Vincent J. Mannino,
County Extension Director – Fort Bend

 Homegrown vegetables taste better.
 You have control over what pesticides are applied.
 Good exercise.
 Fun!

How to be a
Great Gardener
 Proper Soil Preparation and Fertilization
 Select Recommended Varieties
 Plant at the Right Time
 Control Weeds, Diseases and Insects
 Adequate Soil Moisture
 Harvest at the Right Time
 Plan and Prepare

Get a Quality Start! - SEEDS
 Seed sources to use:
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– Reputable catalogs
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– Reputable local retailers
– Saved from open-pollinated sources
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– New varieties
– Heirloom varieties

Getting a Quality Start! - SEEDS
 Saving your own seed:
– Hybrids will not be same as what you purchased
– Disease potential.
– Pick when mature.
– Process properly
– Store properly
*** Keep accurate records each year!

 Receives 8 + hours of sunlight.
 Soil has good internal and external drainage.
 Free of competition from other large plants, buildings, etc.
 Near a source of water.
 Visible!

Traditional Gardens (raised)
Traditional Gardens (raised)
Postage
Stamp
Gardens
Box Garden (raised)

 pH 6.0 – 6.5 (Slightly Acid).
 5 – 10% Organic Matter.
 40 – 45% Inorganic Matter (Sand,
Silt or Clay)
 50% Pore Space ( Air and Water).
 Texture - Sandy to Sandy Loam.

 Have a soil test run.
 Incorporate plenty of organic matter.
 Add large amounts of bank sand or sharp sand to improve drainage.
 Add nutrients if necessary.

 Healthy Soils
 Resistant Varieties
 Planting Time
 Proper Watering
 Soil Fertility
 Sanitation
 Weed Control
 Diverse Planting
 Crop Rotation

Growing Up - Not Out

Composting – Recycle Yard Waste

 Household organics
 Leaves
 Pine Needles
 Hay
 Grass Clippings
 Paper

Starting Your Own Plants from
Seeds  Average last frost ~
March 5
 Select Proper
Varieties.
 Sterile Potting
Media.
 Sterile Containers.
 High Light Intensity for 14-16 hours.
 Regular Applications of Soluble Fertilizer

Container Gardening
 Excellent for small yards or patio homes.
 Requires more care:
 Water.
 Fertilizer.
 Use large containers with a loose potting media to reduce compaction .

Harvest at the Proper Time
 Quality can vary greatly depending on time harvested.
 Take the time to learn when the various vegetables should be harvested.

Vegetable Family Members
 Nightshade – Tomato, potato, eggplant, pepper
 Legumes – Peas, beans (same family as clover)
 Grass – Corn
 Cucurbit – Squash, pumpkin, watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumber, gourds
 Mallow – Okra
 Morning Glory – Sweet Potatoes

Vegetable Family Members
 Composite – Lettuce, chicory, endive, escarole, salsify, dandelion, Jerusalem artichoke
 Parsley – Carrots, parsley, celery, parsnip
 Amaryllis – Onions, garlic, leek, chive,
 Goosefoot – Spinach, beets & chard.
 Lily - Asparagus
 Mustards – Cabbage, collards, Brussel sprouts, kale, radish, cauliflower, broccoli, kohlrabi, turnip

 Tomato
 Pepper
 Eggplant
 Potato
* Transplants

*
Tomatoes can be temperature sensitive for fruit set

Tomatoes - Plant large, vigorous plants. Incorporate ¼-½ cup of complete, slow release fertilizer at planting.

Tomatoes - May plant as early as
January 15 th in 1-gallon containers and grow in full sun until after the last killing frost.

Apply a weekly foliar spray of a water soluble fertilizer.

Work in 2-3 Tbs. of high nitrogen fertilizer when 1 st cluster of fruit sets.

Fertilize every two weeks with
21-0-0 at 1 Tablespoon per plant.

Common Diseases and Insects of the Nightshade Family

 Green (Snap) Beans
 Lima Beans
 Southern Pea
 English Pea
 Edible-podded Pea
 Soybean
 Runner Bean
* Direct Plant Seeds

Green (Snap) Bean
 Plant March-April and September
 Moderately Fertile
Soil.
 Harvest When
Pods are Young and Tender.

Lima (Butter) Beans
 Plant March - Early
April and September.
 Moderately Fertile
Soil.
 Harvest When Pods are Mature and Seeds
Fully Developed.

 Plant April thru
August.
 Prefers warm soil.
 Requires moderately fertile soils.
 Harvest when pods are mature and start to yellow.

