Tomorrow is the day. The day our forecasters have informed us is our last average frost date. Time to put in the garden. Except I'm not sure I would believe all of that just yet. Not this year. Not with the 10 day outlook. Getting past this week is the big one and I think all of you in our zipcode can begin to confidently put in your gardens.
In class this week we are learning a lot about vegetable gardening. Here are 10 tips to vegetable gardening.
1. There is no correct way to garden. There is the way that works for you and your situation. Many people are taught very specific techniques passed down from many generations of gardeners while others are new and scouring youtube and facebook groups for as much help as possible. Many ways work equally well. Chose what looks doable for you.
2. Maryland soil is not ideal. Clay simultaneously smothers roots and causes water to simply run off and that is what we have around here. Whatever method you chose, amend the soil!
3. The right spot for the garden has a couple very important qualities: it is in sun most of the day, it is protected from deer, you can reach it with a hose, and you can easily access it. If all you have is a sunny deck - that works!
4. Plan. Make a list of what you want to try to grow and what you will actually eat. Each of these plants has a very specific amount of space required and temperature requirements (Search square foot gardening - they are good with spacing requirements.)Then draw out what this would look like keeping in mind the space you have.
5. Now is the time for summer crops to go in . Seed packets give you a lot of variety but it is nearly too late to start your own seed for crops such as Tomatoes and Peppers (we've got you covered - check out our sale site!) but many plants go directly into the ground and do much better. Cucumbers, beans, radish, beets all do better from seed.
6. Plan out and prep your bed. Raised beds are very popular around here because they require very little digging or weeds or clay. Make a frame. Lay down newspaper on top of grass then cover with compost or garden soil. Done. Any garden store carries garden soil but I prefer to buy compost by the truckload to save on money.
7. Planting. Tomatoes go in DEEP. Each little hair on the stem has the potential grow a new root. Plan on trellising your tomato to keep it from falling over. I use cattle panel but many make their own cages out of fencing material or create a trellis. DO some research. Our plants got tall and quickly outgrew the cheap little cages at the store. Peppers like it a little warmer and can cause issues if planted in the cold. They might be happier in the house until the days are more consistently warm.
8. Be prepared for maintenance. Label your plants. Prune the tomatoes. Water them as needed. Most recommend mulching a garden to hold in moisture and keep disease at bay. And if you had disease last year in your tomatoes - please avoi planting in the same spot with tomatoes again! The disease will just come back. Serenade is a good organic product to help prevent the most common fungal disease of tomatoes.
9. Be prepared for failure and be ok with it. Not all things grow all the time. Learning from the failures is what we do as gardeners. All gardeners have plants not come up or fail to thrive. Every year is an experiment.
10. Watch your health - wear sunscreen and always check for ticks. Also, drink water!
In class this week we are learning a lot about vegetable gardening. Here are 10 tips to vegetable gardening.
1. There is no correct way to garden. There is the way that works for you and your situation. Many people are taught very specific techniques passed down from many generations of gardeners while others are new and scouring youtube and facebook groups for as much help as possible. Many ways work equally well. Chose what looks doable for you.
2. Maryland soil is not ideal. Clay simultaneously smothers roots and causes water to simply run off and that is what we have around here. Whatever method you chose, amend the soil!
3. The right spot for the garden has a couple very important qualities: it is in sun most of the day, it is protected from deer, you can reach it with a hose, and you can easily access it. If all you have is a sunny deck - that works!
4. Plan. Make a list of what you want to try to grow and what you will actually eat. Each of these plants has a very specific amount of space required and temperature requirements (Search square foot gardening - they are good with spacing requirements.)Then draw out what this would look like keeping in mind the space you have.
5. Now is the time for summer crops to go in . Seed packets give you a lot of variety but it is nearly too late to start your own seed for crops such as Tomatoes and Peppers (we've got you covered - check out our sale site!) but many plants go directly into the ground and do much better. Cucumbers, beans, radish, beets all do better from seed.
6. Plan out and prep your bed. Raised beds are very popular around here because they require very little digging or weeds or clay. Make a frame. Lay down newspaper on top of grass then cover with compost or garden soil. Done. Any garden store carries garden soil but I prefer to buy compost by the truckload to save on money.
7. Planting. Tomatoes go in DEEP. Each little hair on the stem has the potential grow a new root. Plan on trellising your tomato to keep it from falling over. I use cattle panel but many make their own cages out of fencing material or create a trellis. DO some research. Our plants got tall and quickly outgrew the cheap little cages at the store. Peppers like it a little warmer and can cause issues if planted in the cold. They might be happier in the house until the days are more consistently warm.
8. Be prepared for maintenance. Label your plants. Prune the tomatoes. Water them as needed. Most recommend mulching a garden to hold in moisture and keep disease at bay. And if you had disease last year in your tomatoes - please avoi planting in the same spot with tomatoes again! The disease will just come back. Serenade is a good organic product to help prevent the most common fungal disease of tomatoes.
9. Be prepared for failure and be ok with it. Not all things grow all the time. Learning from the failures is what we do as gardeners. All gardeners have plants not come up or fail to thrive. Every year is an experiment.
10. Watch your health - wear sunscreen and always check for ticks. Also, drink water!