285
Vegetable Gardening Vegetable Gardening Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service Master Gardener Volunteer Training Program
Vegetable Gardening
Vegetable Gardening
Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
Master Gardener Volunteer Training Program
Vegetable Gardening
Excellent Resource
• Oklahoman‘s Guide to Growing Fruits,
Nuts, and Vegetables, Ext. Pub E-995
• Cost $10
• Available by contacting
Stephanie Larimer at 405-744-5404
E-mail: [email protected]
On the web at: http://home.okstate.edu/Okstate/dasnr/hort/hortlahome.nsf/toc/handbook
Vegetable Gardening
Gardening, Why Go To All The Effort?
• Well, there are lots of reasons
Obviously, fresh food
Know where it came from
How it was grown
Food for preservation
Recreation-exercise
Education
Children, Grandchildren, Schools
Even experienced gardeners
Vegetable Gardening
Garden Planning
• Basic questions to ask
What‘s the garden for?
What will you grow?
Who will be helping?
Where will it be located?
Vegetable Gardening
Garden Planning
• What‘s the garden for?
Fresh salad and vegetables
Processing — canning & freezing
Combination fresh & processing
Give away gardenwww.territorial-seed.com
www.cornichon.org
Vegetable Gardening
Garden Planning
• Who will be helping?
The obvious people
Me—Myself—I
Other household members
Adults, Children
Other folks
Neighbors
Friends
horticulture.unh.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Garden Planning
• What will you grow?
What do household
members like?
Poll everyone and get an
idea
Provide a list
Try something new and
different each year Whole Foods Market
Vegetable Gardening
Garden Planning
• How much should you grow?
Know your garden goals:
Food-Recreation-Education-Exercise
How much space is available?
How much help will be available?
What type of equipment do you
have?
www.pdkinc.com
Vegetable Gardening
Garden Planning
• Where will it be
located?
Accessibility
Available water
Control of site
Avoid Walnut
Trees
Vegetable Gardening
Site Selection
• Soil texture
• Soil depth
• Drainage
• Fertility
• Sun exposure
• Slope
• Air movement
Vegetable Gardening
Soil Texture
• Soil Particles Sand, silt, and clay
Course Fine
• Soil Texture Describes relative
amounts of each
particleww.soilsensor.com
Vegetable Gardening
Soil Types
• Sandy
Leaching, drying
Easy to till, good rooting
Sandy-loam
www.cannonsturf.co.uk
Vegetable Gardening
Soil Types
• Loamy
Free movement of water and air
Good water retention
Fertile
Little resistance to tillage
www.oznet.ksu.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Soil Types
• Clay
Poor drainage
Difficult to till
Poor rooting
Fertile
www.rhs.org.uk
Vegetable Gardening
Soil Depth
• Combination
Topsoil and subsoil
• Total of 4-6 feet is desirable
• Minimum of 10 in. of topsoil
Vegetable Gardening
Adding Topsoil
Till First!
Vegetable Gardening
Drainage
• Soil needs good drainage
Prevent root rots and other
disease
Good aeration to meet
oxygen needs
cbarc.aes.oregonstate.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Slope
• >10% Offers problems
Excessive runoff
Erosion
Special management
required
• South facing slopes
Earlier plantings
Vegetable Gardening
Air Movement
• Pest considerations
• Damage to seedlings &
transplants
• Drift from adjacent
properties
• Adjustments Barriers
Fencing
Thinning
Vegetable Gardening
Garden Design and Layout
Vegetable Gardening
Garden Layout
N
Taller plants at north end reduces shading
Group plants with
similar needs
Cole Crops
Corn & Tomatoes
North-south orientation
Reduces effect of westerly winds
Vegetable Gardening
Garden Layout
Traditional Rows
www.mobot.org
Vegetable Gardening
Garden Layout
Unconventional Design
www.sfpermaculture.com oblique.csail.mit.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Alternatives to Row Plantings
Mounded or Ridged Rows
www.geocities.com
Warm soil in spring
Improve Drainage
Vegetable Gardening
Alternatives to Row Plantings
• Drainage
• Fertility
• Great for herb
and salad gardens
• Physical
disabilitiesRaised Beds
www.humeseeds.com
Vegetable Gardening
Alternatives to Row Plantings
Containers
www.lollygirl.com
ripples.typepad.com
Vegetable Gardening
Alternatives to Row Plantings
Vertical Gardening
Trellising Hanging Baskets
www.corporate_elite.infowww.burpee.com
Vegetable Gardening
Alternatives to Row Plantings
Square-foot Gardening
members.aol.com
Vegetable Gardening
Alternatives to Row Plantings
Intercropping
www.agroecology.org
Vegetable Gardening
Getting Started
Vegetable Gardening
Pre-planting Preparation
Solarization
www.floridagardener.com
Crabgrass
Weeds!
Vegetable Gardening
Tilling
www.pdkinc.comwww.oznet.ksu.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Double Digging
1 ft. wide
1 ft. deep
www.himalayanacademy.com www.okstate.edu
Dig trench Loosen subsoil
Vegetable Gardening
Double Digging
10-12”
Vegetable Gardening
Double Digging
Vegetable Gardening
Soil Fertility
Vegetable Gardening
Soil Nutrition
• Macronutrients
Nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), potassium (K)
• Secondary Nutrients
Ca, Mg, S
• Micronutrients
Fe, Mn, Co, Zn, Bo, Cl, Mo
Vegetable Gardening
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Acid Alkaline
Neutral
Battery
acidVinegar Orange
juice
Pure
water
Baking
sodaAmmonia Bleach Lye
pH Scale
Vegetable Gardening
……takes the guesswork out of fertilization
• Correct nutrition imbalances
• Prevent over fertilization
• Adjust pH
• Test soil every 2-3 years www.plintestusa.com
Soil Analysis…..
