Planning a Vegetable Garden

 

The environmental requirements for growing vegetables are quite simple. The best vegetable gardens are grown in sunny locations where the soil is moist and nutritious.

 

In order to maximize the productivity of your garden plot you should first consider which vegetables your family enjoys most. It is senseless to waste valuable garden space on vegetables that no one is going to eat. Plan the planting order of your vegetable garden. Start with a sketch showing approximately where you want to locate each vegetable crop. Increase your gardens’ production potential by planting cool-crop vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage early in the spring. Use these early vegetables when they are mature and then re-plant the same spot with warm-weather, short-season crops such as lettuce and radish. Leave only enough space for development between low-growing vegetables such as radish, lettuce, and onion. Space can also be conserved by growing trailing vegetables such as cucumbers on trellises or other supports. Plant newly developed, dwarf vegetable varieties that require less space to grow than their larger, traditional counterparts. If ground space for a garden plot is not available vegetables can be grown in containers. Vegetables can also be effectively grown in combination with annuals. Be sure to organize the garden so that tall growing vegetables do not shade low growing vegetables.

 

Planting Vegetables

 

Soil Preparation: Spade or rototill the garden soil deeply to break the soil into small clods. Add 454 g (1 lb) of granular all purpose fertilizer per 30 sq m (37.5 sq yd) and turn the soil again. Rake the soil smooth and your garden is ready for planting. Improve the texture of heavy, clay-loam soils with additions of peat moss, compost, vermiculite, perlite, sand and gyspum. Do not work garden soil when it is wet.

 

Pre-Planting Care: Due to the short length of our growing season many vegetables are available as bedding-out plants. Vegetable bedding-out plants that can not be planted the same day they are purchased should be watered and stored in a shady location to prevent excessive wilting.

Planting vegetables from seed or bedding out plants: Sow vegetable seeds in moist soil, just dry enough to be workable. Vegetable seeds are generally sown three times as deep as their diameter. Cover the seeds with fine soil, compost, vermiculite, or sand. Gently remove vegetable bedding-out plants from their packs or flats. Plant them in moist soil deep enough to bury the root ball and a portion of the lower stem. Plant vegetables started in peat pots or expandable peat pellets in the same way. In these cases also bury the peat pot or pellet. When planting vegetable bedding-out plants be sure to leave adequate room for development.

 

Watering: After sowing your vegetable seeds keep the garden soil consistently moist until the vegetable seedlings are established. Water freshly planted vegetable bedding-out plants thoroughly to give them a good start; use a starter fertilizer to establish a healthy root system. Thereafter, water your garden whenever the top 2.5-5 cm (1-2 in) of soil dries out. It is best to water early in the day. Keep plant foliage as dry as possible by watering at the soil level. Water droplets that remain on plant foliage overnight encourage the development of plant diseases. Do not rely on rain to water your vegetable garden sufficiently. It is important to observe the condition of your garden often to ensure continued growth and productivity.

 

Post-Planting Care: Keep your garden healthy by removing weeds as soon as they appear. Weeding is easier when garden soil is moistened before you weed. This makes the soil looser and more workable. Remove the weeds between the rows by scraping a flat-bladed hoe over the top few centimeters of soil. Pull weeds from within the rows out by hand. This reduces the chance of disturbing vegetable roots and prevents weeds from competing with them.

 

Frost-free Days: Frost free days for a particular area are the average number of days in a growing season with the minimum temperature above 0 degrees Celsius. Freezing temperatures may not necessarily kill all of your plants. This means that the growing season may be longer than the number of frost free days. The length of a growing season may vary within relatively close proximities. For example, the heat island effect of cities such as Calgary and Edmonton extends their growing seasons. The average number of frost free days in Calgary is approximately 105, from May 24 to September 5. Edmonton has a longer growing season because of their lower elevation and longer distance from the mountains. The average number of frost free days in Edmonton is approximately 140, from May 7 to September 23. When you decide to plant and to harvest, take these factors into consideration: elevation and proximity to mountains, nearness to bodies of water, wind exposure, personal observation, and whether the garden is on a north or south slope of a valley.

 

Vegetables and Vitamins: Vegetables are high in various vitamins. Vitamins are classified as being fat soluble or water soluble. Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat soluble, which means that they can be stored in the body's fat tissue. Vitamins B and C are water soluble, which means that they must be taken into the body on a daily basis. Vitamin A is known as retinal and is present in orange, yellow and green vegetables. It is especially high in cantaloupe, carrots, peppers and squash. Vitamin A deficiency is characterized by dry eyes and night blindness. Vitamin C is called ascorbic acid and is contained in cantaloupe, peppers, potatoes and tomatoes. Vitamin C deficiency is called scurvey. Vitamin E is known as tocopherol and is found in vegetable oils. Vitamin E deficiency allegedly causes sterility.