So you want to Garden

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So you want to Garden!

• Vegetable Gardening
• Ben Beale
• MCE-St. Marys
• Extension Educator

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• The purpose of this presentation is to
• Learn about Vegetable Gardening
• What not to do
• What to do
• Seeds and Transplants
• Preparing the soil
• Raised Beds
• Trickle Irrigation and Plastic Mulch
• General Discussion

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• What I have seen and heard-
• -Location, Location , Location
• Many gardens are planted where they should not
  be-areas without enough sun and competition from
  the large oak tree next door in a prime example
• -Soil, Soil, Soil
• The preparation of a good friable soil that is
  high in fertility, well drained and deep is
  critical. While you dont have to start with the
  perfect soil, every year should be an
  improvement.
• -Water, Water, Water
• Growing vegetables without irrigation is like
  trying to get oil from a waterspout

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• -Weeds, weeds, and more weeds
• Control of weeds is very important, not only to
  keeping a clean garden, but also a sane mind.
  Weeds are my favorite arch enemy.

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Planning a Garden 2 STEPS Decide what you want
to grow (Desire) Decide what you can grow
(Capability) Desire Capability Planting
Intentions
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• Garden Planning is the process of providing a map
  of what you are going to do (before you do it)!
• A list of desired plants
• Location of plants
• Timing of planting
• Successive plantings-more than 1 map
• Another way to look at it is to answer the 5 Ws.
• When,where, what, how, who?????

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Planning should take into consideration all the
foreseeable conditions that are present in your
garden. -Location and exposure to sun -Perennial
crops planted for many years -Grouping of plants
by days to maturity, growth habits, and growing
needs -Selection of time period for starting
transplants and for direct seeding
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Cool Season Crops Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts,
Cabbage, Cauliflower, Collards and Kale Beets,
Radish, Turnip, Potatoes, Spinach Warm-Season
crops Tomato, pepper, eggplant, sweet corn,
squash, pumpkin, bean, watermelon,
cantaloupe
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My Favorite Garden Plant Three rows of
peas Peace of mind peace of heart peace of
soul Plant four rows of squash Squash
gossip Squash indifference Squash
grumbling Squash selfishness Plant four rows of
lettuce Lettuce us be faithful Lettuce be
kind Lettuce be happy Lettuce really love one
another No Garden should be without
turnips Turnip for service when needed Turnip to
help one another Turnip the music and
dance Water freely with patience and cultivate
with love Your Garden is abundant, because you
reap what you sow. To conclude our garden we
must have thyme Thyme for fun Thyme for
rest Thyme for ourselves
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Asparagus Asparugus officinalis
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• Asparagus
• Member of lily family, originally from
  Mediterranean area
• Deep, well drained soils, pH 6.0-7.0, sandy soils
  best
• Plant 1 year old crowns, April 10 when soils
  reach 50 F
• Plant is dioecious with male and female plants.
  Male hybrids have been developed in New Jersey
  that are much more productive.
• Drought tolerant once established, stop harvest
  once 3/4 of all spears are less than 3/8 inch in
  diameter.

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Brassicas So easy and so pretty. Include
Broccoli, Cabbage, Kale, and Cauliflower
Growing Cool Season crops can add color in late
fall and early spring. Some unique and colorful
shapes are available. Well drained soil with
medium pH.
Kohlrabi
Cabbage Radicchio
Garnishing Kale
Romanesco
Purple Cauliflower
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• Swiss Chard
• Bright Lights is the leader in brilliant
  foliage.
• Swiss chard will grow to about 20 inches in
  height and can stand a light frost. Either direct
  seed or use transplants. Use in spring or fall.
• Excellent starter plant for edible landscape.
• Cook like spinach for a delicious treat.

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• Broccoli and Cauliflower
• Nice fall crop, usually transplanted. Spring crop
  success dependent upon hot weather extremes.
• Plant transplants around the end of August or
  late March
• 50-60 days to maturity from transplant. Plant
  12-18 apart in 36 rows
• Good soil and good fertility. Irrigation helps
  for fall crops.