Vegetable Gardening
Soil Test
Results
Vegetable Gardening
Soil PH
• Adjusting pH
Too acidic - add lime
Too alkaline - add
sulfur
Vegetable Gardening
Understanding Fertilizer Analysis
• What do those 3 numbers
mean?• % of N-P-K
• Example: 18% N-24% P-6% K
• Sources can include:• Organic
• Inorganic
Vegetable Gardening
Organic Versus Non-organic
Fertilizers
Vegetable Gardening
Organic versus Non-organic
• Chemical Fertilizers
Immediately available
Potential for root burn
Nutrient Availability
www.hort.cornell.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Organic versus Non-organic
• Organic Fertilizers
Nutrients released slowly
Nutrients available for
longer duration
Nutrient Availability
www.dahlias.net
Vegetable Gardening
Organic versus Non-organic
• Organic Advantages
Wider assemblage of nutrients
Carries beneficial bacteria and fungi
Addition of organic matter
Vegetable Gardening
Organic versus Non-organic
• Organic Disadvantages
Handling - large quantity required
Weed seeds in some sources
High soluble salt levels in fresh manures
Vegetable Gardening
Organic Matter
• The Magic Elixir!
Loosen heavy clays
Increases pore spaces
Improve water/nutrient holding capacity of sands
Release nutrients as it decomposes
Fosters good microbial health of soil
Vegetable Gardening
Sources of Organic Matter
Compost
www.univers-nature.com
Free Sources
Manure
Vegetable Gardening
Make Your Own Compost
www.monkeyrivertown.com
Vegetable Gardening
Store-bought
Sources of Organic Matter
Vegetable Gardening
Green Manure Crops
Sources of Organic Matter
• Legumes – fix nitrogen
• Organic matter
• Weed retention
• Rye, clover, vetch
Clover
Vegetable Gardening
Calculating Fertilizer Needs
10’
40’My
Garden
1. Determine garden area Area 10 x 40 = 400 sqft.
Vegetable Gardening
Calculating Fertilizer Needs
1. Determine garden area Area 10 x 40 = 400 sqft.
2. Fertilizer recommendations 1.5 lbs of N/1000 sqft.
From Soil Test
Vegetable Gardening
Calculating Fertilizer Needs
1. Determine garden area Area 10 x 40 = 400 sqft.
2. Recommended fertilizer 1.5 lbs of N/1000 sqft.
3. Calculate actual nitrogen needs 0.4 x 1.5 = 0.6 lbs N
1.5 lbs. N
1000 sqft.X 400 sqft. = 0.6 lbs. N
Rate X Area = Actual N
Calculating Fertilizer Needs
1. Determine garden area Area 10 x 40 = 400 sqft.
2. Recommended fertilizer 1.5 lbs of N/1000 sqft.
3. Calculate actual nitrogen needs 0.4 x 1.5 = 0.6 lbs N
4. Fertilizer Rate (R)• 46-0-0 fertilizer - 46% N = 0.46 lb. N/lb.
We need
0.46 lb. N
1 lb. fert.x R0.6 lb. N= = 1.3 lbs.
fert.
1 lb. fert.
0.46 lb. N0.6 lb.N x
Vegetable Culture
Vegetable Gardening
Garden Fertility
• Work nutrients into soil 7-10 days before
planting
Withhold 1/3 required nitrogen
Incorporate last 1/3 of nitrogen into soil 6-8
weeks later
Vegetable Gardening
Applying Fertilizer
Spreader Hand Apply
Vegetable Gardening
Planting and Maintenance
Vegetable Gardening
Cool- versus warm-season crops
Warm-season cropsCool-season crops
• Asparagus
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Garlic
• Peas
• Onion
•Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Carrot
• Celery
• Potato
• Lettuce
• Beet
•Spinach
• Cucumber
• Snap bean
• Tomato
• Eggplant
• Melons
• Peppers
•Sweet Potato
•Okra
Vegetable Gardening
Successive Planting
• Cool-season crops
Spring planting: February – March
Fall planting: July – October
• Warm-season crops
Summer planting: April – May
Fall planting: July – August
• Late Fall: prepare soil
Vegetable Gardening
Crops and Cultivars
Easy to grow
More difficult to grow
wikimedia.org
images.meredith.com
www.harrismoran.com
thinksmart.typepad.com hypertextbook.com
www.kyagr.com
Vegetable Gardening
Hybrid Cultivars
Variety 1 – Disease
Resistance
Hybrid
Variety 2 – Good
Color
X
Photos: Randolph G. Gardner
•High yielding
•Vigorous
•Uniform
•Hearty
Vegetable Gardening
Heirloom Varieties
• Open-pollinated
• Handed down for generations
• Seed is true to type
Can collect seeds for next season
• Diversity: genetic, flavor, color
Vegetable Gardening
Early-maturing Cultivars
Melon
Corn
Tomato
Photos: www.hort.purdue.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Disease Resistant Cultivars
www.sbceo.k12.ca.us
Corky root disease:
resistant variety at left
Vegetable Gardening
Intended Use of Produce
www.territorial-seed.com
www.cornichon.org
www.mcohunts.com
Vegetable Gardening
Cultivar Selection
• Unique climate & soils
• Heat tolerance, drought stress
• See Fact Sheet HLA-6032 for OSU
recommended varieties
Vegetable Gardening
Seed vs. Transplants
• Direct Seeded
Spinach
Carrots
Peas
Potatoes
Beans
Corn
