University of Minnesota West Central Research and Outreach Center, Morris Why a Vegetable Garden 101 Why a Vegetable Garden Satisfaction Outdoor exercise Homegrown, great flavor Sharing High quality nutrition Less processed foods Food budget savings Farm Fresh Locally Grown Food Minnesota Grown tracks the number of the state's local growers and local-food outlets Over the past 10 years, the number of local-food growers has surged 52 percent, to 1,300 MN farmers' markets have nearly tripled to 182 Winter Farmers Markets-26 MN is home to more than 600 vineyards, adding $59 million annually to MN economy There has been a nine-fold increase in communitysupported agriculture groups (CSAs). 1
Vegetable Planting Strategies Right Garden Location Good idea to take soil samples from several areas of your proposed garden spot Soil can vary from one spot to the next, and this may help you decide what to grow where Find a place that is convenient Vegetable Planting Strategies To see the garden from your home is important Seeing it reminds you to go relax, be stress free and tend to your garden Minimum 6 hours of sunshine daily-stay clear of trees and shrubs But, the best vegetables to grow in shade have broad leaves, which they can unfurl like large solar collectors These include lettuce, chard, kale and most other leafy greens that will grow in partial shade Locate close to water source Healthy Soils, Healthy Plants Healthy People Cultural practices that help maintain fertile soil: Soil testing Crop rotations Reducing tillage Growing cover crops Manure as a valuable nutrient source Composting Applying supplemental fertilizers Maintaining Soil Fertility: Cultural practices that support the development of healthy, vigorous root systems result in efficient use of available nutrients 2
Don t Work the Garden when it s Wet Ruin the structure of the soil-bad for plant roots Fall tilling helps for early spring planting Spring-determine if soil is dry enough Squeeze soil into a ball Hand dig or rotary tiller Avoid walking over wet garden Gardening Problems caused by Poor Soil Quality Symptoms of poor soil quality include the following: The soil is dried and cracked in summer Digging holes in the soil is difficult, whether it is wet or dry Plants wilt in hot weather, even with added water Tomatoes and peppers get blossom-end rot which is a calcium imbalance but related to poor developed root system Water tends to pool on the soil surface and to drain slowly, or it runs off the surface Common Organic Amendments Leaves are perhaps the best and most readily available organic matter source for vegetable gardens Cover crops provide a easy way to add organic matter to soil Both winter and summer cover crops can be used You can dig in the cover crop before planting your garden Manures and manure composts have high nitrogen, ammonia or salt content or high ph (above 8) In general, it is best to avoid manure and manure composts at high-rate applications Use manures in small amounts to replace nitrogenphosphorus-potassium fertilizers 3
Incorporating Organic Matter into Soil Most common methods involve digging or rototilling Excessive rototilling has detrimental effects on soil structure, particularly when the soil is wet Disturb the soil as little as possible to keep the beneficial fungus and natural soil structure intact Rototilling can compact soil just below the tillage depth, reduce the volume of pore spaces in soil for air and water, and kill earthworms Digging amendments into the soil is hard work but will enable you to incorporate as deeply as you choose to dig Soil Testing Getting a soil test will help you determine deficiencies U of MN Soil Testing Lab Never good to add amendments without knowing what the soil lacks Quality of your test results depends largely on the quality of your sample Soil samples may be collected whenever soil conditions permit If your garden has large areas which differ in fertility, take one sample from each area Soil Testing Use a garden trowel (#2) or sampling tube (#1) Scrape away or discard any surface mat of grass or litter Place the soil sample in a clean bucket Repeat sampling in several random locations within the chosen area. Mix soil well to make one sample For the regular test cost is $17.00 http://soiltest.cfans.umn.edu/ testing-services/lawn-garden 4
Growing Cover Crops Cover crops are sown thickly to form a living mulch Keep weeds in check Mow the plants down prior to flower to prevent them from selfseeding and becoming weeds themselves Turned into the soil to provide organic matter and nutrients Include vetch, clover, beans, peas, annual ryegrass, oats, rapeseed, winter wheat, winter rye and buckwheat Plant in the early season: turn it under and plant warm-season vegetables Or, after early-maturing vegetables have been harvested, plant a cover crop Turn in the dead plant material after a killing frost in late fall Growing Cover Crops Nitrogen Fixing Plants Many plants in the legume family, such as peas, beans, vetch and clover, grow in cooperation with soil-dwelling bacteria Bacteria live in nodules on the roots of legumes They fix atmospheric nitrogen gas from the air and convert it to a form plants can use Legume dies and its roots begin to decompose, nitrogen in the nodules becomes available to other plants when plants are tilled under 5
