LET'S GET GROWING! BACKYARD GARDENING TIPS
Curt Kalk sits on the edge of one his homemade raised garden beds in early June. Kalk and his wife Carmen plant numerous tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, and other plants every year; some are planted as seeds and some are starter plants. Kalk tops the garden beds with solar lights to help ward off deer at night.
By Vivian LaMoore, Inaajimowin Editor
There’s something so refreshing about a crispy green salad with crunchy veggies or fresh homemade salsa on a hot summer day — and it’s even better when you’ve grown the vegetables yourself. The good news? It’s not too late to start your own garden. Several Band members shared their favorite gardening tips to help get you going.
Curt and Carmen Kalk have been gardening for years in their Vineland backyard. The Kalk homestead is meticulously well-organized with unique harvest processing areas throughout the backyard, each customized for the seasons, whether it is for cleaning fish, butchering a deer, or growing their vegetables. Careful planning, preparation, and being patient with the weather are keys to their harvesting success.
Healthy soil is the foundation of any successful garden. It should be fertile, hold just the right amount of moisture, and still drain well. One way to improve your soil is by mixing in compost before planting. Curt Kalk has built custom raised garden beds in his backyard out of galvanized steel and wood. Before any planting, he makes sure the soil is prepped with care. Kalk starts with a base of old wood, then compost, and finally rich black garden soil. “It creates a natural ecosystem,” he said. He also keeps a compost pile nearby to toss in weeds throughout the season — they break down over time and create more compost for next year. “You have to have a compost pile,” he added with a smile.
He added that patience is a key ingredient to gardening. “Don’t plant too early — wait until the threat of frost is over or the plants will die unless you cover them nightly.”
If you’re new to gardening, start by planting vegetables you actually like to eat. Even if you don’t have a big yard, you can turn a patio, deck, or even a driveway corner into a beautiful container garden. Just remember to water them regularly during the hotter months. Whether you’re using seeds or transplants, follow the recommended spacing and planting times for each crop.
Kalk grows several kinds of tomatoes, as well as green onions, asparagus, beans, and cucumbers. “These are some pumpkins,” he said with a grin. “My wife doesn’t like them, but the grandkids do, so I snuck them in.” In addition to his raised beds, he has raspberry bushes and rhubarb growing in different spots throughout the yard.
Carla Big Bear and Keith Wiggins also share a passion for gardening. “We started during COVID as something to do, and now it’s a passion,” Big Bear said. Since then, they’ve grown from one garden bed to six, and their plans keep expanding. What began as a hobby has blossomed into a tight-knit circle of friends who share gardening advice, plant varieties, and recipes. “People stop by all the time and we talk gardening — different types of tomatoes, other plants, recipes, you know,” she said. “I learn so much just by talking to people. The folks at the nurseries are really helpful, too.”
Mistakes are part of the process, especially for beginners, but don’t be discouraged. “Just ask people,” Big Bear said. “Every gardener loves to talk about their garden and offer advice on what works and what doesn’t. What works for one person might not work for everyone.”
If you’re not sure where to begin, it is recommended that you make a list of your five favorite vegetables or herbs and research what they need to thrive. For example, tomatoes love sunlight — at least six to eight hours a day. Without it, they won’t produce much, no matter how well you care for them. It’s one of gardening’s basic — and sometimes frustrating — truths: you can’t force sun-loving plants to grow in the shade.
Big Bear loves experimenting with different varieties. She has fun hunting for unique tomato plants and the spiciest peppers she can find. In fact, they named the pepper garden bed "The Garden of Doom." She and Wiggins are known for their homemade salsa, made with peppers that pack serious heat — with names like Reaper, Scorpion, Rattlesnake, and Habanero. Another favorite is the poblano, which they dehydrate and blend into seasoning for jerky. Their garden also includes dill, cilantro, oregano, chives, and basil.
She’s discovered that cucumbers love to climb a trellis and is incorporating cucamelons — tiny, grape-sized fruits that look like miniature watermelons but taste like cucumbers with a tangy twist. Zucchini, too, can be grown vertically in pots using a trellis. “That keeps them off the ground and keeps them from getting that yellow belly,” she said.
To make the work a little easier, Big Bear and Wiggins are using landscape fabric between the rows this year. “We don’t like weeding,” she said with a laugh.
But the real reward of gardening, she said, is simple. “It’s fun. It’s great when I come home from work and harvest stuff that we grew ourselves right here at home. We enjoy creating meals from everything we’ve harvested — deer, buffalo, wild rice, fish, and garden veggies. It really makes a difference in flavor.”
And like many gardeners, they usually end up with more food than they can eat. What happens to the extras? Big Bear does a lot of pickling and canning, but they also love to share. “We give a lot of it away to our friends and whoever wants some,” she said. "So don’t be surprised if you go out to your car after work and find a random zucchini on your windshield.”
Gardening may feel daunting at first, but it’s a rewarding hobby — one you can eat! Give it a try, and you just might be surprised by the sweet, juicy flavors and vibrant textures that come from your own backyard. There’s nothing quite like fresh vegetables, especially when you grow them yourself.