• Transplanted
Cabbage
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Tomato
Eggplant
Pepper
Vegetable Gardening
Starting Seeds at Home
• Advantages
Wider selection of plant varieties
Can control plant availability/timing
Earlier harvest possible
• Indoor or Outdoor
Vegetable Gardening
When to Seed
• Weeks before transplanting
Cole crops – 4-6 weeks
Onions – 10-12 weeks
Lettuce – 4-6 weeks
Peppers – 8-10 weeks
Tomato & Eggplant – 6-8 weeks
Melons & Cucumbers – 4 weeks
Flowers – read label
Vegetable Gardening
Starting Seeds Indoors
High-intensity lights
Fluorescent bulbs
cse.ssl.berkeley.eduwww.leevalley.com
12-14 hours per day
Vegetable Gardening
Containers
Egg carton
www.heyne.com.au
Expandable
pots and flats
Plastic seed flats
www.skynursery.com
www.humeseeds.com
Vegetable Gardening
Potting Soil
Sphagnum peatPerlite
Vermiculite
www.westcreekfarms.com
www.reptox.csst.qc.ca
www.cactuspro.com
Pasteurize: 180 degrees for 30 minutes
Vegetable Gardening
Plant Growing Carts
Built-in Florescent Lights
www.hort.wisc.edu
Leek Seedlings
Vegetable Gardening
Fertilizer
• Keep soil moist, not wet
• Liquid fertilizer at 2 to 3 week intervals
• Reduce applications when outdoor
planting approaches
Vegetable Gardening
Starting Seeds Outdoors
Cold Frame
Row Cover
Hoop House
Vegetable Gardening
Modify Growing Environment
Regulate Temperatures
Capture Sunlight
Protection from Frost and Wind
Vegetable Gardening
Capturing Heat
Sunlight Warms the Soil by Day
Heat Released at Night
Sash Traps Heat
Vegetable Gardening
Buying Transplants
cbarc.aes.oregonstate.eduwww.colostate.edu
Examine the roots: healthy roots are white,
diseased roots are brown or black
Vegetable Gardening
Harden-off Seedlings
www.rhs.org.uk
Vegetable Gardening
Transplanting
• Plant in morning or evening
• Or on a cloudy (even rainy!) day
• Do not pull on stem or leaves
• Spread and unwrap curled roots
• Water well, fertilize
Vegetable Gardening
Transplanting
Cardboard collars can
be made from toilet
paper tubes
members.aol.com
Vegetable Gardening
Frost Protection
Agribon, Reemay, Interfacing
Vegetable Gardening
Insect Protection, Too!
www.gardenaction.co.uk
Vegetable Gardening
Frost Protection
Wall-O-Water
Cloches
www.cooksgarden.com
www.dkimages.com
www.bellsofsuffolk.com
Vegetable Gardening
Plastic Mulches
• Warm soil
• Stimulate germination
• Promote early growth
• Plastic with micropores
www.hightunnels.org
Vegetable Gardening
Watering
• One inch weekly
• Irrigation
Conserves water
Targets root zone
• Keep foliage dry
• Water in morning
• Water needs vary with plant stage www.colostate.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Water Conservation
• Reduce evaporation
• Reduces fluctuations
Split tomatoes
Blossom end rot of
squash
Mulch
Kim Rebek
Kim Rebek
Vegetable Gardening
Weed Management
www.ipmthailand.org
i22.photobucket.com
www.wildernessnursery.com
Vegetable Gardening
Weed Control Options
• Use of mulches
Organic and Inorganic
• Plant spacing
• Hand labor for weeding
• Control prior to planting
Round-up herbicide
TillingCobraHead
Vegetable Gardening
Common Weeds
• Bermudagrass
• Crabgrass
• Knotweed
• Pigweeds
• Spurge
• Prickly sida (Mexican tea weed)
Vegetable Gardening
Weed Management
Organic Mulches
www.ipmthailand.org
i22.photobucket.com
www.wildernessnursery.com
Vegetable Gardening
Weed Management
Straw Mulch
Kim Rebek
Lower soil temperature
Vegetable Gardening
Weed Management
i22.photobucket.com www.wildernessnursery.com
Grass Clippings Leaves
Avoid Herbicide Treated
Clippings!
Vegetable Gardening
Weed Management
Inorganic Mulches
www.wildernessnursery.comwww.hightunnels.org
Newspaper Plastic
Vegetable Gardening
Weed Management
White Plastic
www.usask.ca
Reflects light at plant for fruit production
Vegetable Gardening
Weed Management
• Make sure water can
pass through
Fiber Mulches
David Beaulieu
Vegetable Gardening
Weed Management
• Alter plant spacing
• Remove early/small
• Sanitation
Dispose of seed
heads
Cultural Practices
gaga.ncf.ca
Vegetable Gardening
Weed Management
Mechanical Methods
www.push-pull.net horticulture.unh.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Weed Management
• Limit use
Plants sensitive to cultivation
Pre-emergent after germination
Chemical Control
www.kerrysgarden.uswww.jackburnslives.com
Carrot Seedling Onion Seedling
Vegetable Gardening
Weed Management
Quackgrasswww.agron.iastate.edu
Herbicide burn - cucumberwww.agf.gov.bc.ca
• Limit use
Perennial weeds prior to planting
Or try solarization
Chemical Control
Vegetable Gardening
Pest Management
If you plant it…
…they will come.