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• Kale and Collards
• Southern Maryland Tradition
• Do very well in the fall of the year. Direct
  Seeded 6-8 weeks prior to first frost. Irrigate
  after seeding for optimum germ.
• Will work well with turnips and serves as an
  excellent cover crop

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• Turnip
• Often inter-seeded with Kale for fall/winter crop
• 40 days to first harvest. Plant earlier (70 days
  prior to early frost) for optimal root growth.
• Easy to grow with little pest problems

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• Cabbage
• spring or fall crop
• requires good moisture, high fertility, and good
  soils
• 60 days to harvest, 3/15-4/1

• Radishes
• Also an early crop, plant anytime after 3/15
• Only 20-30 days to harvest-good for kids

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• Lettuce
• Cool season crop. Will do well in shade during
  summer.
• Good soil with lots of organic matter. Plant as
  soon as soil can be worked in spring.
• 50-60 days to maturity. Plant in succession

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Lettuce all have good fortune A great border
plant with many colors to choose from. Seed is
readily available. Plant crops in succession in
order to have color all summer long. Consider
interplanting with other flowering
ornamentals.
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• Beans and Peas
• Peas are an early crop-Beans are a later crop
• Be careful of damping off. Wait until soil is
  warm. Dont plant in wet or poorly drained soil.
  Use seed treatment if desired.

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Peppers

• Loamy Soil with pH of 6.5. Well drained
• No history of soil pathogens-especially
  phytophthora
• Plant on plastic with drip for maximum yields
• Warm season requiring 75-100 days for harvest.
  Likes sun.
• Watch for larvae of corn borer and cutworm
• Bacterial Spot is common. Treat seeds with
  chlorine.
• Requires staking

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Worm Control

• May, June European Corn Borer
• July/August Corn Earworm, Corn Borer and all
  other Lepidoptera pest

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Bacterial Spot

• Can be a devastating disease once established in
  field. Fungicides not effective in control.
• Prevention is key
• Resistant Varieties-3 races present here
• Seed Treatment-Chlorox solution
• Greenhouse sanitation
• If in field begin regular sprays to slow
  progression
• Fixed Copper1lb.AI/acre plus Maneb 80WP 1 ½ lb
  per acre on 7 day schedule.

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• Eggplant
• Eggplant likes it hot! Plant in May for harvest
  in July
• Watch for Spider mites
• May need pruning and staking

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Mini-Eggplant

• Ophellia-Dark Purple

Ophelia (Harris Description)  55 Days. Ophelia
is a small fruited, mini eggplant. Its 2 oz.
fruit are produced on medium tall, bushy plants
and have an oval shape. Ophelia matures early, in
just 55 days and should be harvested when young
and tender for best quality and color retention.
The fruit are borne in clusters, have a deep
purple color and are good for stuffing or frying.
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Mini-Eggplant

• Twinkle

Twinkle (Harris Description) 55 Days. The
variegated oval-round fruit of Twinkle are a
lovely combination of plum and white with a green
calyx. Its medium sized plant is spineless, sets
fruit singly and in clusters, and has purple
flowers. The fruit are at their best quality when
harvested at about 2.5" in length. The fruit are
not only attractive, but have a fantastic flavor,
firmness and texture.
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• Little Fingers Most popular variety. Pick when
  fruit are 3-4 inches long. Very prolific
  producer. Continue to pick to encourage new fruit
  set.

• Fairy Tale (Harris Description) 2005 All America
  Selections Winner. Compact 2½ plants produce an
  abundance of decorative miniature eggplants. The
  tiny fruit produce in clusters and are white with
  violet/purple stripes. They are sweet,
  non-bitter, with few seeds and have an elongated
  oval shape. An ideal item for container
  gardening.

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• Cucurbits-Vine Crops
• Includes watermelon, cantaloupe, squash,
  cucumber, and pumpkins
• Watch for powdery mildew, squash vine borer,
  cucumber beetle, spider mites and fruit rots.
• Spacing determines size especially with pumpkins
• Watch for over Nitrogen use
• All will do well on plastic mulch

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Summer Squash

• Multi-Pik-straight neck,

Multipik (Harris)Description 50 Days. Early
and very prolific as long as it is kept picked.
Multipik has the precocious yellow gene for early
yellow color, even on the stem. This gene also
masks the symptoms of CMV and WMV-II that can
turn yellow squash green. The smooth, bright
yellow fruit are just what most markets demand,
either picked early as a mini or later at market
size. A very high yielding straightneck hybrid
squash of excellent quality
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Summer Squash

• Super Sett- semi-crook. Precocious yellow gene so
  will produce many female flowers if harvested
  regularly.

