After many years of gardening, there are a few vegetable garden problems that I have come to expect or look out for which if caught early can be easily treated if not prevented all together.

This article will illustrate 5 common vegetable problems that you could face this year and how to properly treat them.

1. Powdery Mildew

Powdery mildew spreads by fungus spores being transmitted and carried through the air where it will then settle onto other plants. You can identify powdery mildew because the fungus gives the appearance that plants have been dusted with flour.  The white mildew sits on top of the plant leaves. In addition, once damage sets in, the leaves will start to turn yellow.

In order to treat, you can either use an organic fungalcide which can be found at local garden centers, or you can make a DIY version.  The DIY bicarbonate solution is easy to make and only takes four common ingredients: baking soda, vegetable oil, dish soap, and water.  This DIY recipe was taken from MIgardener with a few adjustments to make a smaller batch for my needs.

Mix 1 teaspoon baking soda in 1 quart of water.

Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil to help it stick to the leaves

Add 1-2 drops of dish soap.

Mix together and add to a spray bottle.

Spray infected plant, thoughroughly coating the leaves.

This is a great job for kids! Kids love spray bottles and because this such a safe formula, I usually just whip up a batch and let my kids go at it.

Cabbage worms is a blanket term for several different types of caterpillars/worms that are attracted to brassicas.  Cabbage worms and cabbage loopers typically refer to diamondback moth larvae and zebra caterpillars. The first indication that you have a cabbage worm problem is the appearance of small holes in the leaves.

The best way to deal with cabbage worms is to prevent it all together.  This can be achieved in several ways:

1) Utilize row cover over your broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts, etc.  These plants do not need pollination so covering them to avoid the moths laying their eggs to start, is a really great option.

2) After watering, sprinkle cornmeal onto the infested plants.  The worms will eat the cornmeal and die.

3) Use a store bought pesticide like Bt or Sevin.

For more information about battling cabbage worms, check out the very helpful article: The Old Farmer’s Almanac – Cabbage Worm Treatment

3. Leggy Plants

When a plant becomes “leggy” it refers to the plants growth.  Typically a leggy plant will have grown tall and have large spaces between leaf sets.  Initially it may look healthy because it has experienced rapid growth, but it is actually a sign that something in the care is lacking.

The majority of the time a plant will become leggy with it is not getting enough sunlight.  This forces the plant to reach in a direction to get the sunlight it needs. An easy way to treat and prevent this is to ensure that the plant is recieving enough direct sunlight. Move the plant to a sunnier spot in the garden or window sill.

Another possible cause of legginess is that the plant has been planted in soil which is too hign in nitrogen.  Nitrogen high enviornment can over promote leaf and greenry growth of the plant.  This will cause the plant to have increased growth of the greenery before the roots have had a chance to really be established, resulting in a leggy plant.

For new plants, make sure you are planting in soil sufficient with potassium, or upon observance of legginess, add potassium to the soil.

Another great treatment to legginess is proper pruning.  I experience this with my mint and basil almost every year.  The plant becomes leggy but after a good, proper pruning, the plant will fill out and start developing a more bushy apperance.

4. Blossom End Rot

Blossom end rot results in a fruit forming but due to some reason, the plant is unable to continue the growth of the fruit and it starts to rot on the blossom end.  The fruit will stop growing and will turn yellow, brown, or black and begin to rot.

There are two common causes of blossom end rot:

1) Calcium deficiency in the soil

2) Inconsistent watering (Check out this helpful article on how to water properly)

Both of these can be treated but are also easily prevented.

In my experience, blossom end rot occurs because I do not water consistently.  In past years, I may not water for a few days and then blast the plants with a large dose of water or a large rainstorm will come through.  The easiest way to prevent this is to water frequently and consistently.

If a calcium deficiency is the cause of the blossom end rot, you can add calcium tablets and egg shells to the soil or add a calcium rich fertilizer either prior to planting in the spring or once you notice the issue.

You do not want to eat fruit that have blossom end rot but many times, it will only be a portion of the fruit that is produced, not every one.

5. Bacterial Leaf Spots

Many times bacterial in the soil is splashed onto the leaves of the plant during watering.

Bacterial leaf spot causes black or brown spotting on the leaves and will eventually cause yellowing.

If caught early, a copper fungicide is a great treatment for killing the bacteria, however prevention is the best way to combat it.

I have come to realize after several years of gardening that I can expect certain issues to arise.  Learning what problems you are most likely to face only comes from experience.