mtvernon.wsu.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Insect Pests of Vegetables
Imported cabbage worm Tomato hornwormwww.urbanext.uiuc.edu
Direct Pests
Vegetable Gardening
Insect Pests of Vegetables
Aphids
Indirect Pests
Vegetable Gardening
Insect Pests of Vegetables
Squash vine borer
Larva Adultwww.uky.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Integrated Pest Management
• Garden establishment
• Plant maintenance
• Pest avoidance
• Monitoring
Vegetable Gardening
Integrated Pest Management
• Garden establishment
• Plant maintenance
• Pest avoidance
• Monitoringwww.ipmthailand.org
Resistant Varieties – Rotation – Site Selection
Vegetable Gardening
Integrated Pest Management
• Garden establishment
• Plant maintenance
• Pest avoidance
• Monitoringusers.ncable.net.au
Nutrition – Weed Management – Irrigation
Vegetable Gardening
Integrated Pest Management
• Garden establishment
• Plant maintenance
• Pest avoidance
• Monitoringwww.colostate.edu
Sanitation
Vegetable Gardening
Integrated Pest Management
• Garden establishment
• Plant maintenance
• Pest avoidance
• Monitoring
Caraway
Encourage Natural Pest Control
Vegetable Gardening
Integrated Pest Management
• Garden establishment
• Plant maintenance
• Pest avoidance
• MonitoringKim Rebek
Vegetable Gardening
Crop Rotation
• Rotate Plant Families
Curcurbits
Crucifers
Solanaceous
Legumes
www.letsgogardening.co.uk
Vegetable Gardening
Crop Rotation
• Manage insect pests
• Reduce disease
• Avoid nutrient
depletion
www.organicgardening.org.uk
Vegetable Gardening
Disease Management
• Resistant varieties
• Sanitation
• Cultural practices
• Rotation
Vegetable Gardening
Disease Management
Septoria leaf spot on tomato
garden.garden.org
pubs.caes.uga.edu
Keep Foliage Dry
Vegetable Gardening
Disease Management
Photos: Kim Rebek
Vegetable Gardening
Disease Management
mtvernon.wsu.edu
Kim Rebek
Sanitation
Vegetable Gardening
Postseason Duties
• Sanitation
Remove debris
Destroy diseased
tissue
Eliminate sources of
weed seed
www.monkeyrivertown.com
Vegetable Gardening
Postseason Duties
Seed Collection and Storage
members.aol.com
www.ourveggiegarden.com
www.liseed.org
Isolate flowers when necessary
Open pollinated & heirloom varieties only
Vegetable Gardening
Postseason Duties
Soil Preparation
www.oznet.ksu.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Postseason Duties
Plant Green Manures
Rye grass
• Reduce erosion
• Add nutrients to soil
www.dri.vic.gov.au
Vegetable Gardening
Postseason Duties
• Tillage in fall
Heavy soils
Winter freeze/thaw
breaks clods
Early spring planting
www.thewatershed.org
Vegetable Gardening
Postseason Duties
• Planting map, varieties planted, planting dates
• Weather conditions, frost dates
• Seed sowing and transplanting times
• Pest problems: types of pests, extent of damage, yield losses
• Management strategies taken and effectiveness
• Harvest dates, yields and quality
Record Keeping
Vegetable Gardening
Perennial Crops
Asparagus
Rhubarb
Horseradish
Jerusalem Artichoke
Vegetable Gardening
Asparagus
• Cool season crop
• Produces 15-25 years
• Site selection important
• Tolerate moderate
fertility, sodium, light
shade
Asparagus officinalis
www.hort.purdue.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Asparagus
Seed – cheaper, fewer
problems with fusarium
www.umassvegetable.org
Commonly planted as
1-year-old crowns
Vegetable Gardening
Asparagus
3-5 feet
between rows
Plant 12-18
inches apart
18 inches
deep
Planting Crowns
Vegetable Gardening
Asparagus
www.hort.cornell.eduwww.oznet.ksu.edu
Asparagus ferns Harvest small spears: 8-10
inches, 1 in. diameter
Harvest in third
season
Vegetable Gardening
Rhubarb
• Grown for stems/petioles
• Roots and leaves inedible
• Very large plant, needs
space
Rheum rhabarbarum
www.hort.cornell.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Rhubarb
• Planting
Crowns
2-3 inches deep
Well drained soil
Tolerate partial shade
Water well until
establishedwww.hort.purdue.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Jerusalem Artichoke
• Native perennial
sunflower
• Edible tubers – sweet
and nutty flavor
Helianthus tuberosus
Flowers
biology.clc.uc.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Jerusalem Artichoke
• Plant tubers 6 in. deep
• Well drained soil
• Plant 4-6 weeks before
last spring frost
• Cut like potatoes, one
―eye‖ per section
• 120 days to matureTubers
Vegetable Gardening
Jerusalem Artichoke
• No serious pests
• Harvest after tops die
back
• Can be very invasive
www.nbbd.com
Vegetable Gardening
Cole Crops
Brassica (Crucifer) Family :
Broccoli, Brussels sprouts,
Cauliflower, Cabbage, Kale, Kohlrabi,
Turnips, Mustard, and Collards
Vegetable Gardening
Planting
• Short spring and fall seasons
• Cool season plants, do not tolerate heat – bolting
• Grow broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts from transplants
• Early maturing varietiesBolting broccoli
plant
www.oznet.ksu.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Planting
www.avrdc.org
Bury to first set of leaves
Space 18-24 inches in rows
Protect plants from cutworms with
cardboard collar
members.aol.com
Vegetable Gardening
Broccoli Types
Head broccoli
Sprouting broccoli
outreach.missouri.edu
www.gardenaction.co.uk
Vegetable Gardening
Cabbage
Images: www.hort.purdue.edu
Loose- and hard-heading types
Many varieties: color, use, time to maturity
Vegetable Gardening
Cauliflower• Blanching
Tie leaves around developing curd
Preserves color and flavor
Blanch while head is dry
Check regularly – ripening varies
Self-blanching
www.hort.purdue.edu
www.hort.purdue.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Harvest
Over-ripe floret
Harvest broccoli and
cauliflower by cutting
entire head
www.hort.cornell.edu
www.mariquita.com
Vegetable Gardening
Broccoli – Second Harvest
www.hort.cornell.edu
www.mariquita.com
Small heads form on side
shoots after initial harvest
Vegetable Gardening
Cabbage
www.yaguinalights.org
Twist heads
to harvest
Twist heads slightly or cut roots to delay head splitting
Vegetable Gardening
Brussels Sprouts
www.hort.cornell.edu
Break off lower,
yellowing leaves
Leave 2-inch stalk
for developing
sprouts
Sprouts form on lower stem first
Vegetable Gardening
Brussels Sprouts
• Harvest sprouts when 2-
inch diameter
• 60-100 per plant
• Flavor mellows with age
• Warm weather promotes
strong flavorwww.hort.cornell.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Tips
• Plants need steady
moisture – drip irrigation
works well
• Cauliflower can be
challenging
• Brussels sprouts and
cauliflower have high
nutrient requirementswww.colostate.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Turnips
• Both root and leaves are edible
• Cool season crop
• Plant at 3 week intervals
• Harvest small roots: 2-3 inches
www.hort.cornell.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Kale
‗Bicolor‘
Ornamental
& Edible
www.hort.cornell.edu
‗Scotch‘
Tightly curled
leaves
‗Siberian‘
Smooth leaf with
frilled edge
felcopruners.net www.veseys.com
Vegetable Gardening
Kale
• Spring – sow 6 weeks before last frost
• Fall – sow 10 weeks before first frost
• Hold fall crop in ground into winter
• Frost improves flavorwww.hort.purdue.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Kale
www.hort.purdue.edu
Harvest individual
leaves or entire
plant
Young leaves – eat fresh
Older leaves – stews and soup
Vegetable Gardening
Mustard
www.hort.cornell.edu
www.all-creatures.org
Bok Choy (Pok Choi) or Chinese mustard cabbage
Curly leaf and smooth mustards are common to southern gardens
Vegetable Gardening
Mustard
• Cool-season plant
• Plants bolt in hot weather
• Mulch to keep roots cool
• Sow 2 to 4 weeks before
last frost
• Second planting for fall
harvest
Mustard
flowering
www.webindia123.com
Vegetable Gardening
Mustard
• Harvest plants all at
once or largest leaves
first
• Frost improves flavor
• Avoid flowering and
seeding weeds!