Edible-podded Peas
 Plant Late
September thru
January.
 Moderately
Fertile Soil.
 Most Varieties
Need Support.
 Light Production
But High Quality.

Common Diseases and Insects of the Legume Family

Grass Family – Sweet Corn
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Plant March – April.
Direct plant seed
Fertilize at Planting,
1 Foot Tall & Tassel
Visible in the Whorl with ½-1 Cup 21-0-0 per 10 Ft. of Row.
90%+ Harvested the same day.

Types of Sweet Corns
 Sweet Corn (su)Traditional sweet corn with sweet flavor & creamy consistency.
Sugar degrades rapidly to starch .
 Sugary Enhanced (se)
– Tender kernels, much sweeter flavor and creamy consistency. Maintains sweet flavor much longer than traditional sweet corn.

Types of Sweet Corns
 Super Sweets (sh2)Very crisp kernels, even after freezing, and a much higher sugar content. Sugar is very stable within the kernel but lacks the creamy consistency.
 Triple Sweets (su x se x sh2)Combination of high sugar and creamy consistency, carrying a combination of traits from both sugar enhanced and super sweet varieties.

Plant Corn in Multiple Rows

Plant Corn in Blocks

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Cucumber
Squash
Cantaloupe
Honeydew
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Watermelon
Pumpkin
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Gourd
*Temperature sensitive for fruit set
* Usually direct seed

Cucumbers
 Plant late March –
April and September.
 Moderate Fertility.
 Easily trellised.
 Harvest for pickles when fruit reaches desired size and slicers when near maturity.

 Plant late March –
April and September.
 Moderate Fertility.
 Harvest
 Winter Squash when mature, rind hard.
 Summer Squash when tender and immature.

Melons
 Plant late April thru
July.
 Moderate Fertility.
 Easily trellised.
 Harvest at full slip or tendril at base of fruit turns brown.

Pantyhose Melons

Common Diseases and Insects of the Cucurbit Family
Squash Bugs & Eggs
Powdery Mildew
Squash Vineborer
Squash Bugs

Mallow Family
 Okra
 Plant April thru
July when soils are warm.
 Moderate fertility.
 Harvest when pods are small and tender.

Okra Harvest

Okra Disease
Solarize
Nematodes
Elbon Cereal Rye

Morning-glory Family
 Sweet Potato
 Plant after soils have warmed,
May thru July.
 Moderate fertility.
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Harvest when roots are fully cured.
Plants or “slips”

Composite (Sunflower) Family
 Cardoon
 Globe Artichoke
 Radicchio
 Lettuce
 Endive
* Direct
Seed

 Plant when soil cools in fall & winter.
 Seed needs light to germinate.
 Refrigerate before use.

 Carrot
 Parsley
 Fennel
 Dill
 Celery
 Parsnip
*Direct
Seed

 Plant seed from early October thru December.
 Seed need light to germinate.
 Give regular light applications of nitrogen fertilizer.

Amaryllis (Onion) Family
 Onions
 Leeks
 Garlic
 Shallots
 Chives

Onions
 Plant seeds in early
November, plants in
January.
 Low sulfur soil for sweet onions.
 Fertilize with small amounts of nitrogen, frequently.

Leeks
 Plant clusters of 5-8 seed every 6 inches.
 Start to thin when pencil size.
 Apply frequent, small amounts of nitrogen fertilizer.
 Blanch to improve quality.

Garlic
 Plant cloves about 4 – 6 inches apart.
 Small frequent applications of nitrogen.
 Harvest tops and roots as needed .

Goosefoot Family
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Beets
Swiss Chard
Spinach
* Direct plant seed

 Asparagus
 Plant in well drained, organic soil. Deep
 Use high nitrogen fertilizers.
 Harvest for a short period in the spring and fall.
 Size of spears indicates plant vigor.
 Takes 2-3 years to establish

Know the Good Guys

Know the Good Guys

Integrated Pest Management
 Provide plants with the best care and culture possible.
 Use only the most adapted varieties.
 If chemical (organic or man-made) control is necessary start with the most environmentally friendly products first.
 Apply chemicals, (organic or man-made) properly, safely and according to the label.

Recommended Pesticides
 Insecticides
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 insecticidal soaps malathion carbaryl permethrin
 Fungicides
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 pesticidal oils- petroleum based copper base sulfur base captan daconil
 ALWAYS FOLLOW LABEL DIRECTIONS

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/