Vegetable Gardening

1. Vegetable Gardening

2. Home vegetable gardening • Produce value of $14 billion per year (U.S.) • 40% of families have vegetable gardens

3. Why grow vegetables? • Taste • Saves money • Health • Can be chemical-free • Exercise • Attracts wildlife

4. Planning a garden • Location • Water supply • Full sun • Well drained loam, pH 6-6.5 • Away from trees • Away from slopes

5. Planning a garden • Size • Start small (25’ x 25’ or less) • Most seed packs plant a 15’ row

6. Garden layout • Rows oriented east to west • Taller & trellised plants on north side • Shorter plants towards south side • Plant perennials together

9. Block (bed) gardening

12. Vegetable garden design • Rows • Beds • Mixed beds (flowers/vegetables) • Containers • Window boxes

13. 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)

14. 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

16. 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

17. Planning a vegetable garden • Intercropping • Succession planting (double cropping) • Relay planting • Crop rotation • Companion planting • Row to row distance

18. Intercropping

19. Succession planting

21. Relay planting • Planting at intervals for continuous, extended harvest • Beans, sweet corn, lettuce • Sow when previous crop has emerged (germinated)

22. Crop rotation

24. 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

26. Companion planting for pest control

27. Beneficial insects

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

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

30. 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

31. Growing vegetables from indirect seeding • Warm for germination • Seedlings in good light, lower temp. • Hardening off • Transplanting at proper depth

32. Vegetable garden cultivation • Watering • Fertilizing • Weed control • Mulching • Pests

33. Garden watering • Heavy & occasionally • Germinating seeds, seedlings, transplants – frequent & light • Critical watering periods • Water in evening • Soaker, drip irrigation

34. 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)

35. Weed control • Hand weeding • Hoe weeding • Mulch • Plastic, organic, newspaper • Proper plant spacing

36. 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

38. Training plants • Optimize use of space • Lessen contact of fruit with soil

39. Training plants

40. Cages

41. Home gardening resources • NCSU Information leaflets