www.cookinglouisiana.com
Vegetable Gardening
Collards
• Non-heading cabbage
• Tolerates heat well
• Start seeds 10 weeks
before final frost
• Mulch base to prolong
harvest
Brassica oleracea
www.hort.purdue.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Collards
• Harvest young, tender leaves
• Harvest lower leaves first, leave tip to prolong harvest
• Frost does notimprove flavor
www.hort.purdue.edu
Vegetable Gardening
The Legume Family
Beans and Peas
Vegetable Gardening
Beans
Phaseolus spp.
Lima beans
www.hort.purdue.edu
Snap beans
Wax beans
French beans
www.homestead.com
www.umassvegetable.orgwww.thegardennewsletter.com
Vegetable Gardening
Beans
Bush beans Pole beans: 5-8
foot support
www.VictorySeeds.comsmileycynic.net
Vegetable Gardening
Beans
• Sow beans after danger of
frost passes
• Plant at 2-week intervals
Vegetable Gardening
Beans
www.hort.cornell.edu
www.hort.purdue.edu
Snap beans: Do not let pods overfill & harvest young pods regularly
Vegetable Gardening
Peas
Pisum spp.
Snow peas
www.hort.cornell.edu
Sugar snap peas Garden pea
www.hort.purdue.edu www.hort.purdue.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Garden Pea Varietiesberkeley.edu
• Smooth vs. wrinkled seeds
Wrinkled - sweeter
Smooth – good for fall crop
Vegetable Gardening
Tall vs. short plants
www.bbc.co.uk
Garden Pea Varieties
www.hort.cornell.edu
Tall varieties need support
Vegetable Gardening
Peas
• Sow when soil reaches 40oF
• Plant fall crop in August
• Soak seeds 24 hrs. before planting
www.uky.edu www.oznet.ksu.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Peas
• Mature garden pea
Pod full, but not
deteriorating
Approx. 3 weeks after
flower
Process or eat
immediately
www.hort.purdue.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Peas
Overripe peas
•Dry pods on vine
•Shell and dry peas 3
weeks
www.liseed.org
Vegetable Gardening
Peas
Mature sugar snap pea
Mature snow peawww.thecuttinggarden.com
www.seedsofchange.com
Vegetable Gardening
The Bulbs
Onion family: onion, garlic, and leeks
Vegetable Gardening
Onions
• Onion Classifications
Shape: globe, round, flat
Color: red, white, yellow
Pungency: sweet or
pungent
Day Length: short,
intermediate, long
***Short day for OK***
Allium cepa
Photos: National Garden Bureau
Vegetable Gardening
Onions
• Bunching Onions
Scallions
Any type of onion
Harvested immature
Vegetable Gardening
Onions
• Grown from seed, transplants, or sets
• Sets and transplants planted Feb- March
• Fall planting (sets, seed, or plants) for late spring harvest
Vegetable Gardening
Harvesting Onions
• Constant water
supply
Limited roots
1 inch/week until
bulbing
1 ½ inches/week
until tops fall over
www.hort.cornell.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Harvesting Onions
• Leave in ground 1-2
weeks after tops fall
over
Skins thicken
Leaves dry
• Dry harvested bulbs in
sun 3-7 days
www.vidaliaonion.com
Vegetable Gardening
Garlic
Allium sativum
Photos: www.hort.purdue.edu
Perennial grown as annual
Started from cloves
Vegetable Gardening
Garlic
• Planting
• Point up!
