Starting a Successful Vegetable Garden

1. Starting a Successful Vegetable Garden Kent Phillips kent.a.phillps@gmail.com

2. College of Agriculture and Natural Resources

3. Grow It Eat It • A new campaign brought to you by Maryland Master Gardeners and the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC) • Goals: • teach people how to grow food • increase the number of Maryland food gardeners • create a network of food gardeners that learn and share best practices

4. We teach a common-sense, ecological approach Rely on locally available materials and resources Feed the soil (with organic matter) to increase garden productivity Maximize biological and genetic diversity to strengthen your garden eco-system Develop a sustainable garden

5. Why do you want to grow vegetables? Flavor, freshness, pesticide-free Save money; learn new skills Health benefits exercise, nutrition, phytochemicals Connection to nature and family traditions Introduce your children to gardening v

6. What type of vegetable garden? In-ground- convert turfgrass to vegetables Containers- on back step, deck, or balcony or along driveway Edible landscape intersperse vegetables into ornamental beds Combination of any of the first three

7. Vegetable crops 5-10 plant families may be represented in the average garden (almost all of our vegetable crops are non-native- not even from North America!) Most are annuals with a life cycle somewhere between 25 days (radish, baby greens) to 110 days (big pumpkins.) Require good growing conditions to produce high yields.

8. 7 good crops for starters… Tomato- productive and popular Pepper- slow-growing but worth the wait Cucumber- make them climb to save space Summer squash- feed the neighborhood! Bush bean- succession plant Lettuce- grow best March-June and Sept.-Nov. Leafy greens- mustard, kale, collards

9. Ingredients for first year success Make a plan Good, deep soil; add organic matter Plants need nutrients, water, and sunlight Garden a little every day Weeds compete so pull them Observe and take notes ENJOY!

10. Making a plan • Good planning will save you time, work, and $ • Garden size; how big?- consider time, space, mouths to feed, motivation • Always best to start small • What should I grow – be successful • Easy crops • What your family will eat

11. Sample 8 ft. X 8 ft. garden • Two raised beds- 8 ft. X 3 ft. with a 2 ft. path in the middle • Time: late May row of bush beans 1 squash plant 3 tomato plants 3 pepper plants Swiss chard and kale leaf lettuce 8 ft. 2 cuke plants 3 ft.

12. Picking a site Level ground; close to water source. Southern exposure; tallest plants on North side. Protection from critters.

13. Digging and aerating tools

14. Soil prep Kill sod and control weeds- Dig up the area by hand or with a tiller Cover area with newspaper or cardboard, and cover with leaves and/or compost

15. Sheet compost your way to a vegetable garden

16. You need “good soil” Well-drained Friable- deep, crumbly; allows for maximum root growth. Regular additions of organic matter will improve soil structure and create a reservoir of slow-release nutrients. Test your soil; 6.0-6.8 is preferred range for soil pH. Urban/suburban soils are often low quality soils

17. Ways to add organic matter Farmyard manure Compost/Leafgrow Shredded leaves and grass clippings Organic mulches Cover crops Large amounts of organic matter may be needed for several years. Thereafter, 1 in. of compost will help maintain high yields.

18. Raised beds some advantages… Warm up quickly in spring. Drain well; less compaction and erosion. Increase available rooting area. Can produce greater food production per square foot. and some disadvantages… Up-front labor and potentially expense. Dry out quickly if weather is hot and dry. Don’t work on slopes, unless terraced.

19. Raised bed basics 2-4 ft. wide; any length; above grade; can be unbordered (soil is mounded) or bordered with wood, stone, brick, etc. Instant raised bed can be made by purchasing soil/compost mix and adding it to selected sight

20. You can intensively plan your raised beds Correct spacing for big onions Okra plants are too tight

21. Interplant to maximize production purslane is edible!

22. Keep the harvest coming with succession planting Requires planning Transplants fill the space quickly Special attention to water and nutrient needs Floating row cover for protection from pests and excessive heat

23. Get the most from every square foot: succession planting examples Garlic (11/1)-cucumbers (7/1)-oats/clover (9/20) Peas/favas (3/1)-squash (6/1)-kale (9/1) Lettuce (3/20)-green beans (5/15)-broccoli (8/1) Radish (3/1)-Asian greens (4/15)-eggplant (6/1)-rye (9/15) Cucumber (4/15)- green bean (7/1)-spinach (9/20)

24. Grow vertically Increase yields per sq. ft. Fewer fruit problems; easier to pick, water, and spray. Adds complex texture to garden; enhances ecosystem (shading, micro-climates.)

25. Container vegetables 8 cu. ft. of growing media Whiskey barrel- 1-2 plant capacity

26. EarthBox- “self-watering” container

27. Univ. of MD Salad Table and Salad Box

28. Resources • Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC) • http://www.extension.umd.edu/hgic • Click on “Information Library” and “Publications” • Grow-It-Eat-It website • http://www.extension.umd.edu/growit • Click on “Vegetables”, “Common Vegetable Problems” and “Insect Pests” • YouTube - Search subject http://www.youtube.com/UMDHGIC

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