Summer Vegetable Gardening Cynthia Sandberg Love Apple Farms www.LoveAppleFarms.com
Class Introduction Please keep your talking to a minimum, allowing you and your neighbors to get the full value of the class. Please raise your hand if you have any questions, but try to hold them for later - have faith in my agenda. Too many questions get us off track and delays the class. Add your name/email to Links List if you'd like to receive a PDF of this presentation as well as links to resources discussed in class. What this class doesn't cover: ● Every possible topic a gardener should know. ● Winter vegetable growing. ● Every possible method of organic gardening.
Class Agenda ● Soil fertility ● Bed Amending ● Direct sowing seeds in garden ● Individual fruits and veg ● Irrigation ● Pests ● Flat sowing ● Germination instructions ● Supplemental fertility and next steps
Start from the Ground Up
Soil pH ● Rainfall increases soil acidity ● Add lime to raise pH ● Add sulfur to lower pH X
Importance of N-P-K: Macronutrients ● Nitrogen (N): Green growth ● Phosphorus (P): Root growth and flower/fruit production ● Potassium (K): Overall plant health
Micronutrients ● Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), Molybdenum (Mo), Boron (B), Copper (Cu), Manganese (Mn), Zinc (Zn), Chlorine (Cl), Iron (Fe), Nickel (Ni) ● Needed in trace quantities, too much can hurt plants more than it can help ● Regular additions of organic matter, such as compost, usually meets micronutrient needs
Purchase Good Top Soil If you Need to Fill New Beds 50/50 BLEND OF THESE TWO
Mulch on Paths for Weed Suppression
Organic Amendments ● Feed your soil like you feed your body ● Cannot "Miracle Gro" soil into good health ● Vegetables are fast-growing plants ● Need more fertilizer than perennials because you are harvesting (taking away nutrients) ● Always amend beds before planting make amendment recommendations X ● Soil test will reveal deficiencies and
Every Garden Should Have a Compost Pile and Worm Bin
Bed Amending Recipe For a 50 square foot bed: ● 1 wheelbarrow homemade compost OR 1 bag G&B Harvest Supreme (compost) ● 2 quarts G&B 4-6-3 Tomato, Veg, & Herb Fertilizer ● 1 quart pure Worm Castings Note: Double up if your soil is poor (very sandy or heavy clay)
Bed Amending Step by Step ● Sprinkle all amendments evenly on top ● Turn over soil using a spade fork ● Rake smooth
Our new favorite "Magic Bullet" Mykos Mycorrhizal Fungi ● Sprinkle on root ball as you plant ● Beneficial "live" fungus that attaches and spreads with rootzone ● Helps keeps plants from being infected by soil borne diseases ● Helps plants "communicate" to each other when under insect attack and produce enzymes to ward off attackers & attract good bugs. ● Helps plants use water more efficiently
Sowing Requirements for Summer Veg Must Direct Sow Either Must Transplant Carrot Greens: Lettuce, Tomato Mustards, Arugula, Chard, Kale Beet Squash, Zucchini, Pepper Melon, Cucumber, Pumpkin Radish Onion Eggplant Turnip Corn, Bean Potato
Direct Sowing Root Vegetables ● Sow seeds 1 per square inch ● Cover with 1/4 inch of soil ● Don't let surface dry out ● Use floating row cover ● Use thinnings as flavorful, unusual garnish
Solanaceae Family: Nightshades
● Start from seed in Feb or March Tomato or buy transplants instead ● Plant outside April/May ● 2' - 3' spacing ● Lots of fertilizer ● Trellis with big tomato cage ● Varieties avail today: Sungold (gold cherry), San Marzano (paste), New Girl (like Early Girl), Hippie Zebra (striped beefsteak), Mortgage Lifter (red beefsteak), Hawaiian Pineapple (bi-color beef), Green Zebra
Pepper & Eggplant ● Start from seed in Jan or Feb or buy transplants instead. ● Plant outside late April or May ● 18" spacing ● 2' - 4' tall ● Trellis with small tomato cages, bamboo, or trellis netting
Growing Potatoes In Pots ● Buy certified organic seed potatoes ● Link to potato seed supplier in email ● "Chitting" seed potatoes: Lay out seed potatoes by sunny window until they sprout (if they aren’t already)
Growing Potatoes In Pots ● Use new 15 gallon pots, or sterilize used 15 gallon pots with bleach solution ● Use sterile (new) potting soil ● Fill pots with 2" soil, add 4 - 5 potato pieces, cover with 2" soil
Growing Potatoes in Pots ● Once shoots reach 8 - 10", cover up to top leaves with soil ● Continue until they grow out of the pot ● Keep watered ● Once potato flowers and dies, potatoes are ready to harvest ● Potatoes require full sun
Pole Beans ● Many different varieties and colors ● Requires tall trellis ○ 7' tomato cages ○ String trellis ● 6" spacing ● Edible flowers ● Longer season than bush beans
Bush Bean ● 1' - 2' tall ● Green or Purple ● 8" - 10" spacing ● Small tomato cage, trellis netting, or bamboo ● Edible flower ● Shorter season
Let’s talk about Cucerbits Melons & Summer Squash Cucumbers & Winter Squash
Melons ● Vining plant ● 1' spacing Issues: ● Wet soil contacting skin makes it susceptible to pests ● Don't like cold soil/low nighttime temps Solution...
