The Gardening Project

Angiosperm

Garden vegetables are in a huge category of plants called angiosperms. The life cycle of an angiosperm is simple:

GERMINATION. Angiosperms start as a seed and germinate when the weather has warmed and rainfall is adequate.  This part of the cycle usually takes place indoors or in a green house starting as early as February for fruits like tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, melons, etc.

VEGETATIVE GROWTH STAGE. Once the seed is germinated the plant goes through the vegetative growth stage. The vegetative growth stage starts indoors and continues after last frost when the vegetables are transplanted outside into your garden.

FLOWERING STAGE. Angiosperms then produce flowers. Angiosperms usually flower for a few weeks to a month during beginning/mid-summer.

FRUITING STAGE. Once the flowers become pollinated, they will turn in on themselves and start developing into fruit.

The fruits contain seeds which don’t get digested by our stomachs. Animals eat the fruit and the seeds spread.

COMPOSTING

Composting…yum. Unlike popular belief, compost doesn’t smell (sorry). I could talk for pages about composting. We could go over different types of bacteria, optimal temperatures, carbon: nitrogen ratios, etc. You’re in luck, I’m not going to do that (yet).

Here is the secret to composting…. Ready??… Put leaves, veggie scraps from dinner, and garden leftovers into a pile and wait. That’s it.

You don’t need an overwhelmingly complex composting bin bought at Super Joes Magic Compost Corner for hundreds of dollars. I have made bins made out of left over wood and chicken wire. Most common type by far is just an ol’ pile of leaves. Any of these types will result in compost.