This best advice for a new gardener is to take plenty of notes on the problems that you may face so that you can learn to properly treat it and then work on methods to prevent it for the next year.

Eventually you will gain plenty of knowledge on the topic of vegetable garden problems and issues that you can be one step ahead of them.

While dealing with these types of issues can be frustrating and dissapointing, the energy put into growing a garden that produces fresh food for your family is well worth it.

It is funny to be how some people believe that homesteading requires you to buy a farm, move to the mountains of Tennessee and live off the grid.  While that is one form of homesteading, and sounds pretty awesome to me, this is not what homesteading looks like for many people.  In fact, there are so many motivating factors and reasons to start homesteading, they really are different for each person.

The awesome thing about homesteading is that you can incorporate practices of homesteading  to whatever degree you want to.  Homesteading is not all or nothing.  You can live a busy life and still take time to start living a more simple life.

What Homesteading Looks Like to Us

We consider homesteading to refer to a lifestyle where we incorporate time honored practices and skills into our daily lives in an effort to marry simple living with modern advances.  We are not planning on going all in and moving to a remote ranch with no electricity.  Instead, we are working to be self-sufficient in several areas of our lives.

For one, we are working to garden and preserve our own vegetables.  We have been growing vegetable gardens for a few years now and will hopefully increase our output to producing the majority of our own vegetables.  We would eat fresh and preserve the rest for use throughout the year.

Another area is learning self-sufficient skills so that we can do many of the jobs that we would otherwise pay someone else to do.

A common misperception of homesteading is that you need a large farm, tons of land, and plenty of free time to homestead.  This is completely not true!

There is a growing movement of people embracing urban homesteading, which means homesteading in apartments or with very small amount of land.

It is amazing what you can do and grow on a 1/10 acre lot!

Don’t get me wrong, there are many aspects of homesteading that are not easy and are time consuming but this doesn’t not mean that a busy mom who works full time can’t start homesteading.

With a little planning and organizing, you can start homesteading easily.

Why would you want to homestead?

The reasons are actually endless, there are SO many awesome benefits to homesteading and learning the skills that go with it.  Read on for more reasons to start homesteading today!

1) Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs

Obviously, being able to walk outside and pick your own vegetables is a huge benefit to homesteading.  Gardening can be hard work but it is probably easier than you think.

Growing your vegetables not only brings healty eating practices to your family but knowing where your vegetables are grown and how they were grown is so important for awareness and health.

Knowing what chemicals were used on them is important.  Also growing your own vegetables is extremely satisfying.

Imagine growing your own tomatoes, being able to enjoy them during the summer while they are fresh and then preserving them to use in sauces or dishes through out the year.  Being able to feed your family by growing your own food means you will always be able to provide for them because you have this skill and knowledge.

2) Teaches your Kids Important Values

Homesteading has SO many benefits for children. This is the main reason we decided to start homesteading.  We have two small boys and it is our goal and responsibility to make sure that we mold them into confident, responsible, and knowledgeable humans.  For us, we really believe this can be done through homesteading.

Homesteading teaching kids so many values and life lessons. I have a hard time thinking of any other project or lifestyle that will help shape all of these interpersonal skills like homesteading can.

The awareness of where your food comes from and how it is processed also encourages gratitude.  Being able to work on a project with such a satisfying outcome as feeding your family helps build confidence and resourcefulness.

One of my previous articles discussed some awesome reasons to garden with your children, the benefits really are endless: insert article link: 17 Essential Reasons to Teach your Children How to Garden

3) Make your Own Home and Personal Products

Eliminating harsh chemicals and replacing them will all-natural, simple ingredients by making your own products is surprisingly simple! 

By making your own home products you can not only save a lot of money but you also know exactly what you are making and using in your home.

You can make all-natural alternatives to cleaning products, cosmetics, personal care, pest control, weed killer, laundry detergents, anything you buy at the store!

When I used to clean, I use to want to use harsh chemicals.  Really get in there and make sure the bathroom is scrubbed and super clean.  However, since  transitioning to more homemade products, I am finding that they are just as good and effective!

4) Save Money and Live Frugally

Saving money is also a large motivator for us.  While the cost to homestead is initially more than we expected, we needed to do some work to our yard and property, in the end the ability to produce our own food should save us a good amount of money each year.

Making your own products is also a great way to save money. While the initial cost of purchasing raw ingredients will be a little expense, the amount of cleaners and products you can make with it far outweighs the initial investment.

