Vegetable Gardening 101: A Humble Tutorial

We routinely get emails and comments asking about vegetable gardening.  We LOVE those questions and comments, so keep them coming.  Because of all the interest and in light of the fact that spring is fast approaching, we created this page to walk new gardeners through some of the basics of vegetable gardening.  We are in no way experts, but are happy to share with you our experiences and let you walk along side us as we begin our garden this year. 

Below you will find a list of the steps we take to get our garden going.  I'll be adding steps as we go.  Some I will explain here, others I will link to posts I've written elsewhere on that particular step. 

Ready?  Are you ready?  Here we go!

Plan Your Garden.  If you are just starting out, go slow.  You do not want to become overwhelmed and start to loathe your garden before you set sight on any vegetables.  Supplement with produce from your local farmer's market or CSA as you build your gardening experience.  This may inspire you to add new vegetables to your garden next year.

As you're planning, have in mind where you wish to plant.  Unlike flowers (some like shade, some like sun), all vegetables like a lot of sun.  If you are not up for tilling up your back yard, you can plant vegetables among your flower beds if they are given adequate room to grow and plenty of sun. Keep in mind where your water source is.  If you have a dry summer, do you want to be lugging water wherever your garden is planted?  If not, rethink your location or invest in a hose.  Container gardening is another option if you are limited by space.  Keep in mind that containers dry out much faster than the earth, so you will need to water your plants (possibly daily) during the hot summer.

Some suggestions of vegetables to start with are; herbs you love, lettuce, tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini and green beans (the bush varieties don't require staking).  You can read about our 2010 planning session here.

 

Seeds or Plants?  Over time, you'll learn what grows well for you from seed and what is easier to buy as a plant.  When you're just starting out, buying vegetable plants is a fine way to begin.  If you decide you want 15 tomato plants (that's a lot, by the way), you may be better off buying a packet of seeds and starting the plants yourself.  If you only want one zucchini plant (they can be prolific) just buying the plant may be the way to go.  As you gain experience, you can then research different varieties of vegetables and buy the seeds of the plants you would like to grow from a catalog (when it may be hard to find that particular variety in your local garden store).

If you have your heart set on growing a particular vegetable, like lettuce, and you'd prefer to buy plants, call your local garden store early and ask if they plan on carrying lettuce plants.  If not, you may be forced to buy seeds and plant your own.

Buy Your Seeds (if you want to start your own plants).  There is nothing wrong with buying seeds or plants from your local garden store.  They will be more likely to carry seeds and plants that will do well in your growing area.  Seed catalogs are fun to drool over but can be overwhelming as you try to navigate seed zones, soil types, etc.

Make A Planting Schedule.  You have your list of what you want to grow.  You've determined what you will start from seed and what you will buy as plants. Now you'll need to determine when to plant what.  This sounds like it could be hard or complicated to do, but we think we've devised a pretty good system for you.

First of all, click here. Type in your zip code and click "Go".  Read your results and jot down your average risk of frost date.  In bold you will see dates like this..."September 30 through May 12" (not these exact dates, but written this way at the top).  For the above dates, May 12 would be your last frost date.

Now, click on this Spring Vegetable Planting PDF Jamey created based on a chart in our The Virginia Gardener Handbook (from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and Virginia Cooperative Extension Service).  Print out a copy for yourself and follow the directions at the top to determine your planting times.  This chart was developed for the mid-Atlantic area so will work for those of us who do not have extremely short (Northern US, Canada, etc.) or extremely long (Florida, southern Texas, etc.) growing seasons.

Note the different pattern blocks for each vegetable on the chart.  At the bottom of the chart is a key which explains what the patterns mean.  You may plant in the "Planting Period", plant and harvest in the "Plant and Harvest Period" (Depending on how early you planted during the planting period, you may be harvesting during this time.) and harvest during the "Harvest Period".

Note the * by some vegetables.  This meas that you should transplant (or move) outside the little plants you started from seed inside during that vegetable's "Planting Period".  If there is no *, you are to sow the seeds directly into soil during that vegetable's "Planting Period".

To know when to start your seeds inside, read on your seed package how many weeks prior to planting outside (a.k.a. "Planting Period") you should start the seed for that particular vegetable. Count backwards from your planting period to determine when to start your seeds.

{This chart is an incredible resource.  We have not been able to find anything else like it on line.  Jamey says that it is the one gardening tool he cannot do without.}

Next, find yourself a separate calendar that you can use just for gardening.  We have ours hanging in the kitchen.  Write in when you will need to plant seeds indoors (if you are starting seeds) and when to transplant out your started or bought plants.  It is also helpful to record on the calendar how many plants or seeds you planted as you go for reference the following year.

