The Occasional Gardener
Holly Camero
Gardening one small plot at a time.
By Holly Camero Staff Writer
Every spring I plant a vegetable garden. I start early in the season — raking away dead leaves, pulling up leftover weeds, and preparing the soil. By Memorial Day weekend I am ready to plant, so I head off to a local garden center to purchase the choicest bedding plants – two to three varieties of tomatoes, zucchini, summer squash, green peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, possibly a winter squash, and a variety of fresh herbs. I carefully place each tiny plant into the ground. I fertilize and water throughout the season, and do my best to keep up with the weeds and insects that invade my small plot of vegetables.
I dream of a bountiful harvest — perhaps even enough to open a little vegetable stand. Toward the middle of July, however, I realize that despite my best efforts, I will be lucky if my garden produces enough vegetables to complement my summer meals.
So this year, I have decided to do some research — surely, somewhere out in cyberspace is the answer to my gardening dilemmas.
Since I always purchase seedlings, I decided to start with the information that pertained to preparing the garden for planting.
A prime piece of real estate
Nearly every Web site I visited recommended starting small. Keep the size of the garden plot manageable, especially if this is your first garden; you can always add on later. In most cases, a 20 to 30 square foot space is sufficient to start.
A sunny location is essential — in order for plants to mature properly, they must receive a minimum of six hours of sunlight daily, and eight to 10 hours is preferable. No amount of fertilizer or water can replace the benefits of sunlight.
Fertile, well-drained soil is necessary for a successful garden and the soil should be reasonably free of stones. Organic matter, lime and commercial fertilizer can be used to improve the soil. Once the soil is prepared, it should be tested to determine the level of pH in the soil. Inexpensive pH test kits can be purchased at most garden centers.
Surround the garden with a sufficiently high small-mesh fence to keep dogs, rabbits and other animals away from your crops. The fence can also be used as a trellis for beans, peas, tomatoes and other crops that need support.
To make your gardening experience easier, assemble a few basic gardening tools. I found that the following tools were recommended: gloves, to protect your hands; a garden hose, to water the garden and clean your tools; gardening shears, for trimming plants and removing dead leaves; a garden kneeler, to ease the stress on your knees; a long-handled shovel or a spade, for digging new ground and removing problem weeds; a garden rake, one with short steel teeth, used to level soil and keep the soil loose between plant rows; a garden cart for hauling compost, etc., a hoe, to keep soil loose and weeds away from your vegetables; and a hand trowel, which is especially useful for getting at weeds. It is not necessary to purchase a roto-tiller, as these can easily be rented at most rental shops or garden supply stores.
Drawing a diagram of your prospective garden, mapping out each row according to height, plant requirements and other criteria can be beneficial. Before you consider how you will lay out your garden, determine what vegetables you will plant, according to the likes and dislikes of your family members.
Plan to put perennial vegetables such as rhubarb and asparagus off to the side, where they won’t interfere with future plowing. Early producing crops (radishes, lettuce, spinach, carrots, onions, etc.) should be grouped together. Once they are finished growing for the season, the area can be easily reworked for later season crops. If you use the same garden plot every year, the crops should be rotated.
Now that your plot has been prepared, you are ready to head out to a local garden center to purchase your plants and begin planting.