Don t Sow Seeds too Thick Less is more Problem-empty a whole packet of seeds in a small space Develop tall, weak stems that never recover Most vegetable seeds need proper spacing Directions on package Mix with sand or coffee grounds to space them out Sow by hand Sowing Seeds For small seeds make a planting furrow with tip of hoe or with your 2 fingers Water furrow prior to sowing Tap the open envelope as you move down the row Cover the seed with moist soil and tamp with back end of steel-toothed rake Important-seed to soil contact No need for any further watering Tips on Sowing Vegetable Seed When your seedlings start to sprout in the garden they will need to be thinned Follow the directions on the back of your seed packet for proper spacing Remove the weaker seedlings and leave behind the strongest 6
Watering Never lightly sprinkle water on the top During the first two weeks of growth, water is important to build good root systems Water thoroughly each week so the soil is soaked Seed Storage Seeds are a fragile If not treated properly, their viability will sharply decline Keep seeds in a cool, dark location with low humidity, like a refrigerator Storing them in a small reclosable bag Remember the number 100-temperature and humidity added together should not go over 100 for best storage Seed Storage All seeds are not created equal. Some live longer than others In general, corn, leek, onion, parsnip are considered short-lived -seeds are only good for a year or two Moderately long-lived seeds includes those for beans, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and carrot Seeds with a reputation for being long-lived longer than five years includes beets, cucumbers, eggplant and musk melon 7
Drip Irrigation Drip Irrigation Is one of the best techniques to irrigate vegetables Is a controlled, slow application of water to soil Water flows under low pressure through plastic pipe to each row of plants The water drops into the soil from tiny holes called orifices Orifices are plugged into the hose wall at a proper spacing Advantages of Drip Irrigation When watered by sprinkler garden soil is filled to capacity Soil is then left to dry out and watered again When the soil is saturated in this way, there is little or no available oxygen Drip irrigation overcomes this sprinkler problem by keeping water and oxygen levels within absorption limits of the plants If monitored correctly drip irrigation replaces the water lost through evaporation and transpiration Drip irrigation also prevents extreme temperature fluctuations which result from wet-dry cycles associated with sprinklers 8
Advantages of Drip Irrigation With proper management, drip reduces water loss by up to 60 percent or more as compared to sprinklers With drip the water soaks in immediately when the flow is adjusted correctly No water run-off, so water is not wasted When properly used all of the water is accessible to the roots With drip you are not watering between rows and hopefully have less weeds With drip wind does not carry water away Snap beans Also called "green beans" or "string beans" (although most modern varieties do not have strings) Break one of these beans in half and listen for the snap thus, their name What s unique about snap beans is that they re entirely edible Harvested when the pods contain immature seeds, and the pods are still succulent Pole Beans Pole beans are twining vines growing up to six feet that must be supported Flower continuously, producing new pods and can be harvested many times throughout the season Pole beans are well suited to smaller gardens 9
Bush Beans Bush beans are upright plants that do not need support More concentrated period of flowering and pod set Well suited for canning and freezing Bush bean seed should be sown in single or double rows, with seeds four inches apart and rows two to three feet apart Planting Beans Should be planted once the soil has warmed-late May/early June Seed planted in cold soil may rot rather than germinate Plant about an inch deep, or according to package directions Pole bean supports should be put in place at planting time. Make a simple trellis of six-foot stakes and twine Plant seeds in a row in front of the trellis at four inches apart Harvesting Beans Beans can be picked at any stage of pod formation until the pods bulge After this stage, the pods are typically less juicy and more fibrous Beans for canning are sometimes picked at a more mature stage, so that they remain firm after processing Will hold their quality after picking for several hours at room temperature, but it's best to refrigerate them if they are not to be cooked immediately 10