● Wait to plant until May ● Lay clear or black UV plastic over amended bed ● Cut "X"s in plastic to plant through ● Must have drip irrigation under plastic
June 24, 2010 (Melon Experiment)
July 25, 2010 (Melon Experiment)
'Eden's Gem' Muskmelon 'Hearts of Gold' (green flesh) Cantaloupe (orange flesh)
Italian Honeydew Sugar Baby Red Watermelon
Cucumber ● Use trellis to grow cukes on or let sprawl on ground (best to use plastic on bed to prevent fruit contacting ground) ● Lemon (Yellow), American Slicing (Green), and Pickling ● 8" spacing ● Careful when transplanting - don’t disturb roots too much.
Summer Squash vs. Winter Squash ● Large, bushy plants ● Large, long vining plants ● 2' spacing ● 1' spacing ● Grow very quickly - harvest ● Harvest entire crop at end of often during season, when tendril closest to season's peak fruit has dried up ● Soft, edible skin ● Hard skin ● Eaten fresh ● Usually stored, eaten in fall/winter
Summer Squash Patty Pan, Zucchini, Zephyr Crookneck, Yellow Zucchini
Red Kuri Winter Squash (Potimarron) Waltham Butternut Jack be Little Pumpkin Acorn Squash
MORE SQUASH (PUMPKINS) Atlantic Giant Moonshine
MORE PUMPKINS Galeux D’Eysines Rouge Vif D’Etampes (aka Cinderella Pumpkin
Ornamental Winter Squash Speckled Swan Gourd
Corn ● Miniature Rainbow Popcorn (7') ● White Extra Sweet (6;) ● Oaxacan Green (10’) ● Hybrid varieties will yield more ● 1' spacing ● Must sow/plant in blocks 4' x 5' for adequate pollination
Oaxacan Green Corn
Okra ● Heat loving ● 5' tall ● 2' spacing ● Beautiful plant
SUMMER GREENS: Arugula, Mustards (inc Mizuna), Swiss Chard, Chrysanthemum Greens ● Transplant in bunches of 2 - 3 plants ● Plant bunches 6" apart ● Edible flower
Irrigation ● Drip irrigation is more efficient than hand watering, soaker hoses, or sprinklers ● Easy to install from your spigot ● Water early in morning if you can ● Don't rely on a timer - check each bed daily ● Take our Irrigation class next week
Gopher Trapping - Not Wire!
Deer Fencing ●Necessary to keep them out ●Sprays don’t work and take up too much time. ●8' tall ●Attach to T-posts ●Deer will eat everything!
Organic Pest Control ● Be an observant gardener - inspect leaves on regular basis ● Act on an issue immediately with appropriate controls before the population gets out of control ● Organic controls must be reapplied ● Remove overpopulated plants and dispose of responsibly ● Use preventative methods ○ Proper spacing in between plants for airflow ○ Biodiversity ○ Proper watering with irrigation ○ Weed control
Aphids ● Green, Black, Red, Grey ● Watch for curling leaves ● Organic pesticide: Pyrethrin, Safer Soap, Neem Oil ● Organic preventative: Garlic spray ● Beneficial bugs: Lacewing, Ladybug ● Give infested leaves to chickens
Squash Bug ● Attack all cucerbits, not just squash ● Smell like bananas when squished ● Hand pick early in season before population explodes
Cucumber Beetle ● Striped or spotted ● Carry diseases ● Pyrethrins ● Hand pick ● Attracted to yellow flowers
Slugs, Snails, Earwigs, and Pillbugs ● Sluggo Plus is organic and effective ● Hand pick late at night with flashlight
Beneficial Bugs Lacewing Soldier Beetle Lacewing larva and aphid Soldier beetle larva
Beneficial Bugs Ladybird beetle Larvae Ladybird beetle Honeybee & Bumblebee
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