Vegetable Gardening Basics- 6-13-14

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Vegetable Gardening Basics

By: Elizabeth Killinger

UNL Extension in Hall County

[email protected]

308-385-5088

mailto:[email protected]

University of Nebraska–Lincoln

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Vegetable Gardening Basics

Benefits to Gardening

Methods for Gardening

Important Considerations for Gardening


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Benefits to Home Gardens

Home grown produce

Quality control

Save on grocery bills

Grow unusual

varieties

Fresh air


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Methods For Gardening

Conventional Gardening

Container Gardening

Raised Bed Gardening

In Ground

Supported

Containerized


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Conventional Gardening

Disadvantage-

Space requirements

Uses the existing soil

Accessibility

Advantages-

Deeper soil profile

Moisture holding capacity

Can be added into existing landscape


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Vegetables as Ornamentals

Tuck vegetables

into annual or

perennial beds or

add them to a shrub

border

Annual flowers can

fill in the empty

gaps from

harvesting


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Container Gardening Disadvantage-

Containers dry out quicker in the summer

months and may need more water

Advantages-

Containers are filled with high-quality soil

offers improved drainage and increase in

yields

Easier to maintain due to the smaller size

Can be moved and placed on any flat

surface


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Container Vegetable Gardening


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Many Choices


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Anything can work

http://gardeninglandscaping.wordpress.com/2008/06/07/container-gardening/

http://www.ehow.com/how_5099905_do-container-vegetable-gardening.html


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Container Selection

Drainage Holes

1-gallon pot should have three to four

¼” holes

Weight is important!

Moving the container? Take into

consideration the weight of the

container, soil, and plants

If at all possible….cheat!


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Container Selection Clay

Heavy, porous, and allow for excellent

drainage and air movement

Pot can dry out quicker- be sure to soak

pot before planting

Wood

Should not be made from lumber treated

with creosote

Plastic

Lightweight and can tip over easily


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Container Requirements Larger containers are needed as the number of

plants increases.

Smaller containers dry out quicker and requires

frequent watering

Make sure the container can handle the plant.

Large vegetables, large flowers, and ornamental

grasses

3 to 5 gallon containers

Small flowers, herbs, and vegetables

½ to 1-gallon size containers.


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Growing Media Garden soil doesn’t work well in containers

A well-aerated, well-drained, lightweight soil

works best

Potting soils or soilless mixes are good

choices

A common mix

1 part sphagnum peat moss, composted

bark, or compost

1 part vermiculite or perlite

1 part sand


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Raised Beds Disadvantage-

Elevated beds dry out quicker in the

summer months and may need more water

Advantages-

Soil warms up quicker in the spring, earlier

planting dates

Beds are filled with high-quality soil- offers

improved drainage and increase in yields

Easier to maintain due to the smaller size

Raised above ground level


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Raised Beds


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Raised Beds


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Other Types of Raised Beds

Photo from: http://progressivegardening.com/pottingmixalternatives.html

http://progressivegardening.com/pottingmixalternatives.html


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Higher Yields

Increased yields / sq. ft. Traditional = .6 lb’s /

sq. ft.

Raised = 1.24 lb’s. / sq. ft.

Slides courtesy from Sarah Browning, UNL


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Better Soil

Amendments like compost and fertilizers are

used only on the beds, not on the paths.

Soil can have a higher organic matter

content

Reduced soil

compaction due

to reduced traffic


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Ease of Maintenance

Less stooping over for weeding, watering,

and other chores

Intensively planted beds have dense leaf

cover and reduce weed growth

Beds can be covered with floating row cover

to protect from

insects


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Improved Drainage

Improved soil quality allows for better

drainage, especially important in areas with a

heavy clay content

Plant roots are grown in an improved mix

above water logged soil or areas with

compaction.


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Extended Season

Soil warms up earlier in the spring due to the

change in elevation

Better drainage allows soil to dry out quicker


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Using difficult sites or adapting

to fit the gardener

Used in areas where gardens aren’t normally

grown like on rooftops

Adapting the garden to work with a gardener

with a disability


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Types of Raised Beds

Raised Ground Bed

Supported Raised Bed

Containerized Raised Bed


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Raised Ground Bed The simplest form

Flat-topped mounds, 6-8” high high, require

only additional soil.

Access areas around the raised beds are at

least 24 inches wide.

Image courtesy of University of Minnesota Extension


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Photo from: veggiegardeningtips.com


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Supported Raised Bed Edging a raised bed places barrier between the

garden and the lawn, the biggest source of perennial

weeds.

The frame adds a neat, finished look.



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Photo from sunset.com


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Containerized Raised Beds Protection for plants in high-traffic areas near

sidewalks.

Raising a bed to one or two feet can reduce reflected

heat in paved areas.

Raised beds with higher than 10" to 12" walls

maximize physical accessibility. For most

wheelchair users, 27" is a

comfortable working height.

Width should match the

gardeners’ arm’s reach.



