Gardening with Kids at Home

Hi all

I have just now started vegetable gardening at home with my son. I had a few beginner question. It would be great if someone could help me

1) when a vegetable has  been harvested from a plant, do we let the plant remain there and it will harvest again when it's time will come or do we take it out and plant a new seed in that pot?

2) about reusing the soil and pot, if we take out a plant from soil (sometimes because it has somehow not born any fruit or vegetable), can we sow the next seed in the same soil or do we have to take out that soil and put in another new mixture?

------------------------------
Richa Sharma
------------------------------

Hi Richa!
Great questions. 

1 - it depends on the vegetable! Some will bear additional fruit, and it can also depend on where you live (is it too hot/cold, etc.). Do you see any tiny buds forming? KidsGardening has growing guides for lots of common garden plants, and that might help you:  https://kidsgardening.org/plant-of-the-month/
Or feel free to ask about specific plants here in this forum.

2 - It's probably best to start with fresh soil. The plant will have used up lots of nutrients from the soil, and so the new plant will be starting with not as many available nutrients, and has less chance for success.

------------------------------
Beth Saunders
Director of Marketing & Communications
KidsGardening
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-21-2021 12:09:47 AM
From: Richa Sharma
Subject: Basic gardening questions

Hi all

I have just now started vegetable gardening at home with my son. I had a few beginner question. It would be great if someone could help me

1) when a vegetable has  been harvested from a plant, do we let the plant remain there and it will harvest again when it's time will come or do we take it out and plant a new seed in that pot?

2) about reusing the soil and pot, if we take out a plant from soil (sometimes because it has somehow not born any fruit or vegetable), can we sow the next seed in the same soil or do we have to take out that soil and put in another new mixture?

------------------------------
Richa Sharma
------------------------------

Hey! What do you do with all the soil from the previous harvested pot? Does it all go waste after harvesting?

------------------------------
Richa Sharma
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-21-2021 11:25:16 AM
From: Beth Saunders
Subject: Basic gardening questions

Hi Richa!
Great questions. 

1 - it depends on the vegetable! Some will bear additional fruit, and it can also depend on where you live (is it too hot/cold, etc.). Do you see any tiny buds forming? KidsGardening has growing guides for lots of common garden plants, and that might help you:  https://kidsgardening.org/plant-of-the-month/
Or feel free to ask about specific plants here in this forum.

2 - It's probably best to start with fresh soil. The plant will have used up lots of nutrients from the soil, and so the new plant will be starting with not as many available nutrients, and has less chance for success.

------------------------------
Beth Saunders
Director of Marketing & Communications
KidsGardening

Original Message:
Sent: 06-21-2021 12:09:47 AM
From: Richa Sharma
Subject: Basic gardening questions

Hi all

I have just now started vegetable gardening at home with my son. I had a few beginner question. It would be great if someone could help me

1) when a vegetable has  been harvested from a plant, do we let the plant remain there and it will harvest again when it's time will come or do we take it out and plant a new seed in that pot?

2) about reusing the soil and pot, if we take out a plant from soil (sometimes because it has somehow not born any fruit or vegetable), can we sow the next seed in the same soil or do we have to take out that soil and put in another new mixture?

------------------------------
Richa Sharma
------------------------------

Hi Richa! Can you give a little information about your garden setting? What outdoor space do you have available and where are you gardening geographically? From my own experience in rural areas, we often have plenty of places around our yards where we can dump any used soil (and if we're doing this earlier in the year in northern climates, I'll sometimes toss some flower seeds or non-edibles in there and see if anything happens).

Wondering if @Michelle Zupan, @Shelley Mitchell, or @Sarah Pounders have some suggestions...​​​

------------------------------
Amelia Dupuis
Kids Garden Community Manager
KidsGardening
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 07-09-2021 11:47:37 AM
From: Richa Sharma
Subject: Basic gardening questions

Hey! What do you do with all the soil from the previous harvested pot? Does it all go waste after harvesting?

------------------------------
Richa Sharma

Original Message:
Sent: 06-21-2021 11:25:16 AM
From: Beth Saunders
Subject: Basic gardening questions

Hi Richa!
Great questions. 

