John Evans, an individual whose name has featured several times in the Guinness Book of World Records, deserves to be mentioned for his exceptionally large, homegrown vegetables. Amongst his famed vegetables are turnips, cabbages, leeks, brussels sprouts, zucchini and of course the much favored potato plant.

Surprisingly, Evans' vegetables are not only large on size, but are also big on taste. They also meet the bill of health, in that their Brix level (i.e. level of sugar) accounts to 20, and not a mere 7 that the normally proportioned vegetables comprise! So, what is the secret for his large store of delightfully healthy vegetables? The enigma that belies these vegetables is the location in which they are grown - Matanuska Valley, Alaska. Alaska, appears to be the perfect breeding ground for these gigantic vegetables, for its climate is such that it offers the vegetables 3 months (June to August) of concentrated levels of sunlight, which is the ultimate nourishment for plant life. In addition, John Evans shares that his plants are armored with a particularly waxy surface that accounts for their glossy appearance; and which seemingly keep the bugs at bay, thereby allowing the plants to grow unhindered.

John Evans comes from a long lineage of horticulturalists and has spent the last 40 odd years intensively researching the elements that are responsible for plant life. His research and experimentation has allowed him to engineer a compost tea, which is the final ingredient for his enormous recipe of success. Evans believes that the compost tea is responsible for the production of aerobic bacteria that encourages greater growth. Furthermore, the compost tea aids in the formation of a bio-film that protects the plant from being ravaged by bugs. Evans explains that his compost tea requires a diffuser, some air hoses and an air pump. The latter equipment is first deposited in a bucket filled with 5 gallons of water, and the process commences with air being pumped into the water. The next step is that of adding 8 cups of compost along with a dose of Evans' special, sugary ingredients. Thereafter, the 'tea' is left to brew for an entire day, and voila it is then ready to be served in a more diluted form. Evans doles out the 'tea' in 2 ways: by applying it on the various sections of the plants and by allowing the 'tea' to be diffused in the soil in which the plant is rooted. Evans suggests that the plants should be showered with the tea either very early in the morning or in the evening, for during the day the sun's ultraviolet rays may interfere with the ability of the microbes to penetrate the plant and/or soil.

So, with more than adequate sunlight at hand, a waxy surface to flaunt and lots of tea to drink, these Alaskan vegetables seem to be resting luxuriously on a continuous curve of growth!

If you like Growing Vegetables....These pages might also interest you:

Good Looking Vegetable Gardens, Growing Garlic, History of the Tomato, How to Grow a Great Pepper, When are Vegetables Ripe?, Growing Oversized Vegetables, Growing Peas in the Garden, Growing Tomatoes, Tips for Growing Potatoes