• 1 inch deep
• Sandy, rich soil
• Fall or spring
planting
This clove was planted
upside-down
www.extension.umn.edu
www.mytinyplot.co.uk
Vegetable Gardening
Garlic
www.hort.cornell.edu
www.mytinyplot.co.uk
Garlic can be hung to dry
Harvest when tops yellow
and droop
Control Weeds & Remove Flowers
Vegetable Gardening
Leeks
Allium ampeloprasum, Porrum group
www.hort.cornell.edu www.hort.purdue.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Leeks
• Plant seedlings in trenches
• Set 6-8 inches deep
• Cover stem one inch at a time as plants grow
• Spring planting – 3-4 wks. Before last frost
• Fall planting – Sept. 1
www.hort.wisc.edu
www.hort.wisc.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Leeks
• Harvest when 1 inch
diameter or larger
• Pull by hand or dig
• Can store fall crops in
garden over winter
Mulch heavily
www.hort.wisc.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Nightshade
(Solanaceous) Family
Tomatoes, Potatoes, Eggplant,
and Peppers
Vegetable Gardening
Tomato
• Classifications
Use: fresh, canning
Maturation: early, mid-
season, and late varieties
Lycopersicum esculentum
www.hort.purdue.edu
Some types suitable for
hanging baskets www.corporate-elite.info
Vegetable Gardening
Determinate vs. Indeterminate
• Determinate Finite bearing season
Harvest will peak then decrease Compact plant size
• Indeterminate
Will bear until frost Continues to grow, flower & fruit until frost
Vegetable Gardening
Tomato
Heritage varietiesHybrid tomato
Randolph G. Gardner
www.pallensmith.com
Vegetable Gardening
Tomato
Black plastic
warms soil
Wall-o-water
www.hightunnels.org
www.cooksgarden.com
Very susceptible to frost, take precautions if starting plants early
Vegetable Gardening
Tomato
Trench
Method
Set transplants deep in soilourveggiegarden.com
www.slowgardening.com
Ideal transplants
More typically transplants are long and leggy
Vegetable Gardening
Tomato Supportswww.uwgb.edu
www.thewaterwisegarden.com
Tomato cage
Staked tomato
Not necessary, but…
• Keeps fruits off ground
• May reduce disease
• Saves space
Vegetable Gardening
Mulching
• Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, potatoes
• Maintain constant, even moisture (esp. fruiting)
• Moderate temperatures
• Manage weeds
• Limit spread of soil-born pathogens
• Once soils warm: mid-JuneKim Rebek
Vegetable Gardening
Eggplant
Solanum melongena var. esculentum
Photos: www.hort.purdue.edu
Star-shaped flowers Attractive fruit
Vegetable Gardening
Eggplant
• Warm soil a must
Plant 2-3 weeks after
last killing frost
Start plants indoors 8-
10 weeks before
transplanting
www.hort.purdue.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Eggplant
Harvest
• Eggplant does
not store
• Extent season
Early harvest
(3-5 inch fruits)
Very tender
www.ars.usda.govwww.specialtycrops.colostate.edu
www.infinitegardenfarm.com
Vegetable Gardening
Peppers
Capsicum annuum var. annuum
Photos: www.hort.purdue.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Peppers
• Sandy soil ideal
• Protect plants from
wind and frost
• Sun scald
Associated with low
magnesium levels
www.umassvegetable.org
Sun Scald
Vegetable Gardening
Peppers
www.hort.purdue.edu
www.arcana.ws
www.plantations.cornell.edu
Harvest immature, green peppers or allow to color for sweeter flavor
Cut pods rather than pulling off plant
Vegetable Gardening
Potato
• Use certified, disease-
free seed pieces
• Select disease-resistant
varieties
• Late maturing varieties
for winter storage
Solanum tuberosum
www.robinsons.pe.ca
Vegetable Gardening
Potato
• Loam and sandy
loam ideal
• Misshapen tubers
may develop in
heavy soil
www.coopext.colostate.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Potato
pubs.caes.uga.edu
www.gardenaction.co.uk
Seed pieces
Vegetable Gardening
Potato
• Potatoes are heavy
feeders Take soil sample
• Hill soil when plants
reach 8-12 inches,
and as needed
pubs.caes.uga.edu
Hilling
Vegetable Gardening
Potato
• Constant moisture is a must – 1 inch/week
• Alternating wet-dry cycles causes cracks, hollow
heart, and knobs
Hollow heart Crackswww.coopext.colostste.edu edis.ifas.ufl.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Potato
clearwaterlandscapes.com
New potatoes – small, immature
potatoes
Harvest upper tubers carefully,
leaving deeper ones to maturewww.hort.cornell.edu
Harvest time varies, look for
indicators: vine death, tuber size,
skin set (does not peel easily)
Vegetable Gardening
Potato
• Storing potatoes
Harvest fully matured tubers
Harvest before severe frost
Store only undamaged, healthy tubers
Check weeklywww.claywestvirginia.com
Vegetable Gardening
The Cucurbits
Cucumbers, melons, summer
and winter squash, pumpkins,
and gourds
Vegetable Gardening
Cucurbits
• Warm soils up with black plastic mulch or landscape fabric Can double yields!
Do not tolerate cold soils
• Plant early to beat pests
• Grow disease-resistant varietieswww.hort.cornell.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Cucurbits
• Plant from seed or
transplants
• Avoid disturbing roots
Planting and cultivation
• Good weed control is
essentialwww.prunus.net
Seedlings
Mulch plants: maintain moisture, control weeds, and warm soils
Vegetable Gardening
Cucurbits
• Vines can reach 20 feet
• Cut back to contain
• Save space – grow on
sturdy trellis or arbor
Cucumbers, small melons,
gourds, and winter squash
www.hort.purdue.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Cucurbits
• Plants are monoecious
Separate male and female
flowers
Insect pollinated
Protect and encourage honeybees
Readily cross-pollinate
No effect on fruit, but seed is
hybrid, not true to parent
Watermelon flowerwww.hort.cornell.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Cucurbits
• Large quantities of water
Cucumber, melons, summer
squash
Especially during fruit
production
Demand tapers as fruit ripens
Keep soil moist www.hort.purdue.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Pumpkin and Squash
Cucurbita spp.