Supersett (Harris) Description ...the best
precocious yellow crookneck. 50 Days. When kept
picked, the production of this smooth hybrid
yellow semi-crook will amaze you. The precocious
yellow gene gives it yellow stems and masks the
greening effects of CMV and WMV-II. Its curved
neck is thicker to resist the breakage that
troubles varieties with a thin, more fragile
neck. The stem is softer for easy picking.
Harvest as a 2" mini or let it grow to the 6 or
8" length, either way Supersett is a grower's
dream. You will like its high quality and
productivity.
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Summer Squash
Sunburst Description 50 Days. The first yellow
scalloped squash. An All America Winner, it is
early and productive. The young squash, 2-3" in
diameter, can be cooked whole, while the larger
ones can be sliced and cooked. The soft skin has
a delicate buttery flavor
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Sweet Corn Production

• R. David Myers
• Extension Educator

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Sweet Corn Insects (Cont.) Flea Beetle For
Stewarts Wilt - susceptible varieties from spike
stage to silking - gt 5 of plants
infested FAW, TAW, ECB and CEW Early Whorl
Infestation - 15 of plants show fresh
feeding Late Whorl Infestation - 30 of plants
show fresh feeding Corn Earworm At Tassel
Emergence - gt15 tassel infestation From
Tasseling to Harvest first spray at 10 silk
and apply subsequent sprays according to
the 5-day trap catch CEW and ECB MDA Trap Survey
Hotline Southern Maryland and Eastern Shore -
800-492-2105 Central and Western Maryland
800-492-2106
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Tomatoes
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• If you want to beat your neighbor-grow on plastic
• Require staking and some pruning
• Use calcium fertilizer at fruiting. Also heavy
  users of Potash. Do not over due Nitrogen
• Need well drained, loamy soil with irrigation
• Transplant seedlings around the second week of
  May
• Watch for Early Blight, blossom-end rot, all
  insects, and other foliar diseases.
• Direct exposure or fruit to sun can cause
  sunscald
• Cold temps after transplanting can cause catfacing

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Staking/Cages
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Control

• Rotation for period of 2 years, Varietal
  resistance
• Chemical spray program on 7 day schedule.
• Chlorothalonil (Bravo, Echo)
• Mancozeb
• Alternated with
• Quadris
• Cabrio
• Endura
• Flint
• Tanos
• Uniform and complete spray coverage is needed. No
  cheating.
• Begin when disease is present and progressing on
  small plants or when crown fruit are 1/3 final
  size

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Fruit Rots-Water molds-Pythium and Phytophthora
Buckeye Rot

• Control
• Rotation
• Well drained soils, raised beds, plastic

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So now the fun part starts-after all the planning
we can now begin to grow. So, how to start. From
seed or from transplants? The most common
directed seeded crops are spinach,
beans,beets,lettuce,carrots, peas, corn, kale,
turnips, pumpkins and collard greens. These crops
either are large seeded giving them the energy
reserves to face adverse germination conditions
or are cooler season crops that prefer the
germination conditions they are planted in. (See
handout) The most common transplanted crops
include tomatoes, peppers, watermelon,
broccoli,cabbage,cauliflower,celery, muskmelon,
squash, eggplant and cucumbers. Many crops can be
started either from transplants or direct seeds.
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• Direct Seeding
• Cheap
• Easy
• Tips
• Do not plant to deep
• Make sure soil temperature is adequate
• Do not plant in wet soils-damping off
• Have soil well prepared-friable
• Plan for the crop being planted-follow label
  directions
• Ex) The spacing of pumpkins will affect final
  size. Crops planted to thick will become leggy
  and unhealthy. Crops planted to thin will allow
  for growth of weeds.

