How Does Your Garden Grow

I don’t know how you feel about the start of a new growing season but I can already taste those sweet juicy tomatoes. I wait all winter to get started on my garden. Some of you may be wondering how you can get that great flavor to grow in your own backyard.

The most important thing you can do when creating your garden spot is choose the correct location. You must find a spot that has at least 6 hours of sunshine available each day. If space is an issue, try scaling down the size of your garden, creating multiple small gardens spaced in different sunny locations in your yard or growing plants in containers on a sun porch.

Once you have the location it is important to have the soil tested for proper pH and nutrients. If you have a salt pH between 6 and 6.5 then you should be able to access all the nutrients available in your soil. If the pH is below 6 then you will need to add lime according to the recommendation listed on your soil test results. Fall is the best time to add soil amendments like lime or fresh organic matter. If you need to add organic matter just before planting then be sure not to incorporate fresh manure or green plant waste. Fresh manure or plant waste will rob the soil of available nitrogen. This nitrogen is used when microbes break down the organic matter and remains unavailable until the fresh organic matter is decomposed. Because of this, your plants will not have enough nitrogen and will not grow well. Good choices for organic matter that can be applied just before planting as well as in the fall include composted manure, sphagnum peat moss and yard compost or leaf mold.

Decide on the layout of your garden. Start planning what plants you want to grow where. Asparagus, rhubarb and artichokes are perennial plants meaning they will come back every year. Place these plants in a location that will not be disturbed, away from the main garden, and allow them to grow freely. Plants that inhibit the growth of other plants should not be planted next to each other. Good examples include the following; potatoes will inhibit the growth of tomatoes and squash, beans will prevent good growth of onions, broccoli keeps tomatoes from growing well and carrots inhibit the growth of dill. By keeping these plants on opposite sides of the garden you will have better production from each. In a similar way, some plants help each other in the garden. These plants can be planted together for added production as in the following examples. Beets add minerals in the soil and help when planted with lettuce or onion. Sweet corn, having a large amount of pollen, helps pumpkin and bean production by attracting bees. Cabbage will grow better and stronger when planted with dill. Lettuce grows well with carrots, radishes, beets, broccoli, cabbage, onions and cucumbers. Radish gets along with cucumbers and squash much like zucchini enjoys being planted with beans or radish. Carrots will grow better and improve in flavor when planted with chives. The timing of your planting can save you frustration later. Corn and beans can be planted in rows with each row being planted one week after the last. In this way your vegetable production will be spaced out over several weeks instead of having one or two weeks with more corn than you can handle. Learn what does well together and what does well apart, and maximize your garden space by spacing your production through the season.

There are some simple practices that might help when it comes time to put seed in the ground. Set two stakes on either end of each row and stretch a string between them to mark the row. Use a hoe to open a 'V' shaped furrow at the depth recommended on your seed packet. Space seeds according to the packaging. Plant extra seeds in each row to allow for failed germination, returning later to thin weaker plants out when they have two sets of leaves. Lightly cover the seeds with soil and firm the soil over the seeds to insure good moisture contact. Make sure you water thoroughly even if your soil has moisture in it. Seeds need moisture to germinate, so it is important to keep the soil moist until the seedlings are up. If you are putting plants in the ground instead of seed then dig a small hole slightly bigger than the root ball, place the plant in the center and fill in around the plant, pressing the soil to make it firm. Water the plant thoroughly prior to planting it out in the garden to lessen the shock of transplant and again after you place it in the ground. Keep your garden watered at least one inch per week and keep weeds pulled. Every weed that is present in your garden is robbing nutrition and water from your desired vegetables. Each week look for insects that may be harmful to your garden. Common insects to look for include squash bug, aphid, caterpillar, leaf-hopper, beetle, and spider mite. Control these early so that populations do not affect your production.

Gardening can be an experience that is passed down from generation to generation and with that are handed down great ideas for how to get your garden in order. Here are some tips to help organize and plan your garden. Early producing crops such as radishes, lettuce, spinach, carrots, beets and onions can be planted together allowing you to replant that same area later with another vegetable. Plant taller plants on the north end of the garden and smaller plants on the south end to keep the larger plants from shading out the smaller. Certain plants, such as tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, eggplant, squash, radishes and herbs are well suited for growing in containers and can be if space is in short supply. Quick growing vegetables, like onions, can be planted with slower growing vegetables, like broccoli or cauliflower, in order to maximize your space. Make sure to thin your onions early to enable the remaining bulbs to grow larger.

If you have been thinking about starting a garden, you now have an idea of where to begin. Remember that gardens will forgive you if you don’t get it right the first time. There is always next season. Don’t be afraid to share ideas and try out new ones.

Helpful Publication: University of Missouri Extension Guidelines, #G620- Vegetable Planting Calendar

The Extension office is located in Kennett, Missouri at 101 South Main Street (the old bank) on the 2^nd floor. Open Monday – Friday or you can call 573-888-4722 if you have a question. University of Missouri Extension programs are open to all.

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Sarah Denkler, Horticulture Educator
University of Missouri Extension
P.O. Box 160, Kennett, MO 63857
573-888-4722 Denklers@missouri.edu