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The concept of growing our own fresh vegetables appeals to most of us, but few people have the time to put in and care for a big vegetable garden. The solution is obvious. Put in a tiny one, but make it as efficient and productive as possible.
Here are some hot tips to help you get the most out of your garden.
First Steps
Choose to grow crops that are valuable (herbs, asparagus, mesclun), productive
(beans, summer squash, rhubarb) and more flavorful fresh from your garden (tomatoes,
peas, leaf lettuce). Prepare the soil deeply and add the proper amendments.
Transplants
Use transplants whenever you can. Learn to grow them yourself. Seeds give us
weeks of bare soil, so the weeds can move in. Transplants save you weeks or
months, depending on the crop.
Growing Up
In a small garden space is important, so don’t let crops sprawl. Train
the tomatoes up poles and cucumber vines up support frames. Winter squash and
pumpkins take up lots of space. If you choose to grow them, tie them up onto
a trellis. You can support the heavy fruit with slings, if needed.
Pole beans and climbing peas will give more production per square foot than bush cultivars. Provide support, even for short vines, so that they don’t fall over onto the neighboring crop.
Spacing and Intercropping
Assuming that you have prepared your soil well, you should plant in blocks not
rows. By double digging and adding lime, organic matter and fertilizer, plant
roots can go deep instead of sideways into their neighbor’s territory.
Plants should be grown close enough together that their leaves touch, but not
so close that they compete with each other for sunlight, water or nutrients.
Consider the space needed by the mature plant, when setting out transplants.
Seeded crops will need to be thinned to the final spacing.
Crops that need a big area eventually (like squash, tomatoes or cabbage) can be planted with an intercrop (such as leaf lettuce, green onions, spinach, mustard or radishes). Intercrops are fast-growing crops that can grow between large plants before the big ones need their full space. Intercropping allows you to get two crops out of the same space.
Successive Planting
Your garden will produce lots of vegetables in the summer. With planning, it
can provide fresh vegetables all year. When one crop is harvested or past its
peak, take it out and plant another crop. This successive cropping gives you
much more food from the same amount of land. Growing successive crops, especially
over winter, will require good cultural practices. Each time you replant, add
compost and a balanced fertilizer to keep the soil healthy. Don't over-fertilize
in the fall. Too much nitrogen will cause plants to be less cold hardy.
A floating row cover or well vented, clear plastic row cover over hoops will keep crops warmer. Giving crops protection will allow you to grow earlier in the spring and later in the fall. Many over-wintering crops will do better under row covers as well.
Mulch
Organic mulch is a busy gardener’s best friend. It shades the soil and
keeps moisture from evaporating, but don’t apply it until the soil has
a chance to warm up, especially around heat-loving crops. Mulch prevents many
weed seeds from germinating and makes weeds easier to pull. It keeps veggies
cleaner, since soil doesn’t splash up onto them. Last but not least, mulch
can be turned under in the fall or the following spring to add organic matter
to the soil.
With a little planning, you can get big harvests from a very small garden. If you need more information about preparing your soil, growing transplants or any other aspect of gardening, call your local Washington State University Master Gardeners.
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