VEGETABLE GARDEN
Planning and planting a successful
vegetable garden
Nothing tastes better than
vegetables picked fresh from your
own garden. There’s a certain
satisfaction to serving and eating
food that you yourself have grown
and harvested. Although they
typically demand a good bit of
space, vegetables can even be grown
in window boxes. Everyone, then, can
experience the many joys of the
kitchen garden.
Planning your Vegetable Garden
Advance planning is a must as there
are many factors that can affect the
success and manageability of your
vegetable garden as well as your
enjoyment of it.
The traditional method of
vegetable garden design was to plant
long, orderly rows. Most home
gardeners now opt for planting in
beds rather than rows. This method
allows you to concentrate your
compost on the area where the plants
are growing rather than wasting it
on the paths between the rows.
Walking between the rows also ruins
the soil structure, so beds are
really a better way to go. The beds
do need to be small enough so that
you can easily reach in to weed and
harvest all the plants without
stepping on the bed itself. Also, if
you raise your beds about 8 to 12
inches, you will have improved
drainage and the soil will stay
warmer in colder weather, such as
early spring.
Another popular style is potager,
which mixes flowers in together with
herbs and vegetables in an
ornamental fashion so that the
garden is both functional and
ascetically pleasing. Many
vegetables also thrive in
containers, so you don’t even need a
garden in order to get those
garden-fresh veggies.
Location is another consideration
when planning your garden. Many
people tend to want to hide the
vegetable garden away in a dark
corner and save spotlight for the
flowers. Vegetable gardens, however,
need sunny, open spaces in order to
thrive, so you won’t reap a bounty
if you are not willing to devote
some real estate. Also, think about
location when planting. You can
economize space by planting
vegetables next to each other that
mature at different times. This way,
you have already harvested one when
it’s neighbor is becoming mature, so
both have plenty of space and sun
when they need it most.
Planting your vegetable garden
Preparing the
Soil
Putting some extra effort into
preparing your beds before planting
will save you a lot of time and
effort in the future. Dig the bed up
to break up compacted soil (this
will help with drainage) and
removing rocks and weeds as you go.
Try to pull out as much of the weed
roots as possible so that they will
not come back to haunt you later.
This is also a good time to amend
your soil.
Companion Plants in the
Vegetable Garden
There are some plants that, when
planted close together, will benefit
each other. Likewise, there are
certain combinations of plants that
will inhibit the growth of one or
both types of plants. Here are a few
combinations to avoid:
- Potatoes – inhibit growth of
tomatoes and squash
- Beans – inhibit growth of
onions
- Broccoli – inhibits growth
of tomatoes
- Carrots – inhibit growth of
dill
This isn’t to say that you can’t
grow these plants together in the
same garden, just don’t grow them
right next to each other.
Watering
Vegetables need a bit of extra care
when it comes to watering.
Consistent watering will produce
successful results. If you have a
large garden, you may want to
consider a soaker hose. This will
ensure that your plants get an even
watering without getting the leaves
wet and all you have to do is
remember to turn on the house.
Rotating Crops
Assuming that you plan to grow
vegetables more than one year, it is
important that you rotate your
crops. Crop rotation prevents
building diseases up in the soil and
preserves micro-nutrients. Rotating
is not very difficult, but does take
a little advance planning as well as
a basic knowledge of the vegetable
families. Vegetables are broken down
into basic family groups. These
groups should be rotated together as
they use soil in similar ways and
share similar pests.
- Alliums
Include Onions, Garlic,
Scallions, Shallots, and Leeks.
- Brassicas
I include Broccoli, Cauliflower,
Cabbage, Brussels Sprouts, and
Kale.
- Crucifers
include Turnips, Radishes,
Rutabaga, and Collards.
- Cucurbits
Include Cucumbers, Squashes
(from zucchini to pumpkin), and
Melons.
- Legumes
Include Peas and Beans.
- Mescluns
I nclude Arugula, Swiss Chard,
Chicory, Endive, Escarole, and
Radiccio.
- Solanaceae
Include Tomatoes, Peppers, and
Eggplant.
Perennial vegetables such as
Asparagus, Rhubarb and Artichokes
should not be rotated and therefore
should be planted separately. The
rest (most vegetables are hardy or
semi-hardy annuals) should be
rotated every year on a four year
plan (so that the same family of
vegetables is not planted in the
same location within four years).
This is easy to accommodate if you
have planted four beds for your
rotating plants and one bed for your
non-rotating perennials. See where
that advanced planning starts to
come in handy?
Timing
How many times have you had a
co-worker or friend arrive at your
home or office with bags full of
zucchini or cucumbers? If you plant
all your vegetables at the same
time, everything will come to
maturity at the same time. The
solution is to continually plant
small amounts of short-season
vegetables throughout the growing
season. That way, you can enjoy your
vegetables all summer long and not
be inundated by them all at once.
Nothing, however, will save you
from the dreaded onslaught of
zucchini; I just don't plant it and
that way I'm happy for the
occasional gift. If they start to
bomb you with bags of it, drop 'em
off the Christmas card list and shun
'em. Nothing like a good old
fashioned shunning to get those
zucchini pushers in line...
Vegetable Container Gardens
Vegetables that thrive when planted
in containers include: tomatoes,
eggplants, peppers, carrots, chard,
lettuce, beans, peas, and cucumbers.
For information on how to get
started, visit our article about
container gardening (link to
container gardening article).
Ornamental Vegetables
Who says that vegetables garden are
homely? There are many vegetables
that, in addition to tasting good,
are also very attractive. These
include: sweet peas, French (green)
beans, runner beans, endive, kale,
red cabbage, and ruby chard.
Vegetable gardening can be great
fun and it is truly rewarding to
enjoy delicious food from your own
garden. With these basics tips, you
are well on your way. Enjoy!
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