SUMMER FRUITS (SHUTTERSTOCK)
The official announcement of the end of the coronavirus pandemic in our world led to a global sigh of relief, but also to a burst of nostalgic, and even slightly romantic, memories.
True, we're talking about a year or two back at most, but admit that at certain moments you miss home a little, and quiet, and especially the morning wake up after which your daily schedule consisted of a bit of "remote fact", more reading and communicating with slightly neglected household members, and most of the things you do with your hands.
I mean, remember how you tried to grow tomatoes? And that trip to the nursery? The one after which you promised yourself not to forget to water this time, and to be careful not to kill?
Because of these memories, and mainly because we're really into it, we asked Avi and Matan Fine, a father and son who run the Pine Farm and are generous enough with their knowledge, to give us good tips for growing vegetables and fruits at home. Good luck, and enjoy!
Tomatoes
The base of every vegetable garden, and of every pot. Tomatoes (Photo: Giphy)
Tomatoes are a relatively easy fruit to grow, and are a basic component of a home vegetable garden in the summer, and it is also clear that this is not a real vegetable garden without one or two tomatoes.
The key is to find the right variety to grow in your garden (and more specifically, the type of soil you have in your garden). For hikers, it is advisable to do a pH test on the soil before planting and balance it in case it exceeds 6-6.8 PH, in order to make sure that the plant receives the optimal environment for it.
The tomato should be planted from late winter to spring, from March to May-June. The ideal temperature for planting will be around 23 degrees Celsius. After planting, it is recommended to cover the soil around the plant in order to prevent weed growth, rot and keep pests away.
The tomato needs a lot of sun to grow, at least six hours a day. Therefore, it is recommended to put her potted plant near a window with direct sun.
The seedling should be watered regularly, but only when the soil has dried out completely. You can test this by inserting a finger into the soil of the pot and checking if the soil is dry or moist.
It is advisable to pick the tomato when it is ripe, but what is special about it is that even if we pick it beforehand, it will continue to ripen on the shelf (but not in the refrigerator, note, and here you have a guide to saving vegetables and fruits).
In terms of taste, it is best to pick when the tomato is red and the bush, and use it on the same day. When picking a larger mass of tomatoes, it is advisable to pick in partial rather than complete color, in order to maintain a longer shelf life.
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basil
Prune the tip of the stem before flowering/basil columns rise (Photo: Giphy)
It is recommended to purchase a ready-made seedling (preferably buying seeds) and plant it during the spring-summer period. It is advisable not to plant during the winter because basil is very sensitive to cold, so it will be very difficult to grow it.
When growth stops, it is recommended to prune the tip of the stem before flowering columns rise, to encourage further growth of basil and maintain growth continuity.
Another tip: you can produce cuttings for basil and save the purchase of seedlings. Simply cut a stem from the basil, put in a small container with water, wait 5-6 days until roots come out, and when the plant takes root, you can transfer to the soil and grow the basil in its own pot.
Eggplant
Be sure to pick on time. Eggplant (Photo: Giphy)
It is recommended to buy an eggplant seedling from the nursery for optimal results, and plant in a pot with a volume of at least 20 liters.
The eggplant loves heat, so it is advisable to water with water at a temperature of up to 25ºC for optimal results.
In the first stage after planting, it is desirable to water for the first time after 10 days. If it is very hot, it is possible after a week, but care should be taken not to water too much and to keep the soil moist to about 70% (higher humidity can damage the roots of the plant). At the flowering stage, it is already advisable to water generously.
The eggplant's pot should be near a window with sun, and in order to get an eggplant with the best taste, make sure to pick it on time, because eggplant picked late suffers from a less good texture.
sweet potato
Dig them out, or wait. Sweet potato (Photo: Giphy)
In the first stage, sprout the sweet potato in a jar of water - we will stick two toothpicks in the sweet potato and place it partially in the water, but most of it is still outside. It is important to put it inside with the flat bottom in the water so that the roots can grow.
The water should be replaced every few days before it becomes turbid, and after about two weeks, branches will grow about 10 cm long or more. The branches with roots will be planted in the ground in the spring, around April-May.
It is recommended to water the sweet potatoes frequently, especially during hot and dry times. They take three to four months to grow, and then, when they are old enough to eat and the leaves turn yellow, you can dig them out, or even leave them in the ground until early autumn, taking out only as much as you want to eat.
pineapple
Wait a year, and you have. Joey Tribbiani worships pineapple (Photo: Giphy)
You can grow pineapple from a young plant from the nursery, but we will focus on growing your own pineapple plant.
Cut the leaf lily 5 cm from the fruit and plant in a pot with moist planting soil. Within about a week, the leaf lily will begin to take root. Once you grow a small pineapple plant, patience is mainly required, because you will receive the fruit itself only after over a year, during this time you should make sure that the plant is in a warm place but also not expose it too much to the sun.
avocado
Don't try to germinate. Avocado toast (Photo: Giphy)
It is advisable to buy a seedling of a certain variety and not try to germinate from a seed (because there is no way to know which variety will come out and if any). A tree takes at least 3 years to bear fruit, assuming it has been properly cared for over the period, so keep this in mind when growing.
In terms of watering, it is advisable to water accurately. Too much water will lead to decay of the leaves, and too little water will turn them yellow. The recommendation is to water with drips or independently by checking the moisture of the soil around the tree.
The avocado seedling needs a potted plant with a volume of no less than 30 liters (at the initial stage). To keep the seedling at its best, it is advisable to fill in the following highlights:
1. Create drainage holes in the pot
2. Keep soil moist and not dry
3. Place the potted plant in the warmest and closest area to sunlight
4. Add compost, fertilizer, or humus to the bottom of the seedling for better results
apple
Keep it sunny. A hero who loves his apples (Photo: Giphy)
As a general rule - apples love and need cold, so it is advisable to grow them in cold places. In Israel, most apples grow in the north and the Golan Heights, and only a few specific varieties that do not need cold (such as "ana" and "golden") grow elsewhere.
In addition, the tree must be exposed to the sun and without it, its fruits will not receive the color and will not develop the texture we know, so it is very important that the tree be exposed to the sun as much as possible indoors.
Many varieties need a "cow" variety in order to produce more fruit on the tree, but there are varieties such as Granny Smith, Jonathan and Gala that can produce fruit even without fruitful trees, and they are also recommended for growing a tree at home.
As a rule, it is advisable to place the seedling in a pot as large as possible, and no less than 30 liters. During the winter, when falling, it is advisable to prune dry branches and trim branches that are too long in order to maximize the growth of the tree as much as possible, so that it does not "waste" resources on dead branches or those that cannot bear fruit.
celery
Put on the windowsill. Celery (Photo: Giphy)
Celery cuttings can be grown - cut the base of the branch association (stump) with a thickness of 2-4 cm, place in a bowl of water with the top with the leaves upwards and in a lighted place, and within 14-30 days leaves and roots will grow and then transfer to a pot.
It is desirable to maintain an ideal temperature of 18-22 ° C. In summer, keep the windowsill as well-lit as possible and water every two to three days. In winter, it is advisable to use a growing lamp that will provide the "lumines" that the sun cannot provide during this period, and water once a week.
It is recommended to "untie" the soil in the pot so that there is an easy and proper air passage to the plant. This can be done with a knife/fork by piercing the soil.
The Fine Farm offers fresh, premium agricultural produce, directly from the farmer to the consumer, in a huge industrial hangar. Its two branches operate in Hozot Shefayim and Givat Ada
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Tags
- Tomatoes
- sweet potato
- Eggplant
- basil
- Apples
- Plants