Vegetable & Herb Gardening Basics

Paula GlogovacAlameda County Master Gardener

5 Reasons Why I Garden

n Fresh

n Therapeutic

n VitaminD

n ReducesWaste

n Organic

Step 1 - Picking Your Garden Site

Sun and Shade Matters

nAffectsperformanceandyieldoffoodcropsn Need at least 6 hours of sunlight per day, prefer 8

nPlanforseasonalvariationinshadeandsunangle

Water Source Close By

n Sprinklers

n GardenHose

n DripIrrigation

Other Factors

n Closetohome

n RaisedBeds,ContainersorInGround

Step 2 – Planning

Planning Tools

n PlantingPlann PlantingTablen CheckList– forplantingandgrowingn GardenRecord

Garden Planting Plan

n Map/DrawitOutorUseStickyNotes

n PlanforCropSuccessionsandRotations

n JustEnoughSpace

Selecting Vegetable Plants

n CoolSeason

n WarmSeason

n EfficientUseofSpace

Garden Planting Table

n SimpleChart

n DetailsataGlance

n TakeNotes

n UpdateBasedonYourExperiences

Garden Check List

n AWaytoRememberWhatYouNeedtodoWhen

n UseYourPlantingTableasaGuide

n UseYourPreviousYearsGardenRecord

n ByMonthorByWeek

Garden Record

n RecordofResults

n KeepitSimple

n BlueprintforNextYear

Step 3 – Planting and Maintenance

Preparing Garden Soil

nHealthyRichSoiln SoilPreparationn Amend

Container Soil Preparation

nPre-PackagedSoilnMakeYourOwn

Planting Time

n Seeds

n Plants

Watering

nDripirrigation– ConserveswaternHandWater– TakesmoretimenSprinkler– NotasprecisenUsesoilamendmentsandmulchestohelpwithsoilwaterretention

General Maintenance

n Weeds

n Thinning

n Harvest

n Storing

Fertilizing the Garden

n InitiallyatplantingtimenOnlyifrequirednMoreisnotbetternOrganicvs.Chemical

n Chemicalfertilizers:n Precise, quick and low costn Non-renewable fossil fuels

n Organicfertilizers:n Renewable and Biodegradablen Nutrient content is often lower

n Improvesoilnutrition

Fertilizers

Organic Fertilizer Categories

n Animal-basedn Animal killed (blood, bone, & feather meals and fish products)n Animals not killed (bat guano, manures)

n Plant-basedn Alfalfa, cottonseed, and soybean meals, kelp/seaweed

n Compost&Vermiculturen Usually considered a soil amendment, not fertilizern Worm castings do have some fertilizer affects

nMinedorganicfertilizersn Phosphorus: Soft rock phosphaten Potassium: Muriate of potash, sulfate of potash, greensand

GardeningResources

Resources

n AlamedaCountyMasterGardenersn Plant Doctor Boothsn Trial Gardensn Fall Seminar n Speaking Engagementsn Private Consultsn Hotlinen Website - http://acmg.ucdavis.edu/

Other Resources

nBooksn Sunset Western Garden Book of Edibles

n Sunset Western Garden Book

n The Garden Primer – By Barbara Damrosch

nOnlinen Peaceful Valley Farms - http://www.groworganic.com/

n Pollinate Farm & Garden - http://pollinatefarm.com/

n Renee’s Garden Seeds - http://www.reneesgarden.com/

n UC Davis ANR Catalog - http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/

The Glory of gardening: hands in

the dirt, head in the sun, heart

with nature. To nurture a garden

is to feed not just the body, but

the soul.

Alfred Austin