Some Things to Start Off With

Transcription

1 GARDENING 101

2 Some Things to Start Off With Work With The Environment Set Achievable Goals Have Fun!

3 Planning Your Garden Choosing Your Location Where will your garden be? Home, community garden? If you are putting in a home garden, consider: How much space do you have? Do you want a dedicated garden space? Are you trying to integrate into your existing landscaping? Will you be container gardening? Will you be using flat garden beds or raised beds? Do you have enough sun in your chosen location? What will you need to do to prepare this area for your garden? What tools will you need to begin your garden and maintain it? Consider Permaculture!

4 Permaculture In gardening this means designing and planting gardens that operate well with the environment and do not require a lot of energy, time or resources to thrive Simple ways you can help incorporate permaculture - Design your garden with the area and climate in mind - Make use of native plants and insects in your space - Choose your plants wisely, consider perennial plants

5 Planning Your Garden Once you ve chosen your space: 1. Decide on your gardens size and boarders 2. Clear the area 3. Break in the area for your flat bed, install your raised beds or place your containers 4. If you are using any permaculture techniques that require installation before planting, put these in now 5. Place any boarders or large installations you d like in your garden

6 Planting Your Garden What can you plant? You can roughly divide the year into two growing seasons: Cool Weather Warm (Hot!) Weather Warm Weather Plants: Will be planted after the last frost once the ground has warmed for best results and can potentially be harvest until first frost Cool Weather Plants: Will be planted as soon as the summer heat begins to break, and in late winter and can potentially be harvested until the summer temperatures start

7 Planting Calendars & Frost Dates To know when and what to plant, use a Vegetable Planting Guide, know your frost dates and know your zone Austin, TX Planting Zone = 8b* First Frost ~Dec 1-10* Last Frost ~Feb 21-28* Several Planting Guides are available online at Austin Organic Gardner s site: * USDA source

8 Daphne Richards, County Extension Agent - HorHculture Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Travis County, 1600-B Smith Road, AusHn, TX travismg@ag.tamu.edu Compiled by Patty G Leander, Master Gardener Vegetable Plant seed unless otherwise noted Artichoke (crowns/transplants) JAN FEB Specialist MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC ---transplants crowns Asian greens (seeds or transplants) Asparagus (crowns) Beans, snap and lima Beets Broccoli (transplants) Brussels sprouts (transplants) Cabbage (transplants) Cantaloupe (muskmelon) Carrots Cauliflower (transplants) Chard, Swiss (seeds or transplants) Collards (seeds or transplants) Corn Cucumber Eggplant (transplants) Fava beans Garlic Greens, cool season Greens, warm season Kale (seeds or transplants) Kohlrabi (seeds or transplants) Average first frost November 27 Potato, sweet (slips) Pumpkin Radish ---seed--- Average last freeze March 8 Leeks (seeds/transplants) Lettuce (seeds or transplants) Mustard (seeds or transplants) Okra Onion, bulbing (transplants) Onion, bunching/multiplying Peas, English, snap and snow Peas, Southern Pepper (transplants) Potato, Irish Shallots Spinach (seeds or transplants) Squash, summer Squash, winter Tomatoes (transplants) Turnip Watermelon Plants grown in winter will benefit from protection during freezing weather Plants grown in late summer will benefit from shade cover during establishment Educational programs of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age or national origin. The Texas A&M System, USDA and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas cooperating. January 2012

9 Choosing Your Plants Choose plant types for the season & when you will be planting Some plants are easier to grow than others Easy Most Herbs, Radishes, Leafy Greens, Garlic, Beans, Peas, Okra, Peppers (except Sweet mild climate ones) Moderate Carrots, Beets, Turnips, Heading Lettuce, Broccoli, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Squash, Eggplant, Bunching Onions Hard Cabbages, Cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, Celery, Corn, Melons, Heading Onions, Potatoes Choose plants you like to eat and know you will use Be aware of how much your plant will produce. Some plants require a lot of effort for a little yield, while others will produce bountifully with little work

10 Choosing Your Plants What do you have space for? Will you be planting your plants in rows, companion planting, square foot technique planting? - Rows or Blocks: Typical layout of large crop monoculture, types of plants laid in rows and blocks of each kind of plant - Companion Planting: Plants types are mixed together to offer benefits for pest control, space use, productivity and more - Square Foot Planting: Favored for small gardens and raised beds. Bed is divided into 1 foot squares and plants are spaced in these squares based on how many can fit in a square or for larger plants, how many squares they need Plant Spacing Charts: Rows: Companion Planting: Square Foot:

11 Draw out a plan for your garden! Diagraming your garden can help you determine what you can plant and how many plants and seeds you need before planting - Especially important for companion and square foot gardening Example:

12 Buying Your Plants and Seeds Determine if you will be getting transplants or seeds or both Chose varieties that are well suited to this area and climate, where you are planting them and offer resistance to disease/pest concerns Get plants and seeds from reputable sources If buying transplants, choose ones that look healthy and aren t too small or have grow very large in their pots and are root bound or leggy. Recommendations For Transplants For Seeds Natural Gardner Bakers Creek Johnson's Backyard Garden Seed Savers Sunshine Community Garden Plant Sale SeedsNow

13 Buying Your Plants and Seeds Recommendations For Transplants For Seeds Natural Gardner Johnson's Backyard Garden Sunshine Community Garden Plant Sale Bakers Creek Seed Savers SeedsNow

14 Planting Your Garden Prepping your garden for planting Turn and loosen your soil The ideal soil is rich, light and crumbly Amend your soil with lots of rich organic matter such as compost, composted manure, leaves, or mulch Adding transplants and seeds For transplants: Dig an appropriate depth hole, carefully remove from their containers, gently loosen root ball and pack dirt tightly around For seeds: Sow at the recommended spacing and depth, you may also choose to spread seeds on the surface and cover with soil Thoroughly water transplants and seeds once planted

15 Root Systems

16 Caring For Your Garden When First Planted Water regularly. Plants will not have established root systems and will need to be kept well watered Be careful with fertilizer at this point. Young plants and seedlings can be easily burnt by fertilizers Once Plants are Settled Water less frequently, only as needed Fertilize with compost or other rich organic matter; less or more often depending on the plant and the richness of your soil Add mulch or leaves around the base of your plants You may need to adjust spacing by removing or thinning plants Watch for signs of pests and diseases As Production Occurs Some plants will need to be kept well harvested to encourage production or to avoid the plant going to seed Plant crops in succession for a continuous harvest throughout the season You may need to adjust watering

17 Caring For Your Garden At End of Season Prepare for next planting Clear out or turn under plants Cover exposed soil with compost, leaves or mulch Other Advice Pay attention to the weather You may want to cover or shade plants to protect them from cold or intense sun Keep notes of what works and what doesn t Keep learning!

18 Troubleshooting Pests - Mammals - Birds - Insects Diseases - Fungus - Bacteria - Viruses Other Possible Problems - Watering too much or to little - Deficiencies Troubleshooting Website:

19 Resources Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Austin Organic Gardeners Texas Master Gardeners Sustainable Food Center