4 26 intro to vegetable gardening
TRANSCRIPT
Ag. ConceptsVegetable Gardens
Day 1
Vegetable Gardening
• Was once very common
• Victory Gardens during WWII
• Becoming more common as people worry about pesticide and other chemical usage
Types of Vegetables
• Warm Season– Corn– Tomatoes– Peppers– Squash– Melons– Cucumbers– Beans– Pumpkins– Okra
• Cool Season– Leaf vegetables– Cabbage, broccoli– Beets– Carrots– Leeks– Onions– Peas– Potatoes– Turnips
When to Plant
• Warm Season– After last frost– When soil is warm– May - July
• Cool Season– 2 planting seasons– Spring
• Mature plants before July heat
• Mar - April
– Fall• After heat of July/Aug• 4-6 weeks before 1st
frost
Resources
• Average First Frost date Warrenton, Va: Oct. 15
• Average Last Frost date Warrenton, Va: April 28
Average Daily Temps
PAR
• Plant a row for local food banks
• Food banks frequently receive non-perishable foods, but almost never receive fresh foods
• Plant a row encourages home gardeners to plant an extra row to help those in need
Garden Project
• Select 10 vegetables that you like or that someone you know likes.
• Plan a vegetable garden with enough of that vegetable to supply a family of 4
• Determine when the vegetable is to be harvested
• Determine when the vegetables should be planted
• Determine the appropriate spacing for the plants• Determine how large the garden needs to be
Begin by
• Selecting your 10 vegetables– 5 warm season– 5 cool season
• Research each and make a chart
Plant Harvest Spacing Other
Beans Weekly
AFF 5/1
40 days
Jun16
4”, 2’ row Bush,
seed
Tomatoes AFF 5/1 85 days
Jul 15
3’ Transplant
Potatoes Mar 24 Jun 24 6”, 3’ row Potato chunks
Lettuces & Greens
• Leaf vegetables, Includes– Lettuce, Spinach, – Celery, rhubarb, chard
• Time to plant: Early Spring or late summer• Time to harvest: 30 - 45 days – before daily
temperatures get above 75.• Will regrow after cutting until summer or frost• Spacing: Plant in rows 6-8” apart, thin to 4-6 inches
between plants after seeds have sprouted• Heavy nitrogen feeders• Avoid pesticides• Cool Season Plants
Nightshade
• A family of toxic plants that includes: tomatoes, peppers, potatoes & eggplants
• All have poisonous leaves & stems• Potatoes & eggplants should never be
eaten green• Peppers and tomatoes have low levels of
toxins when green• Potatoes develop toxins when exposed to
sunlight
Cucurbit
• Family of plants that includes melons, squash, & cucumbers. Grow on annual vines. Reseed easily
Tomatoes• Warm season – plant after all risk of frost• Two types
– determinate (grow to a set height and produce fruit all at once)
– indeterminate (vines – produce all season) – need to stake and prune – need more care
• Best grown from transplant – not seed• Tomatoes can develop roots along their stem
so plant deep for stronger roots• 60 – 90 days from planting to harvest• Grow best in warm soil – use plastic mulch for
early season warming• New thing is upside down tomatoes
Peppers
• Warm season vegetable• Heat is caused by a chemical called capsaicin• Best grown from transplant – not seed• 70 – 80 days from planting to harvest• Time to plant: after all frost risk• Grow best when soil temp above 70 & air temp
above 80• Heat in peppers is measure on the Scoville scale
Cucumbers
• Warm season• Grow from seed or transplant• Heavy feeders• 50 – 70 days from planting to harvest• Can be trellised• Many varieties
– Pickling, straight, burpless,
• Disease & pest susceptible
Melons
• Warm season – (Hot)• Cantaloupe = muskmelon• Grow from seed or transplant• Long growing season – 80 – 100 days• Require lots of space• Apply straw or mulch under growing melons to avoid rot.• Most separate easily from the vine when ripe
– Watermelons – harder to tell – color change or thump
• Highly fertile soil gives better flavored melons• Many species:
– watermelons, honeydews, muskmelon,
Squash
• Warm season
• Plant from seed or transplant
• 50 – 60 days to harvest for summer squashes– Zucchini, crook-neck, patty-pan– Harvest when small for best flavor
• 80 – 140 days for winter squash– Pumpkins, gourds, winter squash
Peas
• Cool Season Vegetable• Sow as soon as soil is thawed & dry in
spring or in the shade of a taller plant in late summer
• Grow best at soil temps 60 – 65• Space 1” apart• Grow on trellises• Can tolerate light frost• Low nutrient requirements• Three main types:
– Garden, Snow, Sugar
Beans
• Warm season vegetable• Has higher water requirements
than peas• Space 4-8” apart in rows for bush
beans or• Space 15” apart in hills of 4 for
pole beans• Plant a few plants every 10 days
for harvest all summer• Has low N requirement – needs
moderate P & K
Corn
• Warm season• Will not grow well until soil is over 75F• You can warm soil with black mulch• Germinates in about 4 days• Very heavy feeder: must supplement• Needs regular water – best w/ irrigation• Best to grow in blocks rather than rows• Usually get 2-3 ears per plant• Wheat, barely, and rice are all in the same family
This Week
• Today - Vegetable Garden Plan
• Tomorrow – Vegetable garden plan
• Wednesday – Planting vegetables
• Thursday – Area clean up
• Friday – Field trip
Resources
• Average First Frost date Warrenton, Va: Oct. 15
• Average Last Frost date Warrenton, Va: April 28
• http://www.humeseeds.com/vegplan.htm• http://www.thegardenhelper.com/vegtips.html• http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/category/fruits-vegetables.html