5/16/2020 Home Vegetable Gardening PRESENTED BY: CAROLYN KINNON, MIRACOSTA COLLEGE HORTICULTURE PROGRAM Chapter 13 – CALIFORNIA MASTER GARDENER HANDBOOK 2 nd Edition, 2015. 1 VEGETABLES Botanically speaking, vegetables are edible plant parts, like leaves, stems and roots, that are not fruits. Fruits are those edible plant parts that contain seeds, or are immature fruits that have not yet developed seeds. For example tomatoes and squash are fruits, and sweet corn is immature fruit. However, for the purpose of this class, we’ll use the term “vegetables” to refer to all types of edibles produced in home gardens, with the exception of herbs. 2 VEGETABLE CLASSIFICATION 1. Growth Habit 2. Temperature Requirements (for best production quality) Cool Season – best grown when avg. temps are 55-75 0 F a. Annuals – produce only once per a. season and must be replanted. b. Perennials – produce crops for multiple years before replanting is necessary. Warm Season – best grown when avg. temps are 65-95 0 F b. Most vegetables are considered to be annual crops, but some perennial crops are: artichoke, asparagus, rhubarb, and many herbs. Vegetables can be classified in many ways, but the two most useful classifications to gardeners are: Photos copied from: https://www.mastergardenersd.org/vegetable-planting-guide/ 3 1
5/16/2020 More to Know Cool Season and Warm Season Vegetables COOL SEASON WARM SEASON • Food value is higher per/lb. and per/sq. ft. • Food value is lower per/lb. or per/sq. ft. • Edible parts are the vegetative parts – roots, • Fruit of the plant is eaten, rather than leaves stems, leaves, and immature flowers rather and roots. than the fruits. • Require long warm (hot) days and warm soil to • Subject to “bolting” if temps are too warm mature • “Greens” generally have shallower root • Intolerant of prolonged freezing temps. systems • Show more dramatic response to N & P fertilization 4 The size of your garden should be determined by the amount of time you can devote to cultural activities. Vegetable • Keep in mind the need for weeding, irrigating, trellising, pest control, fertilizing, and harvesting. Culture • Activities should be done “as needed” rather than on a set schedule or automated system. • Time required will vary throughout the growing season, and will be determined by: • Plant maturity, weed seed “bank”, weather affects on soil moisture and pest populations, soil fertility, types of vegetables planted, etc. • “Scout” your garden several times a week for soil moisture, weeds, insect pests, and disease symptoms. • What you see should dictate your cultural activities. • ie: Irrigating should be done based soil moisture, which will vary https://www.mastergardenersd.org/growing-guides/ with weather conditions and soil type, humidity, stage of growth. 5 Plan your garden before you begin. http://cagardenweb.ucanr.edu/Vegetables/ • Planning is the key to any successful garden. • Time and space are best used if you set out to produce large amounts of vegetables from a limited space. 6 2
5/16/2020 Choose garden location by keeping these factors in mind • Soil • Should be “friable” = crumbles easily = ideal condition to work • Can be amended to achieve • Depth of 6-inches for shallow rooted crops to at least 2-feet for deeper root systems • Increase depth with raised bed, if needed • Level Ground • Is easier to prepare, plant and irrigate • If ground slopes – plant rows across the slope, not up and down to avoid soil runoff during irrigation • Water Supply • Should be near enough to easily reach the garden with a hose/provide pressure to drip systems • Avoid areas where established trees and shrubs will compete for available soil water • Adequate Light • Vegetables need at least 8 hours of sunlight each day • Avoid planting in shady areas • Avoid planting too near to walls or fences that reflect heat/higher light intensity 7 Use Garden Space Efficiently • Timing • Refers to the maximum use of the available growing season • CA allows for 3-4 growing seasons in the same space, in close rotation as determined by “days to maturity” for the various crops • Spring (cool season), Summer (warm season), and Fall (cool season again) • Trellising & Staking • Consider growing twining/vining crops vertically (ie: squash, cucumber) • Use your imagination for trellising, as long as the structure will support the weight of plants and fruits • Ties should be material that will not cut stems/vines, and leave loose enough to provide for stem expansion. • Raised Beds • Optimize use of poor soils by adding organic amendments; increase drainage with increased soil depth • Avoid use of pressure-treated lumber (unless it’s “non-arsenical”) 8 Use Garden Space Efficiently – Spacing Plants Spacing is extremely important for proper development of vegetable plants and their products. • Improved varieties • require less space than standard varieties and may provide higher yields (ie: bush beans, some varieties of melons, squash, and tomatoes). • Succession Planting • sowing seed at 1 to 2 week intervals for a continuous supply of vegetables. • Companion Planting • growing two crops in the same place at the same time with one maturing and being harvested long before the other (ie: radishes are harvested before carrots). • Intercropping • plant early-maturing crops between rows of late-maturing crops. • Distance between rows depends on the size of the plants when fully grown. • plant to allow for crop maturity, but close enough to inhibit weed growth between plants and reduce soil moisture evaporation with leaf cover. • many vegetables can be spaced after direct seeding, by broadcasting the seed and thinning after germination (ie: lettuce, beets). 9 3
5/16/2020 How Much and What Varieties to Plant • Plant enough of each vegetable crop to meet your needs. • Consider fresh, stored, and preserved food supplies. • Table 13.2 provides estimated amounts of a crop to plant for a family of four • When choosing varieties consider the following factors: • Disease Resistance • Maturity Date (for timing and crop rotation) • Compactness of Plant (space considerations) • If uncertain about varieties to plant, choose a variety designated “AAS” (All America Selections); consult printed and online seed catalogs, and your local UCCE and the UC California Garden Web • Avoid purchasing unlabeled or generic seed or transplants • Characteristics can vary widely among varieties of the same crop (ie: F1 hybrids where cross-pollination is not controlled) 10 Varieties - Open Pollinated (OP) vs. Hybrid (F1) Hybrids are cross pollinated in nature, or on purpose for specific traits = cultivar or variety. The OP advantage: When seed is saved from an open pollinated plant and sewn the following year, the characteristics of the plant and its fruit will remain the same, or “come true,” unlike with an F1 hybrid. But there is a catch [to OP]. If a bee were to transfer pollen from another variety of your plant to your desired variety, the two varieties may “cross pollinate,” causing the next generation to have a different color, shape, or flavor from the current one. Commercial seed producers and home seed savers carefully isolate OP varieties to prevent unwanted cross-pollination. “Seed buying 201: Seed Questions Answered” - https://ucanr.edu/sites/ucmg2014conference/files/200054.pdf 11 Parts of a Flower (Pistil, Stamen and Ovule for Pollination, Fertilization and Seed Development) http://marinmg.ucanr.edu/files/187913.pdf 12 4
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