Living simply also encourages a frugal mindset that will transfer to all areas of your household operations.  Reusing, repurposing, and creating your own products will save you money and will encourage a lifestyle of being frugal and thoughtful of how your family spends money.

5) Learn Time-Honored Skills

I have always, since I was really little, loved learning about how life was in pioneer times. I went to a Living History Camp at a local farm museum several years and I absolutely adored it. 

We learned to make butter, candles, they had all of the old outbuildings so we learned about preserving food and taking care of animals. It was just awesome.

While this simpler way of life (if you can even call it that)it  is not by any means easier, to me it always had a certain romance and appeal to it.

I am excited to take time to learn how to do these time-honored tasks, not only for fun, but also for self-reliance.  My family will be prepared and will know how to live in the event that we can no longer buy our food or consumer goods from the store.  Essentially, we will never starve or not be able to take care of ourselves.  That reality is absolutely what we are chasing.

It is important that we do not let these traditional ways of living life fall by the wasteside. They absolutely have a place in our modern society.

We are striving to incorporate them when necessary to find a balance to living a happier, and more simple life.

6) Build a Strong Family Unit

One of my dreams for my family is for them to be a strong family unit.  I believe that one way to do that is to have all members of the family contribute to a higher goal, which in our case is taking care of and providing for our family.

Everyone will have their responsibilities and duties but we will be working to as a team to make it all come together.  We are just in the beginning stages of this, but our boys are young.  If we enforce these values and encourage these behaviors, we can raise them to be responsible, hard working, and respectful human beings. 

The positive reasons for homesteading really are endless.

By taking own a homesteading lifestyle, we are introducing a certain level of extra work and effort that may seem unecessary to some in today’s world. 

For us, it isn’t necessarily about giving up modern technologies and advances but embracing traditional, proven methods to providing your family with thier necessesities. The ability to be self-sufficient and take care of your family extends beyond bringing home money to pay for these necesitties. 

It really comes down to self-reliance and passing these skills down to our children to ensure they are well-rounded, grateful, thirsty for knowledge, and confident to do all of these things for thier family.

From impacting your family dynamic, your health, your finances, your outlook on life, we have faith that homesteading will bring our dreams to life.

It is no secret that gardening has so many positive benefits and rewards.  Gardening is so special because while the ultimate goal is to grow and enjoy whatever vegetable, fruit, flower, or tree has been planted, the entire process provides the gardener with the opportunity to learn and practice a variety life skills and knowledge that can benefit them in all aspects of their life.

I know that when you have small children, it is sometimes easier to avoid including them in some projects and chores because they may not understand or may increase the time the tasks take.  This is an easy habit to get into when you are trying to check off your to-do list and complete important projects.

I know that I am guilty of this.  With small children, it is many times easier to wait until they are napping to work in the garden.  Sometimes after I have considered the muddy mess that will come from allowing them in the garden or the extra attention that is required when we are spending time outside, I have decided against bringing them with me to the garden.  However, this year will be different!  My children will be older this year and my hope and goal is to include them with me while I garden and teach them these skills that I love so much.

While it could be so much easier to work on a garden without involving children, not including them is a lost opportunity to teach them some amazing life skills and lessons right your backyard.

Here are some of the AMAZING benefits that gardening will have on your children:

1) Provides fresh healthy food

One of the most important reasons to have a garden at all is for the fresh, healthy food that it will produce.  The ability to have fresh food grown in your own backyard, make its way into your kitchen and onto your dinner table is just awesome.  Establishing and encouraging the importance of eating healthy fruits and vegetables will be so much easier when your child can see the entire picture of where their food comes from.

My two boys LOVE broccoli and I buy it so much that we tend to have a lot of frozen broccoli.  Nothing wrong with that but how awesome would it be to show them how it grows, have them water it, pick it, wash it in the sink and then have it for dinner!

2) Gets them outside

Fresh air! Having your children come outside with you to the garden will get them some much needed fresh air and sunshine.  Gardening is a great way to enjoy the outdoors with your children.

Making sure that your garden is fenced in, will not only to deter pests, like deer or rabbits, but it will also allow you to garden with some piece of mind that your children are safe within the garden with you.  This way they are also fenced inside the garden with you and can let you focus on exploring all of the wonderful plants that you have growing.

