Starting a Successful
Vegetable Garden
Jon Traunfeld- jont@umd.edu
College of
Agriculture and
Natural Resources
Why do people grow vegetables?
•
•
•
Flavor, freshness, pesticide-free
Save money; learn new skills
Health benefits
exercise, nutrition, phytochemicals
•
•
Connection to nature and family traditions
Introduce youth to gardening
Join the Grow it Eat it Network!
• A program 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 who will
keep learning and sharing through classes,
workshops, events, web site, blog
We teach a common-sense,
ecological approach
• Rely on locally available materials and
resources- (rocks, leaves, animal manure).
• Feed the soil (with organic matter) to increase
garden productivity.
• Maximize biological and genetic diversity to
strengthen your garden eco-system.
– Example: Plant an assortment of annual flowers
and herbs to attract and feed beneficial insects.
Ingredients for first year success
• Good, deep soil; add organic matter.
• Give your plants the nutrients, water, and
sunlight they need.
• Prevent weeds from growing.
• Make a plan; give it a little time each day
• Observe and take notes
• ENJOY!
What type of vegetable garden?
• In-ground- convert turfgrass to vegetables
• Containers- on back step, deck, or balcony or
along driveway
• Edible landscape- pepper, cabbage, Swiss
chard, etc. mixed into ornamental beds
• Combination of the first three
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.
• Can be incorporated into ornamental landscape.
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
– Easy crops
– What your family will eat
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- plant them twice
Lettuce- grow best March-June and Sept.Nov.
• Leafy greens- mustard, kale, collards, Asian
greens, and Swiss chard (grows during hot
weather)
2 cuke plants
3 ft.
•Two raised
beds- 8 ft. X 3
ft. with a 2 ft.
path in the
middle
3 pepper plants
leaf lettuce
1 squash
plant
Swiss chard and kale
3 tomato
8 ft.
plants
row of bush beans
Sample 8 ft. X 8 ft. garden
•Time: late May
•Both beds
could have
been planted in
salad greens
from April 1
through midMay
Can I really save $?
• Yes, but have you heard the one about the
$100 tomato?
• Only buy what you really need; be resourceful
• An 8 ft. X 8 ft. garden with 48 sq. ft. of
growing space should produce $175-300 of
fresh produce
Picking a site
• Level ground; close to water source.
• Southern exposure; tallest plants on North
side.
• Protection from critters.
Digging and aerating tools
Soil prep
Kill sod and control weeds• Cover area with newspaper or cardboard,
and cover with leaves, and compost OR
• Dig up the area by hand or with a tiller
Soil prep
Slicing off sod
Loosening subsoil
Turning soil
Sheet compost your way to a
vegetable garden
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
Ways to add organic matter
•
•
•
•
•
•
Farmyard manure (fall)
Compost
Shredded leaves and grass clippings
Organic mulches
Plant roots
Cover crops
• Large amounts of organic matter may be needed
for several years.
• Thereafter, 1 in. of compost will help maintain
high yields.
Cover crops improve and protect
soils
• Increase soil organic matter.
• Mine the soil for nutrients.
• Protect soil from erosion.
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 expense.
• Dry out quickly if weather is hot and dry.
• Don’t work on slopes, unless terraced.
Raised bed basics
2-4 ft. wide; usually 6”-8”
above grade; can be bordered
with wood, stone, brick
“Instant” raised bed
filled with a
purchased
soil/compost mix
Good info on most seed packets
Growing healthy transplants
Intensive gardening: getting the
most per square foot
•
•
•
•
Close planting
Vertical growth
Inter-planting
Succession/relay
planting
How close is too close??
Correct spacing for big onions
Okra plants are too tight
Interplant to maximize production
purslane is
edible!
Mustard greens on north side of
tomatoes
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
An entire raised
bed of Asian
leafy greens.
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)
Most commonly available
commercial organic fertilizers
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Fish emulsion:
Seaweed extract:
Bloodmeal:
Cottonseed meal:
Guano:
Bone meal:
Rock phosphate:
Alfalfa meal:
6-2-2
1-.5-2
15-1-0
6-2.5-1.5
8 to 13-8-2
4-21-0
0-22-0
3-1-2
Fertilizing tips
• Nitrogen is nutrient most often in short supply. Use
one of the “meals” (kelp, fish, cottonseed, alfalfa) to
supplement N from organic matter.
• Follow label directions.
• Organic fertilizers can be over-applied and burn
plants or stimulate excessive leaf growth at the
expense of fruit.
• Add 1 inch of compost each year to contribute to
long-term nutrient reservoir.
Weed management
• Weeds are plants that thrive in disturbed soil.
• Best control methods:
–
–
–
–
crop cover
hand-pull
sharp hoe
mulch
• Other methods: vinegar, flame weeder, commercial
herbicidal soap.
Organic mulches
•
•
•
•
•
•
Prevent weed growth.
Moderate soil temperatures.
Conserve soil moisture.
Add to soil organic matter.
Should be spread after soil warms up.
Can provide habitat for pests along with beneficial
critters.
Examples: grass clippings, newspaper covered with
straw, shredded leaves, compost
Synthetic mulches
• Black plastic mulch warms the soil for
earlier, higher yields of warm-season crops.
• Red plastic mulch may produce higher
yields of tomato than black plastic.
• Landscape fabric warms
and allows water and
into soil. Can be re-used.
soil
air
Drip irrigation:
saves time and water
Growing up: using vertical space
• Increase yields per sq. ft.
• Fewer fruit problems; easier to pick, water,
and spray.
• Adds complex texture to garden; enhances
ecosystem (shading, micro-climates.)
Fence out the critters
Container vegetables
Whiskey barrel- 1-2 plant
capacity
8 cu. ft. of growing
media
EarthBox- “self-watering” container
Univ. of MD Salad Table: Growing salad greens
at waist height March-November
Mixed greens cut at 1” above soil line
University of MD Salad Box
Resources
• Grow It! Eat It!
http://www.extension.umd.edu/growit
– We have all types of practical food gardening tips and
information. Check out our popular blog!
• Home and Garden Information Center
http://www.extension.umd.edu/hgic
– Here you will find factsheets, photos, and videos. You
can also subscribe to the free monthly e-newsletter.
– We answer gardening questions 24/7…just click
“Ask Maryland’s Garden Experts”
• Maryland Master Gardener Program
http://www.extension.umd.edu/mg
– Consider becoming a trained MG volunteer!
This program was brought to you by the
Maryland Master Gardener Program
Howard County
University of Maryland Extension