Bean Diseases Common blight-bacterial disease of green beans Causes large brown blotches that are surrounded by a bright yellow halo on leaves Found on infected seed Spreads from plant to plant through splashing water or from a gardeners hand or tools Can over winter in infected leaves and pods. Remove at end of season Avoid working in infected plants when wet Suggested Bean Varieties Green Snap Beans Provider Tendercrop Blue Lake Yellow Beans Goldcrop Wax Improved Golden Wax Tomatoes Heat-loving vegetables that require long, frost-free season and full sun Two types of tomatoes: Determinate or bush-type: generally do not need pruning, staking, or trellising. Plants stop growing and fruit ripen within a certain time period Indeterminate, or climbing: will need some type of support, such as cages, stakes, or trellises. Should be pruned for best results 11
Planting Tomatoes If you grow your owngerminate seeds around April 15 th When plants are about 5 inches tall start hardening them off so that they will adapt well when transplanted outdoors To harden off: Reduce watering Place plants outside where they will receive a couple of hours of sunlight and are protected from wind Gradually expose them to more sunlight over the next week or two, bringing them indoors if night temperatures approach freezing Planting Tomatoes Transplant outdoors in a sunny area after all danger of frost has passed and soil has warmed Tomatoes can be transplanted so that some of the stem is placed below the soil line Space determinant tomatoes 24 inches apart Indeterminate types no closer than 3 feet Growing Tomatoes Clear Plastic Mulch Staking Indeterminate Tomatoes 12
Tomato Disease Early blight is one of the most common occurring disease in Minnesota Causes leaf spot and when severe enough, leaves will drop Note the 'target' appearance of concentric rings Blossom-End Rot in Tomatoes Is a physiological disorder, not a disease Appears as blackened, leathery spots on the fruit bottoms Caused by calcium deficiency, usually induced by uneven soil moisture Use mulches to conserve moisture When needed give plants adequate water Tomato plants need about 1.5 of water a week during fruiting Tomato Sunburn Fruit are also susceptible to sunburn Fruit develop white patches if there is not enough leaf surface to cover fruit and protect them from sunlight exposure during hot, dry weather 13
Suggested Tomato Varieties For our area grow varieties that will mature in 85 days or less Select varieties that have the VFNT designation-have resistance to 4 common tomato diseases Grape tomatoes-often sweeter than standard tomatoes-eating quality of these varieties hard to beat Heirloom varieties Have been around at least 50 years and is bound to have some wonderful qualities Because they produce so well, they are disease resistant Brandywine, an Amish heirloom since 1885, is legendary for its rich flavor Peppers Peppers, eggplants and tomatoes are all heat-loving vegetables that require a long, frost-free season and full sun They are all related to potatoes Planting Peppers If growing from seed sow around April 1st Transplant so that the shoots are at the soil line as they were before transplanting Space peppers 12-18 inches apart in rows 24-36 inches apart in-between rows 14
Pepper Pests Keep a close watch for aphids Major culprit when it comes to pepper diseases Congregate in large groups underneath the leaves and on any new growth on the plant They suck the plant juice and leave behind discolored areas on the leaves. Any virus they are carrying they will spread from plant to plant Pepper Varieties Sweet Bell Peppers Green Red Yellow Pink Orange Hot Peppers Habaneros Jalapeno Chilli Italian Banana Peppers-mild tangy taste Hungarian Wax Peppers-slightly hotter than banana peppers Cucumbers Slicers are typically eaten raw in salads and pickling cucs are pickled Long taproots enable plants to access soil moisture even in dry weather Some varieties form long vines that may ramble or be trellised; others are bush types Bear separate male and female flowers on the same plant Pollen is transferred from the male to the female flowers by insects 15
Planting Seeds will not germinate in cold soil Started indoors and set out into cold soil grow very well IMPORTANT Taproot of cucumbers and other vine crops must not be damaged in transplanting Make sure the plant has not outgrown its container Sow indoors no more than four weeks before the last frost date Sow seeds in peat pots that can be planted directly into the soil Sweet Corn How to Grow Warm soil temperatures, 55-60 degrees Plant (SE) sugary enhanced varieties - results in slightly increased sugar levels and slower conversion of sugars to starch after harvest Plant one kernel about every 9 in the row Good soil fertility Watch for gophers Beware of raccoons and deer Suggested Sweet Corn Varieties Incredible Bodacious Peaches and Cream Ambrosia Kandy Korn Sugar Buns Silver King-white 16
Thank You Steven R. Poppe University of Minnesota West Central Research and Outreach Center Horticulture Scientist poppesr@umn.edu 320-589-1711 Ext. 2121 http://wcroc.cfans.umn.edu 17