3) Practice planning and organization

Gardening requires planning and organization.  Having your children help with the planning and organization can really get them invested in the project from the beginning.  Proper planning and organization is necessary for almost every project or activity that we take on in life, so this is a great opportunity to emphasize the importance.  Children can get involved in the decisions of what to plant, where to plant, and how much to plant.

Not only is gardening a great way to encourage forethought and proactive actions, but it also allows the child to see the big picture of the garden and really understand what it takes to grow and prepare the food that we eat.

4) Promotes physical exercise

Gardening is definitely a physical activity.  Digging in the soil, carrying bags of mulch or harvested vegetables, and weeding are just some of the physical activities that are apart of gardening.  Gardening allows you to incorporate some physical activity into your day without having to structure an activity or game.

While any reason to get your kids up and moving is a great thing, I love the idea of physical activities that are also productive and benefit a larger goal.

5) Strengthens problem solving skills

You are guaranteed to face some problems and challenges with your garden each year.  Many of these problems are ones that you will have never faced before.  One of the skills that tending to a garden teaches you is to be able to ask questions and do research.  You will have to utilize your resources to come to a proper solution to the problem.

Teaching children to become good at asking questions and conduct research is so important for many aspects of their life.  They will need to learn to think creatively and critically to overcome challenges that they face in any project they take on.

For example, having your children help with projects such as; developing a means of protecting the garden from deer or having them find a way to support the tomato plants, can really get them thinking critically and creatively.  If their solutions are effective, they will gain confidence in their abilities.

6) Supports importance of goal setting

Children may not fully understand the importance of setting goals and working toward them, however this concept can still be implemented into their daily lives without making it a chore.  With gardening, you can easily incorporate this important skill by talking about your gardening goals with your children during the planning phase.  Speak to your children about what would make a successful garden and set up some milestones that can be celebrated along the way.  This practice not only allows your children to see progressive growth in their hard work but also allows them to celebrate all of the mini successes that come along with gardening. 

Celebrate when you see the seeds first start to sprout, when your first cucumber can be identified, or when you harvest your first carrots.  Incorporating the idea of goal setting also allows for reflection at the end of the season.

Remember this may seem advanced for children but it does not have to be overly structured and painful! Just including them in discussions on what a successful garden looks like can really help them see the bigger picture and develop some great proactive habits.

7) Instills an appreciation for hard work

Some good old-fashioned manual labor is, unfortunately, something that not all kids experience regularly.  While initially your children may groan and protest at the idea of outside physical chores, if it becomes a routine expectation, then it begins to transform into a lifestyle instead of just an annoying chore.  Physically working to achieve a goal is something that should be valued and encouraged.

The benefit of physical labor is that typically at the end of the day you are able to step back and visually see what you have accomplished.  It is so important for small children to be able to see their progress and appreciate the work that they have just completed.  While you wouldn’t be trying to create little labor horses, you would be trying to eliminate the negative feelings of having to do physical work and instead help develop courage and strength in your children.

8) Teaches them self sufficiency skills

I love gardening for many reasons but one of the biggest draws for me to want to share it with my children is to teach them self sufficiency.  I want my children to be able to live their lives without being dependant on the decisions of others and instead have the knowledge, skills, and confidence to live freely and successfully on their own reliance.

I am not a doomsdayer by any means but I truly believe that old-fashioned skills such as gardening, food preservation, scratch cooking, and animal husbandry still have an important place in a modern society and passing this on to our children will make them well-rounded individuals.

9) Promotes sensory stimulation

It is really never too early to start exposing children to your garden.  One of the struggles with trying to garden while having small children is how to contain them and keep them busy and occupied while you get some work done!  Some options are taking them outside to sit in a stroller while you weed or harvest.  You could also set up a pack-n-play or play yard in the garden so that they can safely play.  If they are able to move around, sit, crawl, or walk you could also let them wander around and investigate. 

Gardening can really awaken the senses and allows children access to some brand new smells, sights, sounds, and textures to feel.  Kids can play in the dirt, roll cherry tomatoes around, pick up bugs and worms, and splash in a bucket of water.  Some of these simple sensory activities can keep children occupied while you get some much-needed gardening done!

10) Fosters an appreciation for nature

I must admit that even as an adult, I didn’t really have a huge connection to nature or fully appreciate the earth and animals until I started gardening.  In today’s fast-paced world it is so difficult to slow down and spend some time taking in the joys of nature.  By gardening with your children, you can emphasize the importance of taking care of the earth and all of its living things and develop a real connection and appreciation for the nature that is accessible right in their backyard!

