Starting A Vegetable Garden
There are a number of benefits to growing your own vegetables. They’re good for your health and help reduce the environmental impact of eating foods that have traveled a long way from the farm.
Choosing the right vegetable varieties, planting them at the best time and practicing crop rotation are all important parts of a successful garden.
Winter isn’t over. The nights are freezing and even the daytime temps are low. There’s a cold wind blowing. It’s a perfect time to plan your gardens.
The heat of the summer is too late to plan. Those hot days are reserved for the back-breaking labor designed to build character such as weeding long rows of veggies and dragging hoses around to water thirsty plants.
So, start planning now to assure that you will grow what you want to eat, in an efficient way. Planning will help minimize tasks you most dislike. Planning lets you create a garden that meets your physical and time restraints, while focusing on food crops you will enjoy eating.
Planning means you won’t be overwhelmed and can truly find the joy of vegetable gardening.
Begin with the end in mind. Following that principal, here are a few activities to help you visualize your ideal food garden.
1. List all the vegetables, berries and fruits you love to eat. Don’t forget herbs. Browse a seed catalogue for ideas. If you and your family don’t enjoy it, don’t put it on the list. Gathering this information now will help narrow your options.
2. List all the gardening activities you hate. Weeding might be at the top of some people’s lists but yours might be dragging garden hoses to change water, double digging heavy compacted soil, or just fighting the heat of the summer. Only things that make gardening miserable should go on this list.
3. List all your growing locations. You might have a south-facing fence that could be used as a trellis, some large pots on a terrace or just a south-facing kitchen windowsill. Take a mental walk of your property considering light, water and growing conditions. Visualize all the possible growing spaces, even spots among your existing plants, but keep in mind successful gardens need 6-8 hours of sunlight. Don’t restrict yourself to a standard square plot.
4. Think about last year’s garden space and the results. Evaluate the planting locations, soil quality, temperature and light conditions and the availability and volume of water. If you had a garden journal and/or maps, dust them off and make a list of the things you want to change.
5. Your final task is to think about time, cost and quality-of-life items. Do you have physical limitations? How much time do you want to spend in the garden? Do your wants fit your budget? Be realistic so your gardening experience is joyful rather than a job you do not want to face.
Now it is time to create your perfect garden vision. Begin with the end in mind. Sketch a map of your space with actual dimensions. If using pots, list the size, location and number of containers. You will be using these maps through this growing season to record crop location, and number of plants and dates planted. You will use them for placement patterns, succession and companion planting as well as crop rotation. You will also want an irrigation map. These maps should be stored in a journal to guide you from year to year.
Garden journals can simply be a notebook that you can easily take with you to the garden area or could be set up as a spread sheet with Excel. They could include photos, where and when you purchased plants or seeds and companies you prefer.
Now that you know where you are planting your garden, you need to decide what you are going to plant. From your original crop list, choose favorite varieties that are appropriate for your planting areas. If using pots, consider varieties that seed companies recommend for growing in small areas.
Take your time and study many garden catalogs as there is a lot of information that will guide you. Some catalogs even give you extra tips that can make you more successful. Be sure to also read the back side of seed packets that will give you germination times, how deep to plant seeds, if the crop needs full sun and how many days till you can harvest. There is a lot of information to know before planting that will make your life easier and reward you with amazing vegetables.
Now about that “things you hate list” you made. If you wrote that you hate the hot summer sun, plan on doing your gardening chores early in the morning or in the cool of the evening. Set up some seating nearby for taking a break. This could be a beautiful outdoor garden room or simply benches placed in the shade.
Did you write that your watering system is not the greatest? Ideally, setting up a drip system so that water gets right to where you want it, and with little effort on your part other than turning on the tap.
You could create a drip irrigation system yourself, but if it seems overwhelming, there are companies that will do the job — for a price. If hiring professionals is not in your budget at present, consider a few tips. A thick layer of mulch is great for keeping moisture in the soil, so you do not have to water as often. Invest in extra hoses so you can leave them mostly in place. Only having to disconnect one and reconnect another saves work and time.
Don’t water unless you need to. Only water the amount for each plant’s needs. Push a shovel into the soil and move it forward to see if the soil is actually dry.
Finally, a word about weeds. That heavy layer of mulch to save watering will deter weeds from sprouting. Planting densely can make shade between the rows and deter weeds also.
Get the weeds while they are young. Tiny weeds can be easily pulled or rubbed out by using a hula hoe, a favorite of many gardeners. Once weeds get big, they are hard to remove, steal water and nutrients from your garden and might set seeds to make it worse next year.
There is nothing tastier than growing your own food and Master Gardeners are here to help you. Please call our clinic at 509-574-1604. Master Gardener volunteers hold classes during the garden season that cover many garden topics. Watch this column for announcements on topics, times, and locations. They are free. Check the library for beautiful gardening books to give you inspiration, and share ideas with that neighbor who always has a beautiful garden.
Happy gardening!
Source: yakimaherald.com
