On a hot summer day, few things quench your thirst and inspire fond memories like feasting on a slice of succulent red watermelon. Try growing watermelon, cantaloupe, or honeydew melon, and you can relive those wonderful memories and at the same time spare your wallet and your taste buds from bland, expensive supermarket produce.

Here are a few tips on how to grow some great melons:

A sun-loving crop, melons need protection from cool spring and fall winds, proper air circulation, and space, whether it’s up a sturdy lean-to trellis or spread out in a 4’ by 4’ area. Melons prefer light, sandy, loamy oil that’s packed full of organic matter and nutrients. Cantaloupes and other melons require a pH of 6-7.5, but watermelons can take a pH as low as 5.5. A warm-weather crop, melons prefer soil temperatures of at least 70°F and ambient air temperatures of 50-55°F. If this sounds too warm for gardeners in cooler climates, don’t worry: There are other compact cool-season cultivars that will grow just fine.

Take a close look in your garden, and you may find that you already have a few species of beneficial insects calling your garden home. These may include lady beetles, green lacewings, hover flies, parasitic wasps and predatory mites. The predators, such as lady beetles, lacewing larvae and mites, prey on aphids, caterpillars, mealybugs, leafhoppers, whiteflies and insect eggs.  The parasites, such as wasps, defend your garden against tomato hornworm, cabbageworm and tent caterpillars by laying their eggs on or into them.

Your friends at Gurney’s have the perfect solution for attracting beneficial insects to your garden: Gurney’s Beneficial Bug Blend! This superior blend of flowers and herbs has been specially formulated to attract beneficial insects to your garden. Irresistible to good bugs such as ladybugs and lacewings, which work to eliminate pests that do damage to plants and crops – also attractive to pollinators such as honeybees and butterflies.

This is why we have started a new series here at Gurney’s Blog called “The Minimalist Garden.” Each month, we will discuss ways you can simplify and organize different aspects of your garden! Today’s entry: Vegetable seeds!

If you have a garden space, you can easily get by with a 4’ X 4’ area. No garden? No problem. Just get a half a dozen large pots, about 18-24” across the top, and fill ‘em with potting soil. Vegetables like lots of light, so both garden areas and pots need to be in a sunny spot.

Fresh veggies have lots of advantages. You know where they came from, you know what was put on them, and you will never get anything fresher. Ideally, you’ll want to start them from seed, so that you can be in complete control of your garden edibles. That’s why we’re focusing on vegetable seeds!

So what are you going to grow? Well, that’s up to you, of course. I like to grow lettuce, tomatoes, radishes, and maybe some spinach, but that’s me. Maybe you could try a pepper? Those are always fun to grow.

Okay, so let’s assume lettuce is on your list (since it’s so easy to grow from seed). You can start lettuce as soon as winter’s last frost has passed (now, for most areas). First, moisten the soil. Next, get a small piece of wood, like a ruler. Press the edge into the surface to make a tiny valley. Sprinkle the seeds into your mini-valley ever so gently; try to get them about a half-inch apart. Press the soil back over them so they are about a quarter-inch deep.

Water lightly, and wait a few days for the seedlings to appear. When they are about 2” high, you’re ready for your first garden-fresh salad! You have to thin them out anyway, so might as well enjoy the greens. You’ll want to clip the plant down to about the soil level. About a week later, do it again, removing every other plant.

Lettuce and spinach will re-grow if you cut them about 1-1/2” above the ground, just above the heart of the plant. This method will get you several salads per plant. You can even sow the lettuce and spinach seeds at different times so you can enjoy fresh salad uninterrupted!

The tomato varieties best suited to a small space are the cherry types. They come in all kinds of colors, and they are crazy prolific. Most cherry tomatoes need to be tied to a stake, and they’re very easy to start from seed.

Radishes come in three varieties: the familiar round, red balls; longer French types that look like red baby carrots; and Japanese daikon radishes. The first two pop up and mature with a couple weeks, while daikon takes twice as long. For a constant supply, sow more seed every two weeks, and make sure you thin them out, or they’ll get spindly roots that won’t fill out.

With these few plants, you can legitimately call yourself a vegetable seed gardener! Now go enjoy yourself a fresh and wholesome harvest!

Some people don’t know what to think when they hear the words “treated seed.” Is that a good thing? Is it bad? What does “treated” mean? Why is this blogger pretending that I am vicariously asking questions through him?

Well, folks, I’m here to dispel any predispositions you may have about treated seed. The truth is this: treated seed is a very good thing! It simply provides extra protection against less than ideal growing conditions. That means you can plant earlier without the worry of rotting seed from cold, wet early spring weather. This treatment also ensures better germination as well as enhanced resistance to soil-borne diseases and fungi.

When I heard that we were introducing treated seed in our spring 2010 catalog, I was very excited. Treated seed is so much easier to grow, because it has a hard coating to enhance germination and plant strength. This hard coating protects the seed until soil temperatures reach the proper temperature, which allows you to plant the seed earlier than you normally would. The coating also protects against diseases and fungus.

And now, for the first time, all of our pea seed and sweet corn seed varieties are treated, including customer favorite, Gotta Have it Hybrid Sweet Corn! Check out all of our pea seed varieties here, and all of our sweet corn varieties here.

Seed starting is admittedly more complicated, but that doesn’t mean it’s difficult. It’s actually quite the opposite, especially when you have the right resources and a little ambition! So for those of you who are hesitant to try seed starting, fear not! There is a way to make seed starting simple, quick and fun. And contrary to popular belief, you don’t need an elaborate basement operation with fluorescent lights and elegant light fixtures!

I’m really excited about Gurney’s new Seed Starting Kit. We’ve assembled the absolute best way to start seeds. You’ll get healthy and hearty plants every time! The best part is it’s clean…no fussing with messy potting soil or Dixie cups.

Our Seed Starting Kit allows you to quickly, easily and successfully start all kinds of seeds. Each kit contains everything you need for fast germination and vital root growth. The soil-less grow plugs are made of natural, biodegradable materials so that each plug can be directly transplanted into the garden greatly reducing transplant shock. Each grow plug contains beneficial bacteria to aid in maximum seed germination.

The lightweight 55-cell growing tray wraps each grow plug in warmth and floats them in the water-filled reservoir tray, allowing each seed to get the perfect water-to-air ratio. The humidity dome holds in the warmth and moisture, ensuring early and uniform seed germination

I recently had the opportunity to give the Seed Starting Kit a try, and let me tell you, it works! This is by far the easiest method I have ever used. It allows me to do more – and easily. Give it a try today!

It’s a one-stop-shop for all your vegetable and flower seed needs! Check it out by clicking on the picture below:

My personal new favorite this year is our new Seed Starting Kit, which allows you to quickly, easily and successfully start all kinds of seeds. Each kit contains everything you need for fast germination and vital root growth. I’ll talk more about this cool kit in my next post, which will also include some great seed starting tips!

The new Spring Catalog will feature all of your familiar favorites, including our popular Ka-Bluey™ Blueberry, Gotta Have It™ Sweet Corn, and Flat Wonderful™ Peach, in addition to some new favorites and surprises.

To receive your FREE copy of the 2010 Spring Gurney’s Seed & Nursery Catalog, or to place an order, click here!