planning vegetable gardens subtitle chrissa carlson - [email protected]
TRANSCRIPT
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A vegetable garden is the highest maintenance type of
garden there is!• Almost all annuals• Focus on productivity• We want to eat early and often
What we need here is a plan…
A garden plan includes:• Knowing your goals!• Locating and designing garden beds• Deciding what you want to grow• Creating a timeline• Laying out plantings in beds
Outline• Planning to meet your goals
– Goals of community/schoolyard gardens versus home production– Relationship building
• Timing– Planting calendar– Succession and Relay planting
• Spatial layout– Plant layout (structural needs, height considerations, spacing (rows
versus wide beds)– Companions/interplanting
• Space x Time– Rotation
• A word about organic gardening• FSNE gardens
Planning to meet your goals
• Yield/Production– Biointensive: timing, space efficiency
• Education– Crop choice, timing
• Positive experience– Attractive space, starting small, keeping it
manageable
Planning to meet your goals
When working with a school or community to plan a vegetable garden…
Relationships are everything!
Learning Learning from from
mistakesmistakesProviding Providing expertiseexpertise
Now for the plan…
1. Timing • Planting calendar! (see handout)
1. Timing
• Planting calendar!• Direct seed versus
transplants– Transplants:
• Plants with a long time to maturity (cabbage, broccoli, tomatoes, peppers)
• Optional for earlier harvest (melons, squash, lettuce)
– Direct seed:• Root crops• Tall skinny crops: beans,
peas, corn, okra• Plants with a short
season (lettuce, spinach, arugula)
1. Timing
• Planting calendar!• Direct seed versus transplants• Identify short season versus long season
– Quick!: radishes, lettuce, peas– Shortish: other leafy green things, carrots, turnips,
cucumbers, beans– Long: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, sweet potatoes
1. Timing
• Planting calendar!• Direct seed versus transplants• Identify short season versus long season• Consider planting in 2 weeks successions for
continuous harvest
2. Spatial Layout: Plant characteristics
• Learn about your chosen crops– Growth form: trellis tomatoes, pole beans, peas…
cucumbers? Small melons?– Height: tall stuff in the north of the garden– Family: group ‘em! (more on this later)
2. Spatial Layout: Designate areas for different crops
• Place long season summer crops first• Place shortish/ cool season crops next –
plant twice!• Place shortish/summer season crops next• Where can I tuck in quick crops?
I.Beets and Spinach
II.Carrots and Chard
I.Lettuce
II.Sweet Potatoes
I.Radishes
II.Toms and Peppers
I.Kale and Lettuce
II.Kale and Lettuce
2. Spatial Layout• Place long season
summer crops first (tall stuff in the north of the garden)
• Place shortish/ cool season crops next –plant twice!
• Place shortish/summer season crops next
• Where can I tuck in quick/cool season crops?
I.Peas
II.Beans
I.Turnips
II.Pumpkins
2. Spatial Layout: Placement of individual
plants • Row planting: Refer to seed packets for seed depth, spacing between rows, and between plants
• Raised beds (also referred to as wide beds)– Ditch the space
between rows!—no need for footpaths
12”
6”24 plants
2. Spatial Layout: Typical row garden
56 Plants in a 4 ft. by 8 ft. bed133% more food
2. Spatial Layout: Equidistant planting in wide bed
6”
6”56 plants! 133% more food—
plus soil shading
2. Spatial Layout: Placement of individual
plants• Raised beds
– Transplants: plant equidistantly
– Direct seed: scatter seeds or make closely spaced furrows
4. Space x Time=Rotation• Crops in the same family:
– Need the same growing conditions– Are planted at the same time– Need the same soil nutrients– Are bothered by the same pests
• Growing families repeated in the same space:– Depletes soil of specific nutrients– Allows pests and diseases to become persistent
4. Space x Time=Rotation• Rotation avoids soil nutrient depletion and helps
keep overwintered pest populations in check• Group plants by families!• Three rules:
– Light feeders follow heavy feeders– Deep-rooted follow shallow rooted– 3 years between planting the same family in the same bed
4. Space x Time=Rotation• If space is limited
– Two separate rotations (one for tall, one for short) to keep from moving tall plants to the south side of the garden
– Rotate in time rather than space
Tomatoes Corn
Squash Pole beans
BrassicasShorter nightshades
CarrotsBeets
Organic gardening…• Twin cornerstones:
– build soil health (feeding the soil food web and recycling nutrients)– increase biological diversity above and below ground-
plants, insects, microbial life• Organic doesn’t mean simply substituting purchased
organic pesticides and fertilizers for synthetic products
Sustainable gardening…• Sustains itself through reliance on inherent
resources; mimics natural eco-system.• Needs a minimum of purchased “inputs” and relies
on locally-available materials.• Does not pollute; strengthens the community eco-
system. • Requires knowledge, planning, and timing.
Sustainable soil building
Sources of organic matter:
• Composted farmyard manure
• Compost• Shredded leaves and
grass clippings• Organic mulches• Plant roots• Cover cropsDiverse sources=diverse
nutrientsConsider how to
generate fertility from local sources…
Large amounts of Large amounts of organic matter may organic matter may
be needed for several be needed for several years.years.
Thereafter, 1 inch of Thereafter, 1 inch of compost will help compost will help
maintain high yields.maintain high yields.
Resources
• Grow it! Eat it!- http://extension.umd.edu/growit– Access to valuable and practical gardening tips and
information. Share your experiences in our blog.• Maryland Master Gardener Program-
http://extension.umd.edu/mg– Consider becoming a MG volunteer
• Home and Garden Information Center-http://extenstion.umd.edu/hgic– Can answer your gardening questions…– Call the “hotline” Mon-Fri, 8am-1pm. 1-800-342-2507– Send questions and photos 24/7 through this web site
for a quick and thorough answer.
This program was brought to you by
Maryland Master Gardener Program
Howard County
University of Maryland Extension