Spring Vegetable Gardening

1. Spring Vegetable Gardening Presented by: Kent Phillips kent.a.phillips@gmail.com

3. Maryland Master Gardeners’Mission To educate Maryland residents about safe, effective and sustainable horticultural practices that build healthy gardens, landscapes, and communities.

4. www.extension.umd.edu/growit Grow Your Own Food We Can Show You How Click on Classes Tab And Scroll down to Howard County

5. Survey • Existing garden ready for spring planting • Want to build a new vegetable garden

6. My unbordered raised beds

7. Ingredients for spring gardening success! • Knowledge/planning • Timing • Friable soil rich in organic matter • Adequate nutrients, water and sunlight

8. Planning • Seed catalogs (December/January) • What do you want to grow • Starting seeds indoors v. buying transplants • www.extension.umd.edu/growit • Search for “seed starting” • Starting seeds in the garden • Proven vegetables for Maryland • https://extension.umd.edu/hgic • Click on “Information Library”, “Publications” and “Vegetable, Fruit and Herb Gardening” • Look for Publication HG70

9. Timing • When to start seeds for transplants • See the back of the seed packet • When to transplant seedlings in the garden and to plant seeds outside • http://www.extension.umd.edu/hgic • Click on “Information Library”, “Publications” and “Vegetable, Fruit and Herb Gardening” look for Publication HG16, GE 007 or GE008

10. Good info on most seed packets

12. What is organic matter? • Organic matter is anything that was once part of a plant. • Compost v. raw material • To create a sustainable gardens • build soil health (feeding the soil food web and recycling nutrients) • increase biological diversity above and below ground - plants, insects, microbial life

13. One Yard of Black Gold

14. Previous fall • Add available compost and turn in • Sow spinach and kale to winter over • Cover gardens to be used in early spring • Plant cover crops in summer vegetable beds • Soil test every three years • https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/ • Click on “Soils”, “Soil Testing” and HG 110 to get info on soil testing.

17. December/January • Plan your spring garden • Order seeds • Johnny’s Selected Seeds • Burpee • Meyers Seed • Get seed starting supplies • Garden shops • Catalogs

18. February • Start seeds indoors • https://extension.umd.edu/growit • Click on “Getting Started” under “Vegetables” and “Starting Vegetables Seeds Indoors” • Brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi and pak choi) • Lettuce • Leeks, chives and onion • Beets

19. March • Harden off transplants (Mid to late march) • Move outdoors during day • Cold frame • Fertilize area being planted • Follow soil test recommendations or .2#s of N/100 square foot • Lbs. of fertilizer = N recommend or .2/%N from NPK analysis on bag • Sow direct seeded crops • Arugula, spinach, kale, peas, favas, turnips, radishes, potatoes, onion and shallot sets • Transplant seedlings (late March, weather dependent) • Protect from freezes using row cover or cloche • Start seeds indoors • Eggplant and pepper (mid to late March)

20. Inter planted lettuce and broccoli In a 3 foot long area plant 5 broccoli plants in an x pattern Plant 4 lettuce plants between the broccoli plants B L B L B L B L B

21. Plant protection and season extenders • Row Cover • Cloche

22. April • Start seeds indoors • Tomatoes (5-6 wks. prior to plant out date) • Cucumbers, cantaloupes and squash (3 wks prior to plant out date) • Harden off transplants • Sow direct seeded crops • beets, carrots, kohlrabi, broccoli raab and snap beans • Succession plant • Arugula, spinach, radishes, lettuce

23. April (continued) • Transplant asparagus roots • Harvest • Arugula, spinach, kale, radishes, broccoli raab, lettuce • Trellis peas • Turn compost • Incorporate nitrogen if necessary

24. May • Harvest arugula, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, spinach, turnips • Transplant after last frost date (5/15) eggplant, peppers, squash and tomatoes • Use row cover on eggplant and squash to control pests • Plant beans, corn, okra • Succession plant beets, carrots,

26. Early June • Harvest, harvest, harvest • Continue to succession plant one and done crops (beans, carrots, beets, etc.) • Start seeds for fall planting of broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage mid month.

28. March • Two raised beds- 8 ft. X 3 or 4 ft. with a 2 ft. path in the middle Spinach & Kale Arugula Broccoli Cauliflower 3 ft.

29. April • Two raised beds- 8 ft. X 3 or 4 ft. with a 2 ft. path in the middle Chard Spinach & Kale Arugula Beets & Carrots Broccoli Cauliflower 3 ft.

30. May • Two raised beds- 8 ft. X 3 or 4 ft. with a 2 ft. path in the middle Chard Beans Peppers and Eggplants Tomatoes Beets & Carrots Broccoli Cauliflower 3 ft.

31. June • Two raised beds- 8 ft. X 3 or 4 ft. with a 2 ft. path in the middle Chard Peppers and Eggplant Beets & Carrots Beans Tomatoes Cucumbers Squash 3 ft.

32. Cool Season Crops • Beets • Broccoli • Cabbage • Cauliflower • Carrots • Chard • Kohlrabi • Leaf lettuce • Green onions • Peas • Potatoes • Radish • Spinach • Turnips Plant in spring • Asparagus • Rhubarb

33. Resources • Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC) • 800-342-2507 • www.extension.umd.edu/hgic • Grow-It-Eat-It website • www.extension.umd.edu/growit • Search for info on desired topic • Join the Grow It Network • Subscribe to the Grow It blog • Master Gardener state website • www.extension.umd.edu.mg

34. Upcoming classes • www.extension.umd.edu • Click on “Classes” and scroll down and click on to “Howard County” and click on “Class Schedule”

35. This program was brought to you by Maryland Master Garden Program Howard County University of Maryland Extension