www.harrismoran.comwww.hort.cornell.edu
www.hort.cornell.edu
Cut stems and cure in field 2-3 weeks
Summer squash tender and immature
Winter squash has matured and stores well
Vegetable Gardening
Cucumber
Cucumis sativus
Slicing cucumber Pickling cucumber
www.hort.cornell.edu www.hort.purdue.edu
Two Main Types
Vegetable Gardening
Cucumbers
• Harvest picklers daily
• Harvest slicers at
appropriate size
• Do not leave unwanted
fruit on vine
Will stop productionHarvested cucumbers
www.hort.purdue.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Melons
Cucumis melo
Watermelon
thinksmart.typepad.com
www.hort.purdue.edu
Netted Melon
(―Cantalope‖)
Honeydew melon
www.biology.iastate.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Melons
• Ripeness Indicators
Coloration
Tendril nearest fruit turns
brown
Rind touching ground turns
yellow
Dull, hollow thud when
tapped
Finger nail testwww.hort.cornell.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Salad Crops and Potherbs
Vegetable Gardening
Lettuce
Lactuca sativa
Boston lettuce
Romaine
Head lettuce
Leaf lettucewww.hort.purdue.edu
www.hort.purdue.eduwww.csdl.tamu.edu
www.csdl.tamu.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Lettuce
• Cool-season crop
Best to grow quickly
Provide plenty of water early on
• Sow mid February to mid-March
• Sow leaf lettuce again early
August
Mixed lettuce planting
Vegetable Gardening
Lettuce
Lettuce planted between
rows of beans moderates
temperature
• Prolongs production
• Prevents bitter taste
Photos: www.seedsofchange.com
Heat Sensitive
Vegetable Gardening
Lettuce
Harvest
Head and Romaine: Harvest at appropriate size, cut at crown
Loose leaf types: Cut outer leaves one-by-one, leaving inner leaves to mature
Vegetable Gardening
Endive
Cichorium intybus
www.hort.cornell.edu
Curly endive Escarolewww.vegiworks.com
Vegetable Gardening
Endive
Blanch leaves to
reduce bitterness
2-3 weeks before
harvest
Photos: www.rhs.org.uk
Heat causes
bitterness
Tie leaves or cover
plants with pot or
plates
Vegetable Gardening
Goosefoot Family
Spinach, Chard, and Beets
Vegetable Gardening
Spinach
Spinacia oleracea
Smooth-leaved spinachwww.hort.cornell.edu
Savoy spinach
www.specialtycrops.colostate.edu
Quick to mature, requires little space
Vegetable Gardening
Spinach
• Summer heat causes plants
to bolt
• Plant early spring
• Plant between taller crops
to cool, tolerates part shade
• Sow fall crop mid-September
Spinach bolting
www.hort.wisc.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Spinach
• Switch to chard
or New Zealand
spinach during
warmer weather
New Zealand
spinachSwiss chard
www.hort.wisc.edu www.hort.purdue.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Swiss Chard
• Colorful, ornamental
and edible
• Tolerates heat
• Avoid drought stress
Induces flowering and
stops production
Beta vulgaris var. ciclawww.hort.purdue.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Spinach
• Keep plants productive
Pinch-off outer leaves
Keep 50% intact for further growth
Chard may produce up to 2 years!
www.hort.purdue.edu
Harvest
Vegetable Gardening
Beets
• Sow seeds March and
August
• Irrigation important
during establishment
• Not tolerant of wet soil
• Bolting may occur in
heat
Vegetable Gardening
Root Crops
Vegetable Gardening
Carrots
• Easy to grow
• Deep, loose, rich soil
• Rocky, hard soil
causes irregular
growth
Daucus carota var. sativus
www.ars.usda.gov
Vegetable Gardening
Carrots
• Carrot Shapes (left to right)
Chantenay Short, distinctively colored core
Nantes Medium length, blunt tip
Bunching, slicing, minis
Danvers Large, good for processing
Imperator Long, tapered, eaten fresh
oregonstate.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Carrots
• Harvest when 1 to
1 ½ inch diameter
• Fall crop – harvest
after first frost
www.pbs.org
Vegetable Gardening
Parsnips
• Sweet, nutty flavor
• Good for stews and
soups
• Biennial plant grown
as annual
• Grow like carrots
Pastinaca sativa
www.hort.cornell.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Parsnips
• Requires warm soil to germinate
Sow when soil warms
Fall crop – late July
• Harvest when 1 inch
• Flavor enhanced by frost
www.hort.cornell.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Radishes
• Very easy to grow
• Grow all season:
Spring, mid-season,
summer, late, and winter
varieties available
• Oblong, round, flat or
long roots
Raphanus sativus
www.hort.cornell.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Radishes
• Low maintenance
• Irrigation important
1 inch / week
• Sow at intervals for
continued harvest
Probert Encyclopedia
Vegetable Gardening
Rutabaga
• Roots similar to
turnip
Longer to mature
Stores longer
• Tops also edible
Strong flavor
Good for soups/stews
Brassica napus
www.hort.cornell.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Rutabaga
• Need room to grow
Space seedlings 8 inches apart
• Tolerate heavy soils
• Harvest when diameter about 5 inches
• Do not allow roots to freeze
www.hort.cornell.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Other Crops
Vegetable Gardening
Corn
Zea mays
Sweet
corn
Indian
corn
Popping
corn
Field
corn
www.urbanext.uiuc.edu
teachplants.okstate.edu
www.buddenbooks.com
www.cmsu.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Corn
www.mass.gov
www.gardenleisure.com
www.agron.missouri.edu
Modern Varieties – usually hybrid
Older Varieties –many colors, open pollinated
Vegetable Gardening
Corn
Pollen is produced
on the tassels
www.hort.purdue.edu
Pollen effects characteristics of the current crop (very unique):
• Flavor: starch or sweet
• Kernel color
• Isolate from field corn
Vegetable Gardening
Corn
• Cold soils can limit
germination
Plant late March to April
• Sow successive plantings
Every 3-4 weeks
Final planting July 15
Frost damage
Vegetable Gardening
Corn
www.hort.purdue.edu
Corn
Beans
Rotate
Rotation replenishes soil nutrients
Vegetable Gardening
Corn
Increase water
when plants start
to silk
Sensitive to soil moisture
• 1 inch / week
• 1 ½ in./ week when ear filling
• Mulch plants
Vegetable Gardening
Corn
• Strip back leaves to test
kernels for ripeness
• Look for dark, damp silks
• Twist ear and pull
downward to harvestwww.afcd.gov.hk
Vegetable Gardening
Corn
www.blueridgetexas.com
Allow dent, Indian, and
popcorn varieties to dry
on the stalk
Vegetable Gardening
Okra
Abelmoschus esculentus
Photos: www.hort.cornell.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Okra
• Plant April 10 or later
Warm season crop
Very tender
• Best to seed
Plants sensitive to root
disturbance
• Follow peas for good
resultswww.tinkersgarden.com
Vegetable Gardening
Okra
• Pick pods when small and
tender (2-3 inches long)
• Harvest every 3 days
• Use okra immediately,
does not keep
www.technisem.com
Vegetable Gardening
Okra
www.hort.cornell.edu
Protect your skin from
irritation
Vegetable Gardening
Sweet Potatoes
Ipomoea batatas
www.hort.purdue.eduwww.hort.cornell.edu
Need long season to mature: 90-160 days
Vegetable Gardening
Sweet Potatoes
• Grown from
slips
• Start your own
or purchase
Start ―slips‖ in
water or soil
www.onekama.k12.mi.us
photoalbum.datafox.org
Pointed end up!
