Gardening

More Gardening Information

 

Vegetable Growing Basics

 

This is your chance to excel in self sufficiency. One of the most important things about being self sufficient is feeding yourself. Growing vegetables is easy. Anyone can do it. But, doing it well and doing it well consistently, is not easy though it is not beyond everyone's reach. Here are a few helpful pointers. More to follow.

Category General Requirements Specifics
Peas, Beans, and Salads (beans, celery, leaks, lettuce, onions, peas, shallots, spinach, sweet corn, tomatoes) Rich, well manured, well-cultivated soil. Keep moist to grow quickly, unchecked.
  • Peas and beans do not grow in acid soil; use lime.
  • Peas require full sun, high humidity, and cool weather.
  • For best results, use a legume inocculant, which provide nitrogen-fixing bacteria that grow in nodules on the plant roots.
  • Leeks are a winter crop.
  • Grow in a separate seed bed and transplant. Or sow in row and thin to 5".
  • Grow lettuce spring or fall; heat sensitive. Plant extra seedlings as replacements after harvesting young green onions
Potatoes Very rich, well manured (after tubers are formed), acidic soil. Requires lots of moisture.
  • Start as soon as the soil temperature reaches 54 degrees F.
  • Plant seed pieces 4 inches deep and 12 inches apart in rows, rows 24 to 36 inches apart.
  • Sprouts within 3 weeks.
  • Mound soil around plants.
  • Tubers appear at about 100 days. Proper planting dates for your location must be observed: cool nights are required for good tuber formation.
  • Takes about 120 days total to maturity
Root Crops (carrots, turnips) No fresh manure, which causes taproots to branch.
  • Carrots need light, well-drained soils.
  • Turnips grow well on rich, well- (but not fresh) manured soils, similar to salad crops.
Vine Crops (cucumbers, melons, summer squash, zucchini) Warm-season annuals. Require humus-rich soil, kept moist.
  • Typically grown in mounds, 2-3 plants/mound.
  • Zucchini requires only 53 days from planting to harvesting mature fruit.
Brassicas (Cabbage family) Do not grow in acid soil; use lime to reduce acidity. Grow in separate seed bed and transplant.
  • Cabbage can be grown throughout year, but is primarily a Spring and Fall crop. In hot weather, cabbage "bolts" - goes to seed.
  • Plant in full sun. Provide light shade in hot climates
  • Needs moist, rich soil. Heavy user of Nitrogen and Potassium.
  • Takes 63-75 days to mature, depending on variety.
  • Plant cauliflower in fall.
  • Use 1.5 ft spacing.
  • Eat cauliflower leaves as greens.