1 - it depends on the vegetable! Some will bear additional fruit, and it can also depend on where you live (is it too hot/cold, etc.). Do you see any tiny buds forming? KidsGardening has growing guides for lots of common garden plants, and that might help you:  https://kidsgardening.org/plant-of-the-month/
Or feel free to ask about specific plants here in this forum.

2 - It's probably best to start with fresh soil. The plant will have used up lots of nutrients from the soil, and so the new plant will be starting with not as many available nutrients, and has less chance for success.

------------------------------
Beth Saunders
Director of Marketing & Communications
KidsGardening

Original Message:
Sent: 06-21-2021 12:09:47 AM
From: Richa Sharma
Subject: Basic gardening questions

Hi all

I have just now started vegetable gardening at home with my son. I had a few beginner question. It would be great if someone could help me

1) when a vegetable has  been harvested from a plant, do we let the plant remain there and it will harvest again when it's time will come or do we take it out and plant a new seed in that pot?

2) about reusing the soil and pot, if we take out a plant from soil (sometimes because it has somehow not born any fruit or vegetable), can we sow the next seed in the same soil or do we have to take out that soil and put in another new mixture?

------------------------------
Richa Sharma
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 7/9/2021 1:51:00 PM
From: Amelia Dupuis
Subject: RE: Basic gardening questions

Hi Richa! Can you give a little information about your garden setting? What outdoor space do you have available and where are you gardening geographically? From my own experience in rural areas, we often have plenty of places around our yards where we can dump any used soil (and if we're doing this earlier in the year in northern climates, I'll sometimes toss some flower seeds or non-edibles in there and see if anything happens).

Wondering if @Michelle Zupan, @Shelley Mitchell, or @Sarah Pounders have some suggestions...​​​

------------------------------
Amelia Dupuis
Kids Garden Community Manager
KidsGardening
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 07-09-2021 11:47:37 AM
From: Richa Sharma
Subject: Basic gardening questions

Hey! What do you do with all the soil from the previous harvested pot? Does it all go waste after harvesting?

------------------------------
Richa Sharma

Original Message:
Sent: 06-21-2021 11:25:16 AM
From: Beth Saunders
Subject: Basic gardening questions

Hi Richa!
Great questions. 

1 - it depends on the vegetable! Some will bear additional fruit, and it can also depend on where you live (is it too hot/cold, etc.). Do you see any tiny buds forming? KidsGardening has growing guides for lots of common garden plants, and that might help you:  https://kidsgardening.org/plant-of-the-month/
Or feel free to ask about specific plants here in this forum.

2 - It's probably best to start with fresh soil. The plant will have used up lots of nutrients from the soil, and so the new plant will be starting with not as many available nutrients, and has less chance for success.

------------------------------
Beth Saunders
Director of Marketing & Communications
KidsGardening

Original Message:
Sent: 06-21-2021 12:09:47 AM
From: Richa Sharma
Subject: Basic gardening questions

Hi all

I have just now started vegetable gardening at home with my son. I had a few beginner question. It would be great if someone could help me

1) when a vegetable has  been harvested from a plant, do we let the plant remain there and it will harvest again when it's time will come or do we take it out and plant a new seed in that pot?

2) about reusing the soil and pot, if we take out a plant from soil (sometimes because it has somehow not born any fruit or vegetable), can we sow the next seed in the same soil or do we have to take out that soil and put in another new mixture?

------------------------------
Richa Sharma
------------------------------

If this is an outdoor garden, you can take the opportunity to mix in compost where the plant was. If it's an outdoor container garden, same thing IF there were no diseases in those plants. Still add nutrients to make up for those taken up by your harvest. In smaller pots, just dump the soil into a dirt/compost pile. In such small pots, it's easier to just "start over". Wash and bleach the inside of the pot while you are at it, to kill off any viruses or mold that may be present. Any soil that was near a plant with a disease I just remove and put new in. But generally just mix in some compost and plant away!

------------------------------
Shelley Mitchell, PhD
Associate Extension Specialist
Youth Horticulture
Dept of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
Oklahoma State University
358 Ag Hall
Stillwater, OK 74078
[405-744-5755]
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 07-09-2021 11:47:37 AM
From: Richa Sharma
Subject: Basic gardening questions

Hey! What do you do with all the soil from the previous harvested pot? Does it all go waste after harvesting?