Vegetable Gardening
Sweet Potatoes
• Plant slips May to early
June
• Space 3-4 feet apart
• Do not over fertilizewww.nri.org
Vegetable Gardening
Sweet Potatoes
• Harvest when tubers
reach 5-6 inches long and
2 inch diameter
• Harvest before first frost
• Cure for storage
80-90 degrees for 2 weeks
www.oznet.ksu.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Vegetable Pests
Vegetable Gardening
Asparagus
Larva Adult
Asparagus beetle Beetle damage to spears
Photos: www.vegedge.umn.edu
Hand remove & Harvest often
Vegetable Gardening
Asparagus
Asparagus rust
• Fungus on stems and leaves
• Manage with fungicides
• 7-10 day intervals
•Begin after harvest
•Sanitationwww.umass.vegetable.org
Vegetable Gardening
www.urbanex.uiuc.edu
Brassica Pests
Cabbage aphid
Rick Foster
Imported cabbage
worm
www.ent.csiro.au
Vegetable Gardening
Insect Pests
Cabbage looperwww.ent.uga.edu
Cabbage looper
damage
Susan Mahr
Use row covers (Reemay)
Vegetable Gardening
Diseases
Alternaria leaf spotBlack rot
Photos: www.nysaes.cornell.edu
Club root
www.umassvegetable.org
Manage with: resistant varieties, plant spacing, garden sanitation
Vegetable Gardening
Turnips
Flea beetlemuextension.missouri.edu
www.gardeners.com
Vegetable Gardening
Mustard
C. Welty
Aphids
W. Cranshaw
Cabbageworms
Vegetable Gardening
Beans
Cabbage looper
Green cloverworm Mexican bean beetle
European
corn borer
University of Florida
www.vegedge.umn.edu
www.ipm.uiuc.edu
www.cnr.berkley.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Beans
C.L. Harmon
edis.ifas.ufl.edu www,maes.msu.edu
Bacterial blight Bean mosaic virus
Common bean rust
Keep foliage dry!
Vegetable Gardening
Peas
Jim Dill
CutwormPea weevil
Pea aphid
info.ag.uidaho.edu www.ent.csiro.au
Vegetable Gardening
Peas
X.B. Yang
Damping off Powdery mildew
www.dpi.vic.gov.au
Peas usually problem free in home gardens
Vegetable Gardening
Bulb Pests
W. Cranshaw
Onion thrips
Michigan State University
Onion maggot damage
Vegetable Gardening
Garlic rot
www.garlicworld.co.uk
Bulb Pests
Botrytis leaf blight
Foliar symptoms of
fusarium rot
www.extension.umn.edu
cvp.cce.cornell.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Tomato
Flea beetle damage
Tomato hornworm
Variegated Cutworm
pestdata.ncsu.edu
Purdue University
Vegetable Gardening
Tomato
Late blightTomato wilt
www.oznet.ksu.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Spotted wilt virus
Tomato
www.nysaes.cornell.edu www.oznet.ksu.edu
Anthracnose
Vegetable Gardening
Potato
Adult
Colorado potato beetle
LarvaeEggs
University of Florida www.ars.usda.gov
Plants tolerate 25% leaf damage
Hand pick eggs and larvae or use Bacillus thuringiensis san diego (Bt)
Vegetable Gardening
Potato
Potato Late Blight
www.scri.sari.ac.uk
www1.sac.ac.uk
Rotation, resistant varieties, and certified disease free seed all help in management
Vegetable Gardening
Potato
Potato leafhopper
Virus leaf roll
www.gov.mb.ca
Foliage Problems
Vegetable Gardening
Potato
Scab
Potato virus Y
tuber necrosis
plantpath.wisc.edu
cvp.cce.cornell.edu
www.umassvegetable.org
Potato soft rot
Vegetable Gardening
Pumpkin and Squash
Cucumber beetles
Squash vine
borer
Squash
bugs
www.uky.edu
R. Bessin
www.uky.edu
P. Coin
R. Bessin
Vegetable Gardening
Pumpkin and Squash
Angular leaf spot
Gummy stem
blight
Black rot Bacterial
wilt
www.ag.ohio-state.edu
www.ag.ohio-state.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Lettuce
L.R. Nault
Aster yellows
Slug feeding
Bottom rot
www.fantasy-gardening.com
ag.arizona.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Spinach
Leaf Miner
The Ohio State University
Aphid
Downy
mildew
www.inra.fr
imagedb.calsnet.arizona.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Swiss Chard
Leaf spot
Leaf minermtvernon.wsu.edu
www.urbanext.uiuc.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Carrots
Wireworms
Carrot Weevil
bugs.bio.usyd.edu.au
insects.tamu.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Carrots
Tom Isakeit
Alternaria leaf blight
Cercospora leaf spot
www.plantpath.wisc.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Many Crops
muextension.missouri.edu
Flea beetle
Exclude beetles using
floating row covers
www.taunton.com
Vegetable Gardening
Radishes
Radish scab
Black root
www.semena.org
www.omafra.gov.on.ca
Vegetable Gardening
Corn
Corn earworm Wireworm
European
corn borer
ipcm.wisc.edu www.ento.psu.edu
www.ent.iastate.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Corn
Corn smut
Rustwww.nysaes.cornell.edu
www.plantpath.wisc.edu
Vegetable Gardening
Okra
entweb.clemson.edu
www.colostate.edu
Green stink bug
Kim Rebek
Corn earworms
Imported
cabbageworm