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Garden Consideration


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Garden Requirements

An area that gets full sun

A source of water nearby

Good quality ‘soil’

Someone to eat the vegetables

A good attitude


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Location

8-10 hours full sun

ideal

Minimum 5 hours

for fruiting plants,

slightly less for

leafy plants

Good air circulation



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Location & Layout Consider the proximity to a water source

Stay away from marsh or areas that don’t

drain

Consider ‘soil’ quality and proximity to black

walnuts

Conventional Garden paths


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Location & Layout When it doubt, sketch it out or lay out bed

lines in the site before installing

Orientation

East-west has a slight advantage of

collecting heat for frost protection

North-south has a slight advantage of

sunlight on both sides of the plant rows

each day

Can be implemented in the existing garden

design


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Location and Layout

Garden Size

What types of plants will you grow?

How will the produce be used?

Fresh

Frozen

Processed



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Plant Selection and Layout


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Selection Criteria

Days to harvest

Disease & insect

resistance

Resistance to

environmental

problems

Fruit color, flavor

& texture

Plant growth

habit ‘Early Girl’, Park Seed

www.parkseed.com Slides courtesy from Sarah Browning, UNL


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Vegetable Selection NebGuides Available

http:// www.ianrpubs.unl.edu

Other Resources

Cornell Unversity, http://vegvariety.cce.cornell.edu

All American Selections, http://all-americaselections.org



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Cultivar vs. Variety

Cultivated variety

Group of plants with

distinct

characteristics

Developed through

human manipulation

Plant selection

Hybridization

’Striped German’ tomato Slides courtesy from Sarah Browning, UNL


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Hybrid Variety resulting from

the cross of two

genetically uniform

varieties to produce

special characteristics

F1 hybrid - first

offspring, more

vigorous

Uniform characteristics,

higher yields

Usually do not breed

true

Photos: All American Selections

‘Honeybear’

‘Lambkin’



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Transplants Good- broccoli,

cabbage,

cauliflower,

eggplant, lettuce,

sweet potato, onion,

tomato and pepper

Medium- celery,

melon, cucumber,

squash, watermelon

Poor- bean, corn,

pea, okra



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Germination- Min. Soil Temp

35 Degrees

Fahrenheit

40 Degrees

Fahrenheit

50 Degrees

Fahrenheit

60 Degrees

Fahrenheit

Spinach

Parsnip

Onion

Lettuce

Turnip

Radish

Pea

Parsley

Chard

Celery

Cauliflower

Carrot

Cabbage

Beet

Asparagus

Corn

Tomato

Bean

Lima Bean

Cucumber

Eggplant

Muskmelon

Okra

Pepper

Pumpkin

Squash

Watermelon



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Planting Dates


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Planting

Consider size; compact

forms leave more room

Very aggressive plants

can kept from taking

over the entire garden in

containers or raised

beds

Rotate plant families


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Planting Vine crops like

squash, gourds,

pumpkin and

cucumbers can be

grown on trellises,

fences, stakes, or

other supports

Place supports &

tall plants along the

north end of the

garden

Photo from garden-photos-com.photoshelter.com


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Garden Layout Row-style gardening

Intensive gardening

Photo from: foodbanksofutah.org

Photo from:bartlettpublishing.com


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Row Cropping

Plants are placed in

single file rows with a

walking path in between

Works best in large

gardens

Room between rows for

tillers or other

equipment ~18”

Space is taken up

equally by vegetables

and paths

Photo from: foodbanksofutah.org


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Block Style Gardening

Eliminates walkways

Plants vegetables in rectangular-

shaped blocks instead of long

single rows

Plant crops with an equal-

distance space between

neighboring plants in both

directions

Hand weeding Photo from: http://cmg.colostate.edu/gardennotes/713.pdf

http://cmg.colostate.edu/gardennotes/713.pdf


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Irrigation

Overhead watering

Hand watering

Drip Irrigation

Raised beds have

warmer soil

temperatures and

increased plant density and will dry out

quicker than the surrounding soil


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Knott’s Vegetable Handbook

Rooting Depths of Vegetables Shallow

12-18 inches

Moderate

18-24 inches

Deep

24 inches +

Broccoli

Cabbage

Brussels Sprouts

Cauliflower

Corn

Lettuce

Onion, Garlic, Leek

Parsley

Potato

Radish

Spinach

Bean

Beet

Carrot

Chard

Cucumber

Eggplant

Muskmelon

Pea

Pepper

Summer squash

Turnip

Asparagus

Lima Bean

Parsnip

Pumpkin

Winter Squash

Sweet Potato

Tomato

Watermelon



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References

University of Minnesota Extension,

http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticultu

re/M1254.html

University of Missouri Extension,

http://extension.missouri.edu/p/g6985

Purdue University Extension,

http://urbanext.illinois.edu/vegproblems/problems.cf

m

Colorado State University Extension,


http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/M1254.html

http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/M1254.html

http://extension.missouri.edu/p/g6985

http://urbanext.illinois.edu/vegproblems/problems.cfm

http://urbanext.illinois.edu/vegproblems/problems.cfm



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Extension is a Division of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln cooperating with the Counties and the United States Department of Agriculture. University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension educational programs abide with the nondiscrimination policies of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and the United States Department of Agriculture.

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Vegetable Gardening Basics- 6-13-14