Vegetable gardens

Spring is the perfect time to plant a vegetable garden. It's an easy project for a novice
or experienced green thumb if you follow these simple steps.

1. The first step in creating a successful veggie garden, large or small, is choosing a location with lots of sunlight & good drainage. When preparing the ground prior to seeding or planting, it is advisable to overturn the soil and add compost and/or mushroom compost or steer manure. It adds some microbe activity and fertilizer to the soil.

2. Raking and levelling the garden is an important follow-up step. It removes any sticks & stones from the garden.

3. Before planting a veggie garden, a little planning goes a long way. Vegetable varieties differ in their needs, ranging from their soil and air temperature, to germinate and grow. Some varieties prefer to be planted early in the spring, such as broad beans and peas. Warm weather crops, such as beans and corn, need warm soil to grow – therefore, they should be planted in late spring when all the frost danger has passed. Many varieties of vegetables are directly seeded into the ground, while others are better started indoors and planted later as transplants, or purchased already started. We also suggest that you run your rows from north to south so the crops can take most advantage of sunlight and not shade one another. Here are a few tips on what to plant in the coming months:

April: Cool Weather Crops
Peas • Potatoes • Onions • Broccoli • Cabbage • Cauliflower • Lettuce • Radishes • Carrots • Leeks
May: Warm Weather Crops
Beans • Corn • Squash • Tomatoes • Cucumbers • Peppers • Eggplants
June: Hot Weather Crops
Watermelon • Cantaloupe

Maintenance:

Maintaining your vegetable garden is one of the most important steps. Keeping weed growth down & harvesting your crops when they are ready are important steps. A nice thing about growing vegetables at home is that you can plant in succession. Once you have harvested one round of crops, you can quickly replant another for another delicious harvest. If you'd like more info. on when to plant what, visit Homestead Nurseryland & Florist for a planting calendar.

Questions? Come see one of our specialists today!