------------------------------
Richa Sharma

Original Message:
Sent: 06-21-2021 11:25:16 AM
From: Beth Saunders
Subject: Basic gardening questions

Hi Richa!
Great questions. 

1 - it depends on the vegetable! Some will bear additional fruit, and it can also depend on where you live (is it too hot/cold, etc.). Do you see any tiny buds forming? KidsGardening has growing guides for lots of common garden plants, and that might help you:  https://kidsgardening.org/plant-of-the-month/
Or feel free to ask about specific plants here in this forum.

2 - It's probably best to start with fresh soil. The plant will have used up lots of nutrients from the soil, and so the new plant will be starting with not as many available nutrients, and has less chance for success.

------------------------------
Beth Saunders
Director of Marketing & Communications
KidsGardening

Original Message:
Sent: 06-21-2021 12:09:47 AM
From: Richa Sharma
Subject: Basic gardening questions

Hi all

I have just now started vegetable gardening at home with my son. I had a few beginner question. It would be great if someone could help me

1) when a vegetable has  been harvested from a plant, do we let the plant remain there and it will harvest again when it's time will come or do we take it out and plant a new seed in that pot?

2) about reusing the soil and pot, if we take out a plant from soil (sometimes because it has somehow not born any fruit or vegetable), can we sow the next seed in the same soil or do we have to take out that soil and put in another new mixture?

------------------------------
Richa Sharma
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 6/21/2021 12:10:00 AM
From: Richa Sharma
Subject: Basic gardening questions

Hi all

I have just now started vegetable gardening at home with my son. I had a few beginner question. It would be great if someone could help me

1) when a vegetable has  been harvested from a plant, do we let the plant remain there and it will harvest again when it's time will come or do we take it out and plant a new seed in that pot?

2) about reusing the soil and pot, if we take out a plant from soil (sometimes because it has somehow not born any fruit or vegetable), can we sow the next seed in the same soil or do we have to take out that soil and put in another new mixture?

------------------------------
Richa Sharma
------------------------------

Hey! So for example i have planted cabbage and harvested them in August. Then they will again bear cabbage near August time only next year? I mean they will bear the fruit only during the harvesting season or will start the cycle again after harvesting?

------------------------------
Richa Sharma
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-21-2021 12:05:27 PM
From: Michelle Zupan
Subject: Basic gardening questions

Hello Richa,

Pretty much every single vegetable will keep producing once you harvest -- beans, cucumbers, melons, eggplant, peppers, etc. The exceptions are root crops like potatoes, carrots, beets. For greens, cut them with shears near the soil level, but don't disturb the root, they will put back out. 

 If your plant is not producing the first question is: is it blooming?  If it has not bloomed then give it more time. If it has bloomed, but there is not fruit then it may need a friend or you have a pollinator problem.  Bees and wasps move pollen from one plant to another.  Some plants need to have another of the same plant (like two squash plants) to ensure pollination.  If you aren't seeing bees or wasps on the flowers, then you can hand pollinate with a Q-tip -- just swirl it inside the flower to get the yellow grains on it and then go to another flower and repeat the process. Be sure NOT to allow any sprayed for "pest insects" anywhere near your vegetable plants because this kills beneficial pollinators too. 

If your plant is not producing because it is dead or dying, then you need to remove and discard the soil, wash the pot well with a bleach solution, rinse well, and start over.  Be sure not to overwater -- that is the #1 cause of potted plant death. 

--

Michelle Zupan

Curator 

Hickory Hill & the Tom Watson Birthplace

502 Hickory Hill Drive

Thomson, GA  30824

706-595-7777

FAX: 706-595-7177

Visit us at www.hickory-hill.org or on Facebook.

Follow us on Twitter: HHEducation

Historic homes of the Watson-Brown Foundation, Inc. 

Original Message:
Sent: 6/21/2021 12:10:00 AM
From: Richa Sharma
Subject: Basic gardening questions

Hi all

I have just now started vegetable gardening at home with my son. I had a few beginner question. It would be great if someone could help me

1) when a vegetable has  been harvested from a plant, do we let the plant remain there and it will harvest again when it's time will come or do we take it out and plant a new seed in that pot?

