Backyard Organic Vegetable Gardening

Max AptonFarm Manager, Amawalk FarmOwner, The Farmer’s Garden

About the Gardener• I am a Westchester native

• I have a background in organic vegetable farming

• Former field manager at Stone Barns Center in Tarrytown

• Current farm manager at Amawalk Farm in Katonah

• Owner of a home edible landscaping business, The Farmer’s Garden

• Weekly garden columnist for The Journal News

Today’s Class

• Picking garden placement in your yard

• Preparing soil for planting

• What and when to plant

• Gardening with kids

Location, Location, Location!

Picking the right spot for your garden.

Garden Placement• There are many things to consider before

turning over your soil:

• Direct sun exposure (southern facing, trees, houses, etc).

• Soil conditions

• Terrain (slope, ponds, rocks, forest)

• Proximity to water source, kitchen

How Much Space Do I Need?

• Well, it depends on what you grow.

• A 15’ x 20’ can offer lots of greens, roots and some fruits (ie. tomatoes and peppers) for a family of four.

• Biting off plenty to chew

Preparing your soil• Pick your sunniest spot

• Collect a soil sample

• Add compost and other organic, mineral amendments

• Till the sod under or cut away the sod

• Work soil deeply

• Create raised beds

Breaking Ground

• Gather your amendments

• Access to machinery

• Sod removal vs. tilling sod

• Spreading compost and amendments, working deeply

• Allowing time for breakdown and settling

Preparing Raised Beds

• Raised beds without all the fuss

• Friable soil, good tilth, clod-free and smooth

• Wide rows, deep soil, paths for foot traffic and wheelbarrows

• Preparing seed beds

Crop Seed or TP Plant outside Harvest

Carrots, spinach and

beetsSeed March-May,

July-AugustJune-October

Lettuce heads

(romaine, butter, etc)

TPMarch-May,

July-September

May-July, Late-August to October

Radishes and peas

SeedMarch-May,

August-October

June, September-November

Onions and potatoes

TP April June-August

Kale, cabbage, broccoli

TP April, May, July May-December

Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant

TP May Late-July to first frost

When to plant and harvest popular garden veggies

Vegetable Sunlight Box Planter Container

Leafy greens At least 4-6 hours

Lettuce, arugula, baby

kale/chardYes

Herbs At least 4 hours

Yes Yes

Tomatoes, eggplant, peppers

At least 8 hours

No Yes

Potatoes, zucchini, squash

At least 8 hours

No Yes, though not preferable

Carrots, beets and

roots

At least 6 hours

No No

Strawberries At least 8 hours

No Yes

Sunlight and Space Needs of Common Garden Plants

Inviting Kids to Garden

• Gardening should be a family activity!

• Kid-friendly activities:

• seeding large-seeded crops like peas and beans

• watering the garden

• tuber treasure hunt!

• root vegetables

• snacking!

Advanced Activities for Kids and Teens

• For the older children:

• Measuring the garden beds and calculating plants and seeds required

• Harvesting greens and fruits

• Cooking with the harvest

• Weeding the garden

Fertility Simplified

• Above all else: Add compost and organic matter

• Ocean products: kelp meal, fish fertilizer, greensand

• Cover cropping, straw mulch. Not leaving soil bare.

Nutrient What It Does Fast-release Sources

Slow-release Sources

Nitrogen

Responsible for plant vigor,

foliage and protein

synthesis

Alfalfa meal, fish fertilizer,

blood/crab/feather meal

Legumes, green manures and compost

Phosphorous

Flower and fruit.

Photosynthesis.

Soft-rock phosphate, bone meal

Animal manure,

compost,

Potassium Roots, plant immunity

Wood ash, Sul-po-mag

Greensand, azomite, granite

CalciumFlavor and

overall strength

Pulverized limestone

Compost, gypsum

MagnesiumPhotosynthesis

and healthy growth

Dolomitic lime, Sul-po-mag

Compost, kelp meal,

greensand

SulfurProtein/enzyme

production

Elemental sulfur, sul-po-

magGypsum

Macronutrients