Make Your Starter Pots (if you are going to start plants).  Here is a little tutorial on how to do this. There are many benefits to using these little paper pots in addition to them being easy to make and free!  If you are using plastic pots, removing the plant may damage the root hairs of the plant- paper pots leave those intact because you plant the entire paper pot in the ground.  It decomposes faster than a peat pot, allowing the plant to send it's roots out faster. 

Making a Map & Companion Planting.  We make a map of our garden each year before we begin planting.  It allows us to make sure we are leaving enough room for everything and it considers certain things we've learned (like that tomatoes like being planted in the same place every year and tall corn will shade shorter plants if planted on the wrong side of it).  Another thing to consider is which plants benefit from being planted next to each other or away from each other.   You can read more about companion planting here.


Planting Seeds In the Dirt.  According to our planting schedule (see above), it was time to get some seeds in the ground.  Getting your soil ready is important and can be as simple as "fluffing-up" the soil with a hoe or gardening fork.  Loosening the soil (several inches down) in this way breaks up dry or clay-ish clumps that could hamper little roots' growth.  If you have been making compost and it's ready for use, you can mix this into your ready soil as well.

Once your soil is prepped, follow the instructions on your seed packets carefully.  Planting them to a certain depth and spaced a certain distance apart is important and your seed packet will tell you exactly how to do this.

If you can hardly wait to eat a certain vegetable (for us, it's lettuces and spinach), you can plant them a bit early, but you must have a cover for the seeds/plants to protect from frosts that may still occur.  Here is a link to the first stage of our plantings, done last week. 

A bed of prepared soil and planted garden peas.

Starting Seeds Indoors.  Click here if you would like to see our indoor seed-starting set-up, find out what kind of potting soil and lights we use as well as to read about how Jamey rigged-up a warming box (certainly NOT a requirement for seed-starting- just an experiment:-)).  

As you will see, we use all manner of planting containers.  For very fine, small seeds, we sometimes use larger trays (like the one below) and divide the plants later.  For others we use planting trays and for others we use newspaper pots (read above how to make these).  We use what we have on hand as we are always trying to keep costs down.  Growing our own food is supposed to save us money, right?

 leeks

Moving Plants Outside and Into the Ground.  This is getting exciting, isn't it?!  You've got your planting schedule handy, right?  (If you don't, see above to get yourself one.)  Keeping in mind when it's safe in your area to move your plants into the ground, you will want to "harden off" your little baby plants.  Hardening off simply means getting the plants acclimated to outdoor living before putting them into the ground.  Hardening off can occur over one to three weeks (your choice), but make sure that you aren't planting your plants prior to your average frost date.  You don't want to leave your plants outside and vulnerable to harsh conditions after all the care you've given them.

Here is an excellent article I want you to read over at Mother Earth News. The article isn't long or complicated and it provides valuable information on this transition step between inside and outside.   Especially take note of the three sections entitled Harden Off Plants, Prepare to Transplant and Handle With Care.  These sections will get you from transition to planting.

Here are a few pictures of some of our plants starting the hardening off process.  Of course, those that can be planted earlier can begin the hardening off process earlier.  The others will need to stay inside until they are closer to their plant date.

On a lovely, warm day some of the larger plants were set outside for some sun.

In order to leave them outside overnight (we are still prior to our last average frost date), they will need some shelter, so this cold frame will do the trick.

Planting Time!  Once your planting schedule tells you it's time, get those little plants (that you've started of bought) into the ground.  Check your seed packet or plant stake for specific plant directions (how far apart to plant them, etc.).  Don't forget to water them regularly at the beginning while they are getting established.  Keep a close eye on them afterward.  As soon as they look wilty or if you've had no rain for a few days, give them a nice, long drink.

Using some form of mulch around your plants will keep you from having to water so often, so consider straw or grass clippings.  Keep the mulch back a little ways from your small plants, moving the mulch in closer as the plants grow tall.  

DO NOT FORGET TO KEEP AN EYE ON THE WEATHER FORECAST!  Your planting schedule (if filled out as we instructed above) gives you the AVERAGE last date of frost, so it's still possible that it could frost.  This would kill your plants!  If frost (anything even close to 32 degrees F) threatens, the evening before you should cover your tender plants with upside down buckets or containers or a cloth sheet or plastic laid over stakes throughout your plants (acting like a tent, you do not want to smother your plants).

If you didn't think or know that it would frost and you wake up to frost on the grass, you may be able to save your plants if  you can get your butt in gear before the sun shines on them.  If frost has hit your plants, spraying them with water before the sun hit them may save them.  This doesn't work 100% of the time, but it has worked many times for us.

Click here to read more about our planting week, natural fertilizers and to see more pictures.  

You did it!!  Your plants are in the ground.  With some attention, they will produce food for your family, nutrients for your body.  Give yourself a little pat on the back:-).

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