Nursery Care Sheets

Vegetable Gardening

Many people prefer to have their own vegetable garden to ensure fresh, quality produce right in their own backyard. These gardens can be customized to fit your space and your schedule. Vegetables can be grown in containers, on large plots, or anywhere in between as long as they are in areas that receive at least 6 hours of sun each day.

Begin preparing the garden by tilling or spading the area to a depth of 6 to 8 inches and incorporating composted organic matter and a 10-10-10 fertilizer throughout the garden as soon as the area can be worked. When selecting your vegetable crops, keep in mind what you’ll eat and how much you’ll eat so as not to over or under plant. Once you have determined what you would like to plant, mark where each crop will go in the garden. You can maximize your space by planning for cool-season and warm-season crops to be planted in succession. The cool-season crops will be ready to harvest early and leave plenty of time to plant warm-season crops in that same space. Another way to save space is to provide trellises, fences, cages or stakes for vining plants such as beans, peas, cucumbers, or tomatoes. Now that you’re ready to plant, keep in mind the average last frost date for your area before putting seeds or plants in the ground.

Methods of Planting

Straight Row Furrows- planting in straight rows to allow for easier maintenance, insect and weed control, and harvesting.

Wide Row Planting - planting seeds such as leafy greens, carrots, and onions in wide bands rather than single rows in order to produce greater yields in a smaller space as well as a leafy canopy that helps keep weeds under control.

Hill Planting - Used for vine crops like melons, squash and cucumbers, hills allows roots to spread out from a central location on the hill to maximize moisture and nutrient availability.

Container Gardening - Providing individual containers for each plant allows the plants to be grown on a patio or deck and moved around as needed.

Edible Landscapes - Vegetable crops can be easily incorporated into an existing landscape. Using landscape design strategies, you can plant your vegetables among ornamental plants to add interest and color.

Once planted, the success of your vegetable crops depends on the quality of care provided. To keep your vegetables healthy and productive, be sure to water, weed and feed with a water soluble or slow-release fertilizer throughout the growing season. Mulching the plants will be helpful in keeping weeds under control and retaining soil moisture.

Cool-Season Crops

Radishes – Several plantings, 7 to 10 days apart, are possible. Radishes pass peak quality quickly, so several plantings are needed to provide high quality radishes throughout the spring and early summer. Radishes become spongy and make seed heads readily with the onset of hot weather. Several fall plantings can be made in August and September.

Lettuce - Sow seeds in early spring. Lettuce flowers and turns bitter with the onset of hot weather. Fall plantings can be made in August.

Onions - Sow seeds as soon as the ground can be worked in spring for mature (storage) onions. Plant sets and transplants in spring.

Peas - Sow seeds in early spring as soon as the soil can be worked. Plants stop bearing when hot weather arrives. A fall planting may be made about August 1 to 10.

Spinach - Sow seeds in early to mid-April. Leaves develop bitter flavor and plants make seed heads with the onset of hot weather. A fall crop may be planted about August 10.

Cabbages - Set out transplants any time from early April to mid-June. Early-maturing types may be planted in early August for fall crop.

Broccoli and Cauliflower - Set out transplants in early to mid-April. Both are sensitive to hot weather so need to be encouraged to head as early as possible.

Collards and Kale - Seed at the same time as lettuce and other early spring crops. Direct-seed in early July for a fall crop.

Carrots - Seed early or any time during spring and summer. Carrots seeded as late as August 1 may produce full sized roots by fall.

Beets and Swiss Chard - Plant any time from spring to midsummer. Last practical planting date for fall crop is August 1.

Potatoes - Best planted in early to mid-April; a long growing season is needed to produce full-sized tubers.

Turnips - Sow seeds in April and again in August or early September for a fall crop.

Warm-Season Crops

Snap Beans - Plant any time after May 5. Most varieties will keep producing if they are kept picked. Last practical date for planting is August 1.

Lima Beans - Plant from May 20 to June 30 to produce a crop by average frost date.

Sweet Corn - Plant when soil temperature reaches 60°F or any time thereafter. Last practical date for planting an early variety is July 1.

Tomatoes - Plant seedlings in mid-May. Last practical date for planting tomatoes is June 20.

Peppers and Eggplants - Plant seedlings in mid-May. Last practical date for planting peppers and eggplants is June 20.

Summer Squashes - Seed mid-May. If harvested every other day, plants will keep producing until frost. Last practical date for seeding is July 20.