2) about reusing the soil and pot, if we take out a plant from soil (sometimes because it has somehow not born any fruit or vegetable), can we sow the next seed in the same soil or do we have to take out that soil and put in another new mixture?

------------------------------
Richa Sharma
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 7/9/2021 11:51:00 AM
From: Richa Sharma
Subject: RE: Basic gardening questions

Hey! So for example i have planted cabbage and harvested them in August. Then they will again bear cabbage near August time only next year? I mean they will bear the fruit only during the harvesting season or will start the cycle again after harvesting?

------------------------------
Richa Sharma
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-21-2021 12:05:27 PM
From: Michelle Zupan
Subject: Basic gardening questions

Hello Richa,

Pretty much every single vegetable will keep producing once you harvest -- beans, cucumbers, melons, eggplant, peppers, etc. The exceptions are root crops like potatoes, carrots, beets. For greens, cut them with shears near the soil level, but don't disturb the root, they will put back out. 

 If your plant is not producing the first question is: is it blooming?  If it has not bloomed then give it more time. If it has bloomed, but there is not fruit then it may need a friend or you have a pollinator problem.  Bees and wasps move pollen from one plant to another.  Some plants need to have another of the same plant (like two squash plants) to ensure pollination.  If you aren't seeing bees or wasps on the flowers, then you can hand pollinate with a Q-tip -- just swirl it inside the flower to get the yellow grains on it and then go to another flower and repeat the process. Be sure NOT to allow any sprayed for "pest insects" anywhere near your vegetable plants because this kills beneficial pollinators too. 

If your plant is not producing because it is dead or dying, then you need to remove and discard the soil, wash the pot well with a bleach solution, rinse well, and start over.  Be sure not to overwater -- that is the #1 cause of potted plant death. 

--

Michelle Zupan

Curator 

Hickory Hill & the Tom Watson Birthplace

502 Hickory Hill Drive

Thomson, GA  30824

706-595-7777

FAX: 706-595-7177

Visit us at www.hickory-hill.org or on Facebook.

Follow us on Twitter: HHEducation

Historic homes of the Watson-Brown Foundation, Inc. 

Original Message:
Sent: 6/21/2021 12:10:00 AM
From: Richa Sharma
Subject: Basic gardening questions

Hi all

I have just now started vegetable gardening at home with my son. I had a few beginner question. It would be great if someone could help me

1) when a vegetable has  been harvested from a plant, do we let the plant remain there and it will harvest again when it's time will come or do we take it out and plant a new seed in that pot?

2) about reusing the soil and pot, if we take out a plant from soil (sometimes because it has somehow not born any fruit or vegetable), can we sow the next seed in the same soil or do we have to take out that soil and put in another new mixture?

------------------------------
Richa Sharma
------------------------------

Sometimes if a plant is not flowering it could be getting too much nitrogen, so make sure it is not getting too much fertilizer. Some plants won't flower or fruit if they don't get at least 6-8 hours of direct sun. Some plants, like tomatoes, won't flower or set fruit if it's really hot. It depends on the plant type and its situation.

You can reuse soil, but any diseases from previous plants can stay in the soil, so that's a risk. Also, the water-holding capacity of potting soil lessens over time, so I try to use fresh every time.

------------------------------
Shelley Mitchell, PhD
Associate Extension Specialist
Youth Horticulture
Dept of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
Oklahoma State University
358 Ag Hall
Stillwater, OK 74078
[405-744-5755]
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-21-2021 12:09:47 AM
From: Richa Sharma
Subject: Basic gardening questions

Hi all

I have just now started vegetable gardening at home with my son. I had a few beginner question. It would be great if someone could help me

1) when a vegetable has  been harvested from a plant, do we let the plant remain there and it will harvest again when it's time will come or do we take it out and plant a new seed in that pot?

2) about reusing the soil and pot, if we take out a plant from soil (sometimes because it has somehow not born any fruit or vegetable), can we sow the next seed in the same soil or do we have to take out that soil and put in another new mixture?

------------------------------
Richa Sharma
------------------------------