Ag. ConceptsVegetable Gardens

Day 1

Vegetable Gardening

• Was once very common

• Victory Gardens during WWII

• Becoming more common as people worry about pesticide and other chemical usage

Types of Vegetables

• Warm Season– Corn– Tomatoes– Peppers– Squash– Melons– Cucumbers– Beans– Pumpkins– Okra

• Cool Season– Leaf vegetables– Cabbage, broccoli– Beets– Carrots– Leeks– Onions– Peas– Potatoes– Turnips

When to Plant

• Warm Season– After last frost– When soil is warm– May - July

• Cool Season– 2 planting seasons– Spring

• Mature plants before July heat

• Mar - April

– Fall• After heat of July/Aug• 4-6 weeks before 1st

frost

Resources

• Average First Frost date Warrenton, Va: Oct. 15

• Average Last Frost date Warrenton, Va: April 28

Average Daily Temps

PAR

• Plant a row for local food banks

• Food banks frequently receive non-perishable foods, but almost never receive fresh foods

• Plant a row encourages home gardeners to plant an extra row to help those in need

Garden Project

• Select 10 vegetables that you like or that someone you know likes.

• Plan a vegetable garden with enough of that vegetable to supply a family of 4

• Determine when the vegetable is to be harvested

• Determine when the vegetables should be planted

• Determine the appropriate spacing for the plants• Determine how large the garden needs to be

Begin by

• Selecting your 10 vegetables– 5 warm season– 5 cool season

• Research each and make a chart

Plant Harvest Spacing Other

Beans Weekly

AFF 5/1

40 days

Jun16

4”, 2’ row Bush,

seed

Tomatoes AFF 5/1 85 days

Jul 15

3’ Transplant

Potatoes Mar 24 Jun 24 6”, 3’ row Potato chunks

Lettuces & Greens

• Leaf vegetables, Includes– Lettuce, Spinach, – Celery, rhubarb, chard

• Time to plant: Early Spring or late summer• Time to harvest: 30 - 45 days – before daily

temperatures get above 75.• Will regrow after cutting until summer or frost• Spacing: Plant in rows 6-8” apart, thin to 4-6 inches

between plants after seeds have sprouted• Heavy nitrogen feeders• Avoid pesticides• Cool Season Plants

Nightshade

• A family of toxic plants that includes: tomatoes, peppers, potatoes & eggplants

• All have poisonous leaves & stems• Potatoes & eggplants should never be

eaten green• Peppers and tomatoes have low levels of

toxins when green• Potatoes develop toxins when exposed to

sunlight

Cucurbit

• Family of plants that includes melons, squash, & cucumbers. Grow on annual vines. Reseed easily

Tomatoes• Warm season – plant after all risk of frost• Two types

– determinate (grow to a set height and produce fruit all at once)

– indeterminate (vines – produce all season) – need to stake and prune – need more care

• Best grown from transplant – not seed• Tomatoes can develop roots along their stem

so plant deep for stronger roots• 60 – 90 days from planting to harvest• Grow best in warm soil – use plastic mulch for

early season warming• New thing is upside down tomatoes

Peppers

• Warm season vegetable• Heat is caused by a chemical called capsaicin• Best grown from transplant – not seed• 70 – 80 days from planting to harvest• Time to plant: after all frost risk• Grow best when soil temp above 70 & air temp

above 80• Heat in peppers is measure on the Scoville scale

Cucumbers

• Warm season• Grow from seed or transplant• Heavy feeders• 50 – 70 days from planting to harvest• Can be trellised• Many varieties

– Pickling, straight, burpless,

• Disease & pest susceptible

Melons

• Warm season – (Hot)• Cantaloupe = muskmelon• Grow from seed or transplant• Long growing season – 80 – 100 days• Require lots of space• Apply straw or mulch under growing melons to avoid rot.• Most separate easily from the vine when ripe

– Watermelons – harder to tell – color change or thump

• Highly fertile soil gives better flavored melons• Many species:

– watermelons, honeydews, muskmelon,

Squash

• Warm season

• Plant from seed or transplant

• 50 – 60 days to harvest for summer squashes– Zucchini, crook-neck, patty-pan– Harvest when small for best flavor

• 80 – 140 days for winter squash– Pumpkins, gourds, winter squash

Peas

• Cool Season Vegetable• Sow as soon as soil is thawed & dry in

spring or in the shade of a taller plant in late summer

• Grow best at soil temps 60 – 65• Space 1” apart• Grow on trellises• Can tolerate light frost• Low nutrient requirements• Three main types:

– Garden, Snow, Sugar

Beans

• Warm season vegetable• Has higher water requirements

than peas• Space 4-8” apart in rows for bush

beans or• Space 15” apart in hills of 4 for

pole beans• Plant a few plants every 10 days

for harvest all summer• Has low N requirement – needs

moderate P & K

Corn

• Warm season• Will not grow well until soil is over 75F• You can warm soil with black mulch• Germinates in about 4 days• Very heavy feeder: must supplement• Needs regular water – best w/ irrigation• Best to grow in blocks rather than rows• Usually get 2-3 ears per plant• Wheat, barely, and rice are all in the same family

This Week

• Today - Vegetable Garden Plan

• Tomorrow – Vegetable garden plan

• Wednesday – Planting vegetables

• Thursday – Area clean up

• Friday – Field trip

Resources

• Average First Frost date Warrenton, Va: Oct. 15

• Average Last Frost date Warrenton, Va: April 28

• http://www.humeseeds.com/vegplan.htm• http://www.thegardenhelper.com/vegtips.html• http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/category/fruits-vegetables.html