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Vegetable Gardening Home vegetable gardening

• Produce value of $14 billion per year (U.S.)

• 40% of families have vegetable gardens

Why grow vegetables?

• Taste• Saves money• Health

– Can be chemical-free– Exercise

• Attracts wildlife

Planning a garden

• Location– Water supply– Full sun– Well drained loam,

pH 6-6.5– Away from trees– Away from slopes

Planning a garden

• Size– Start small (25’ x 25’ or less)– Most seed packs plant a 15’ row

Garden layout

• Rows oriented east to west

• Taller & trellised plants on north side

• Shorter plants towards south side

• Plant perennials together

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Block (bed) gardening

Vegetable garden design

• Rows• Beds• Mixed beds (flowers/vegetables)• Containers

– Window boxes

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Planning a vegetable garden

• What uses?– Fresh, canning, freezing (p. 500)

• Climate assessment– Dates of avg. spring & fall killing frosts

• Frost free period = # days from last spring frost to first fall frost (ranges from 60-250 days)

Planning a vegetable garden

• Vegetable characteristics– Days to maturity– Warm season vs. cool season

• Warm season – restricted to frost free period

• Cool season – can tolerate light frost– Start indoors & transplant for Spring crop– Plant as seed for late fall crop

Planning a vegetable garden

• Vegetable characteristics– Harvested crop and light requirements

• Fruit > 8 hours• Root > 6 hours• Leaf > 4 hours

– Harvested crop and nutrient requirements

• Leaf crops – high N• Root crops – High K, lower N

Planning a vegetable garden

• Intercropping• Succession planting (double

cropping)• Relay planting• Crop rotation• Companion planting• Row to row distance

Intercropping

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Succession planting

Relay planting

• Planting at intervals for continuous, extended harvest– Beans, sweet corn, lettuce– Sow when previous crop has emerged

(germinated)

Crop rotation

Companion planting

• Some plants do better next to certain types of plants– Some plants have insect

repellant properties– Some plants attract

beneficial insects

– Example: corn/squash canopy disorients squash vine borer

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Companion planting for pest control

Beneficial insects

Poor plant combinations

• Plant antagonism – some plants secrete growth-suppressing chemicals– Beans do not follow onions well– Tomato/potato do not follow Brassicas

well

Plant spacing

• Can determine final size of plants• Equal access to water, nutrients, light• Canopy can suppress weeds

Planting a vegetable garden

• Seed– Viability & storage– Direct vs. indirect sowing– Prepared seed types

• Seed tapes, primed, pelleted, treated

– Pre-germinating seed (p. 493)

– Thinning

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Growing vegetables from indirect seeding

• Warm for germination– Seedlings in good light, lower temp.

• Hardening off• Transplanting at proper depth

Vegetable garden cultivation

• Watering• Fertilizing• Weed control• Mulching• Pests

Garden watering

• Heavy & occasionally– Germinating seeds, seedlings,

transplants – frequent & light

• Critical watering periods• Water in evening• Soaker, drip irrigation

Garden fertilizing

• Vegetable plants vary in N-P-K needs• Annual application of compost (5-

11lbs./sq. yd.) or manure (12lb./sq. yd.)• Green manure crops (legumes, rye)

overwinter or intercropped• Granular N-fertilizers applied in Spring

(one month before planting)

Weed control

• Hand weeding• Hoe weeding• Mulch

– Plastic, organic, newspaper

• Proper plant spacing

Vegetable garden pests (p. 498)

• Animals– Birds, rabbits, deer, voles, insects

• Insects– Sucking insects, chewing insects– Moths/caterpillars; beetles/grubs

• Microorganisms– Bacteria, fungi, viruses

• Virginia Tech – Insect pests of vegetables

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Training plants

• Optimize use of space• Lessen contact of fruit with soil

Training plantsCages

Home gardening resources

• NCSU Information leaflets