Local Vegetable Gardeners Persevere During Rainy Summer

"Grow your own" used to refer to those spindly nine-leafed marijuana plants under a grow light in the basement, but 40 years after Woodstock, the reference conjures up neat rows of corn, bushy tomato plants, and twirls of squash-heavy vines in well-tended backyards. This summer, South Orange vegetable gardeners are out with a vengeance. For some, the wet weather complicated the crops; for others, it worked miracles.

Kobi Josefsberg, who has transformed his back and side yard on Riggs Place into a farmlike haven, found that the rain increased the number of bugs and contributed to the tomato blight that weakened some of his plants, turning their leaves yellow. Since the weather has become warmer and dryer, the plants are staging a comeback. His garden is in its third year and has 12 varieties of tomatoes including orange Sun Golds, Giant Amish Paste, and even one called a Julia Child, which is a huge heirloom tomato that is red and pink inside.

Using a method called square foot gardening, which consists of a grid of raised beds, each square with a different crop, Josefsberg grows peppers, Japanese eggplant and collard greens. Neat rows of corn, potatoes in large bins, eggplant, Swiss chard, brussels sprouts, beans, squash, zucchini, ginger, onions and artichokes fill out the garden with an interspersing of bee-attracting perennials. About a third of this property is dedicated to vegetable gardening.

Josefsberg's advice to novice vegetable gardeners is not to be afraid to experiment, pick a sunny spot, and have reasonable dirt. “We use natural things as much as we can,” he said. “Compost a lot. Use grass clippings. And the first year, we bought peat moss and chicken manure and spread it over the main garden. It makes the soil much looser so that the roots have an easier time penetrating the ground.”

Montrose resident Jami Thall viewed her vegetable garden and commented, “Best tomatoes I've ever had. Maybe the rain. Maybe I was due a good year." It may have been the rain or the lady scarecrow, for summer vacation certainly didn’t stop the Marshall School garden on Grove Road from putting forth edible nasturtium, medicinal borage, strawberries, carrots, cherry and beefsteak tomatoes. And a few blocks away, on Fairview Avenue, a giant feathery fennel plant sits in the middle of Mark Farrell’s backyard.

Yet, even with good weather or good luck, soil is still key to any garden’s success. “Matching your soil to your plantings is very important,” commented Sybil Archibald, one of the parents who started the Marshall garden two years ago. “If people put as much time into their soil as their plants, they would have much better results.”

The acidic soil in our area needs amending, and the best way to find out about your dirt is to send a sample to the soil testing laboratory at Rutgers Agricultural Extension.

Regardless, Josefsberg is confident that anyone can find gardening success if they have the desire, and the rewards are immeasurable. “You’ll have the pleasure of picking a tomato in your own backyard," he said. "It’s red all the way through, and bursting with taste and smell.”