Advice for the Aspiring Vegetable Gardener
Many of us have fond memories of our parents having a vegetable garden.
We remember the taste of fresh vegetables that always seemed to taste better than vegetables purchased at the supermarket. So, it is natural that many of us would want to have a vegetable garden, as there are few things more satisfying than growing your own food. The problem with this idea is that although many of us want to have a vegetable garden few people consider the time, expense, and effort that goes into growing our own vegetables.
Let’s face it, while growing your vegetables can be very rewarding, gardening is a chore.
Many new gardeners forget this and set themselves up for disappointment. They try to grow too much, become overwhelmed and frustrated with the whole process of growing their own vegetables.
As someone who has grown his own vegetables for many years, I have had many successes and failures. It is easy to become disillusioned with the whole process of growing vegetables. So here is some practical advice on how to start a successful vegetable garden.
Start small
A small well-kept garden will supply more food with less work. Limit the amount of time, labor and expense to maintain your garden. A low maintenance garden is your goal for the first year. You can always improve and extend your garden once you have gained the knowledge and experience to successfully expand your garden.
By small, I mean starting with just one raised bed or no more than four pots. Many vegetables are just as happy in a large pot as they are in the ground. You can even buy an elevated raised bed that will sit on your deck or patio. Growing in a raised bed or several containers will allow you grow a lot of produce in a limited space.
Plan ahead - successful vegetable gardening is the result of good planning and preparation.
With good planning, even small gardens can produce a lot. Look at your yard determine where would be the best place to have a garden. You want an area that gets at least six to eight hours of sunlight daily. Write down what you and your family like to eat. Plan how much is reasonable to spend on your garden. You do not need to purchase expensive items like irrigation systems, timers, tomato cages, or fancy tools, when first starting your garden. Wooden stakes work for tomatoes, as well as cucumbers and peppers. You can water by hand for the first year. Make sure you like what you are doing before investing a lot of money in your garden. Look into growing organically, as this will limit your expenses on pesticides or herbicides.
Don’t start your plants in the first year from seed - buy transplants.
Transplants have been grown by professionals and will produce a crop earlier in the season. Select healthy looking, compact, green, leafy transplants. Avoid tall, spindly, wilted, pale or yellow plants. Limit the number of plants for the first year. Plants grown in over-crowded conditions will become stressed and produce fewer vegetables. In addition, stressed plants are more prone to diseases and insect pests. Start with just a few vegetables, such as tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. All three can be grown easily in raised beds or containers with minimum expense. Broccoli, brussels sprouts, carrots, kale, peas, and beans can also be grown in containers or raised beds.
Take a class on growing vegetables.
Yes, you can get lots of good advice on the internet, but you can get a lot of bad advice. The UCCE Master Gardeners of El Dorado County offer free classes on growing vegetables several times a year. All the information is researched and vetted through the University of California. Furthermore, the instructors are people who have real-life experience in growing vegetables and practice what they teach.
(This advice was first shared by Raymond Schoenwandt UCCE Master Gardener of El Dorado County in February 2017, but it is still relevant now!)
Growing Vegetables from Seed
Growing and harvesting vegetables is easily one of the best reasons to have a home garden in El Dorado County.
Because so many vegetables are grown as annuals, starting from seed is commonly done, not difficult, and offers many exciting varieties beyond what we find at local markets. So let’s discuss starting vegetables from seed. There are six steps we should understand and a successful garden crop will be ours for the picking.
#1. Direct sow or start indoors? Direct sow is easy. We drop seeds in the soil, water, and wait for our crop to appear. Here in the foothills, some of the vegetables typically started directly in the soil are beets, carrots, cucumbers, corn, lettuce, radishes, snap beans, spinach, peas, turnips, and zucchini. If choosing direct sow, skip to the end. I will focus on starting indoors in step #6. Growing from transplants involves starting seeds indoors in a soil starting mix. When those seeds germinate and become seedlings, they’re usually moved to a larger pot to grow sturdy while outdoor temperatures get warm enough and then eventually are planted outdoors. Starting indoors has two advantages - it protects plants from pests and diseases, and seeds can be started earlier.
#2. Buying seeds. If you are new to growing from seed then preplanning is essential. Be selective, and buy only what you think you can grow and that your family will eat. Consider your space. In small planting areas avoid the garden hogging plants such as squash, corn, or pumpkins.
#3. Preparation for planting. Have the proper materials on hand. Buy soil starting mixture, planting containers, heating mats or grow lights (if required) prior to actually starting the seeds. Read labels on seed packets to determine best conditions for seeds to germinate and if seeds need to be soaked in water prior to planting. Keep in mind that a warm and controlled environment is the best place to germinate vegetable seedlings.
#4. Planting of seeds. Seeds should be planted at the depth stated on the packet. The best soil to plant seeds is a quality seed starting mix. Seed starter mix is lightweight, composed of fine particles and does not contain any fertilizer. Potting soil has a more coarse texture and may contain field soil, compost, or manure. It does not drain as well and is too rich in nutrients. Seedlings will not require fertilizer until transplanting. Seeds should be planted in grow trays or small grow pots which can be transplanted directly into the ground.
#5. Hardening off. Three factors that affect the success of transplanting seedlings are direct sunlight, temperature, and wind. Hardening off is the process of moving seedlings outdoors gradually for a portion of the day. Start by placing those seedlings outdoors for an hour the first day and then gradually increase the amount of exposure to at least five to six hours of sunlight a day prior to transplanting. This allows seedlings to become accustomed to strong sunlight, cool nights, and less frequent watering over a seven to ten day period.
#6. Transplanting seedlings is the final stage of the process of growing plants from seeds. Outdoor temperatures are important to know as some seedlings cannot tolerate a late frost. So check the frost dates in the area prior to transplanting any seedlings. Average daily minimum temperature is also important. For hardy plants such as broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage - the average minimum temperature should be at 40 degrees. For tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant - the minimum temperature should be no less than 65 degrees. Again read the packet for correct spacing between plants. Soil is also important when transplanting. For raised beds or planting beds a good garden soil with amendments is ideal. When transplanting into containers, potting soil is best. Using garden soil in containers is not recommended as it contains too many nutrients and could damage the roots of transplants.