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Transplants I am a big fan of transplants.
Transplants allow for quick starts once the plant
reaches the garden, increased germination,
healthier plants, and the growth of warm weather
plants in colder climates. Growing transplants
does take time and energy. Thus transplants can
be more expensive than seeds and available in
less variety.
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Greenhouse Transplant Bedding Plant Production
Tips
John Boukwamp Dave Myers Extension Educator
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Transplant Production Systems

• Green house
• High tunnel
• Under cover
• Bare root
• In ground
• In containers

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Transplant Production Systems

• Container
• Cell size
• Cell shape
• Bench design

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Source FS 551 Growing Vegetable Transplants,
Chuck McClurg 1997
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Often transplants are started in flats and then
pricked out when the plant is about 1 inch tall
or the true leaves are apparent. This is an
excellent method to follow, especially if you are
doing a lot of transplanting. Saves time Easier
to control conditions Heat Pads easy to use More
accurate when planting cells
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Transplant Substrate Media

• Water holding capacity
• Sterile
• Professional soilless mixes peat moss,
  vermiculite, perlite, slow release fertilizer,
  etc...
• Complete fertilizer

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Transplant Growth Care

• Temperature Tips
• Germination
• Cool season crops - 45? - 80? F opt 60 - 75? F
• Warm season crop - 70? - 90? F opt 70 - 85? F
• After Germination
• Cool season crops - 60? - 70? F 50? F at night
• Warm season crop - 70? - 75? F 60? F at night

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Transplant Growth Care

• Fertilization Tips
• Complete soluble fertilizer- 20-20-20 with
  micronutrients 0.5ozs/gallon of water
• Fertilize to keep plants at target growth stage
  size
• Transplant Timetable
• 2-3 weeks - cucumber, squash, watermelon and
  cantaloupes
• 5-7 weeks tomato, head lettuce, broccoli,
  cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts
• 6-8 weeks eggplant, pepper

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Hardening Plants Ready for Real World
Conditions

• Temperature
• Moisture
• Fertilizer

Source FS 552 Hardening Vegetable Transplants,
Chuck McClurg 2001
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Hardening Plants Ready for Real World
Conditions

• Hardening Tips
• Withhold fertilizer two weeks prior to
  anticipated hardening date.
• Harden plants for 7-10 days prior to
  transplanting.
• Use a combination of reduced temperature and
  water.
• Allow plants to slightly wilt between watering.
• Expose plants to colder than optimum growth
  temperatures, direct sunlight and wind.
• Avoid going more than 5? below minimum
  recommended nighttime low temperature.

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Greenhouse Transplant Troubles

• Damping-off Treat seed and allow soil surface
  to dry before watering.
• Botrytis/Tomato gray mold Avoid prolonged
  accumulation of humidity within houses.
• Mites, whiteflies, shore flies and thrips -
  Monitor and treat pests early to avoid outbreaks.
• Salt and herbicide accumulation in permanent site
  in-ground high tunnel production.

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• Time for transplanting
• Try to transplant during a period that is
  favorable for growth.
• Provide lots of water. Transplants will soon die
  in full sun with no water.Use a starter
  fertilizer-high in Phosphorous- to get plants off
  to a good start.
• Some plants may need protection from high winds
  which will cause bruising. A clear milk jug can
  provide this.

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• Soil Preparation
• Pump up your soil!
• Organic Matter- some is good, and more is better
• My Favorite is raised beds-
• Double the size of growing medium
• Eliminate compaction from walking
• Improve drainage
• Double dig the beds in the spring, incorporate
  organic matter.
• Use some type of frame to support the sides

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• The Next Step-Mulch and Drip Irrigation
• So you have excellent transplants, a deep friable
  soil and lots of time-what else do I need to
  have a great garden?
• How about using drip irrigation and plastic
  mulch?
• Drip irrigation is excellent for vegetable
  production.
• Controlled irrigation
• location of water where and when you need it
• less disease pressure from wet foliage
• easy to set up and run
• increased yields of higher quality produce

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• Plastic Mulch
• increased soil temperature early in the year
• eliminates my number one enemy- the weeds
• prevents flooding and saturation of root zone
• reduces fruit contact with soil resulting in a
  cleaner crop with less disease.

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Planning Again Lets get back to the original
plans and incorporate ideas for starting
vegetables, an irrigation system, soil prep and
others as you see fit.
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Pest ControlInsecticides

• Bacillus Thuringiensis
• Acephate
• Carbaryl
• Imidacloprid
• Insecticidal Soap
• Malathion
• Permethrin
• Pyrethrin
• Spinosad

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Fungicides

• Captan
• Chlorothalonil
• Copper
• Dithane
• Potassium Bicarbonate

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Herbicides

• Glyphosate
• Poast or Select

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The End