Add a 2 inch layer of mulch. I like straw, but others prefer bark, peat moss, compost, or a thin layer of grass. Water well and continue to keep the garden moist but not soggy, throughout the season. A monthly application of the vegetable fertilizer would benefit the tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers. The herbs, onions, scallions, and garlic will only need regular light water. Harvest the basil, parsley, and cilantro often to avoid the plants sending up flowers and bolting (flowers on herbs = bitter herb flavor).

How to clean out your gutters and down spouts

 Although we all would love to have the new leaf guard gutters in place if you didn’t clean your gutters in the fall it is good to do so now before those large rains hit. You don’t need a lot of cleaning supplies to get the job done as you will see in the next section.

• Step1

For the tools part you can include a mild soap so that it will not inhibit your grass growth. The other tools would be of your own making. They sell some pretty weird stuff out there to clean down spouts and gutters but nothing that you could not make on your own. The sky is the limit here. I have used old garden and kitchen tools, a child’s shovel, and even a garden hose taped to a broom handle for unreachable problems. They make these cheap poles to put up Christmas lights, my kids now call them the leaf poker.

• Step2

Safety is key when gutter cleaning. I know most of us who don’t normally climb ladders would rather buy new gutters. You could hire a cleaning company to do it for you but if your home is a manageable size you could save a lot of money by doing it yourself.

• Step3

Try to remove the leaves and other debris in 1-2 foot sections. If you use the push them down method it could cause a clog in your down spout. If you do run into a clog a cheap plumber’s snake is about $15 at the local hardware store and if you have young children it may save you on more then just this project.

• Step4

Pile the debris in the trash bags or on a tarp. Move the container down with you as you go and dump it when necessary. Wash the insides out with a mild soap that will do nothing more to your plants and grass then keep the bugs off them (Go green here). Before you know it your gutters and down spouts will be sparkling again.