11) Teaches them a sense of pride and responsibility

Independence is an extremely important thing for little kids.  My boys are constantly pushing me away when I try to help them so that they can “do it themselves”.  Gardening is a perfect way to allow them some controlled independence, which will help them develop a sense of pride and responsibility.  Doing new things by themselves encourages confidence and allows them to be responsible and proud of their successes.

My oldest loves to carry baskets of vegetables and it makes him so proud to be able to fill a basket full of tomatoes and carry it to the house.  What an awesome feeling for both your children and for yourself!

12) Teaches them to overcome failure

Gardening is full of failures.  Every year you are pretty much guaranteed to face at least several different challenges, obstacles, or setbacks with your garden.  While it may be frustrating, if you are already anticipating this, these challenges can provide some great learning opportunities for your children.

One of our last gardens was a HUGE failure.  That season we experienced a record-breaking amount of rain and major deer and rabbit problems which made for an awful gardening year.  We barely harvested anything that year.  We were very disappointed but the experiences forced us to learn how to handle and prevent these challenges in the future.  Understanding and dealing with failure is a very important lesson that children can learn from gardening.

13) Encourages them to try new foods

One of the great things about getting children involved in gardening is that it allows them to be more connected to the food they eat.  Watching the entire growing process of a green bean plant can encourage much more excitement about trying something new than just buying it at the store.  Actually having a part in growing, harvesting, and preparing the vegetable, could encourage curiosity in a child making them more likely to try a vegetable they would otherwise be opposed to.

14) Teaches them patience

Patience is a virtue!  Gardening definitely teaches all of us patience.  Once you plant that initial seed, you will have to wait for the plant to grow, then wait for the vegetable to grow and be ready to pick, and lastly, wait to eat it.  These steps requiring patience will help your children understand that not everything can be obtained instantly.  Instant gratification has no place in gardening and in my opinion, that is so refreshing!

15) Emphasizes family bonding

I LOVE the idea of treating the garden like an entire family project.  As there are so many tasks in gardening, everyone can have a special responsibility and job.  This not only encourages teamwork among the family but also allows the child to own a part of the garden where they can see the benefits of their individual efforts of hard work.  A family should rely on each other but also encourage and elevate each individual.  Gardening is a wonderful way of incorporating this into your family’s lives.  In the end, you all get to reap the benefits and eat the food!

16) Introduces intentional living

Today, there is so much instant gratification and social media that sometimes it is so refreshing to have something real, natural, and intentional.  The term “intentional living” basically means that you are aware of the values and beliefs in which you want to live your life by and you make your decisions and actions accordingly.  There are many reasons as to why someone would choose to live a homesteading lifestyle. 

It seems that all of those reasons are generally based on the desire to provide their family with security, love, and protection.  For our family, we want to provide our children with security and protection in the way of teaching them to be self-sufficient so that they can be successful regardless of the actions of other people. We also want to foster a close family unit which to us looks like teamwork to complete family projects and work towards a family goal that will be beneficial to all of us.  These values and beliefs are the driving force for our decision to homestead and by living out those dreams, our children are also learning to create their own dreams and take action.

17) Nurtures thier creativity

What I love so much about gardening is that it can be a personal and private endeavor for you and your family.  This allows you the freedom to really manage and care for the garden however you see fit. (It may not always be successful depending on some decisions but that is ok!)  This allows you a certain level of freedom to be creative and experiment,  what an awesome opportunity to let your kids express their creativity.

You could let them paint the inside of the fence whatever color they want, let them make signs and markers for the vegetables in each garden bed, or you could let them pick out a crazy colored carrot to plant, or a vegetable you have never heard of.  The possibilities are endless and you all will have fun doing it!

There are so many reasons to garden with your children this year. Even if you have never had a garden before, start slowly and try out a small garden this year.  Your family is sure to love all of the exciting benefits and rewards that gardening can bring you. 

For some tips on how to successfully garden with small children, check out this past post: 6 Easy tips for successfully gardening with small children

If you have anyone on your gift list who is an aspiring homesteader or beginner gardener than this is your ultimate gift list.

To be honest, this is basically MY wish list.

Several items included in the list I already own and use.  I wanted to share them with you because I LOVE them.  Others, I just really want myself.

There is something for everyone on this list so hopefully, you can find something for the gardener/homesteader in your life!

Books and Resources

Kitchen Tools and Gadgets

Garden Tools

Food Preservation Tools