New interest in vegetable gardens taking root

Vegetable gardens are cool again.

In a survey by the Mailorder Gardening Association, its members reported a significant increase in the sale of vegetable seeds this spring.

Johnny's Selected Seeds, for example, said sales of their vegetable seeds are up nearly 20 percent, with salad greens, tomatoes and peppers leading the way.

Thompson & Morgan said their customers are snapping up organic seeds, non-GMO (genetically modified) seeds, and small-scale varieties that produce well in containers.

While concerns about food safety and soaring food prices are fueling the renewed interest in growing vegetables, I predict that many who take up the challenge will be permanently hooked by something else: the superior taste and freshness of home-grown produce.ˆ½ It happened to me.

I also enjoy the opportunity to harvest at just the right stage to suit my own preferences, such as sweet corn picked slightly immature or tender asparagus tips snapped off as soon as they push up from the ground.

If you're just getting started, here are a few tips:

• Compost added to the soil before you plant works miracles.ˆ½ It nourishes plants, improves the soil and sponges up excess moisture, holding it until needed by the plants. When growing veggies in containers, add about one-third compost to two-thirds potting soil to reduce the need for frequent watering.

• Although lettuces generally grow best in cool weather, you can keep your salad bowl full all summer with heat-tolerant summer-crisp varieties.ˆ½ They are easy to grow, have great flavor, and are almost as crisp as head lettuce.

• Peppers grow well in pots and are as pretty as ornamentals. A spot that is hot and sunny but protected from wind is perfect. Small-fruited varieties are less sensitive to weather extremes than varieties with big, blocky fruits.

• For trouble-free tomatoes, start with a disease-resistant variety and allow enough room for good air circulation around the foliage. If there's a walnut tree near your garden, plant tomatoes in large pots to avoid walnut wilt. A standard-size variety will require an 18-inch-deep container, while a small variety will grow in an 8-inch-deep pot.

• Blanket the ground between plants with grass clippings. This mulch holds in soil moisture, prevents weed seeds from sprouting, provides slow-release nutrients, improves garden soil, stops the spread of soil-borne diseases and allows walking in the garden when soil is wet.ˆ½ But don't pile fresh clippings directly against plant stems, and refrain from using clippings if the grass has been treated with an herbicide.