-
- Articles
Index : Vegetable Gardening
-
-
- 23. Get A Jump On Spring Vegetable Gardening - Top
- If your planning to plant a vegetable garden this spring, now is the time to decide whether to start them from seed, or purchase transplants.
Many gardeners like to start their plants from seed, because they can grow interesting and unusual varieties not available in the local garden stores. Mail order garden catalogs offer an overwhelming choice; many "tried and true" varieties are offered, while many others are brand new.
Getting a jump on spring is another important reason for growing plants from seed. Warm season vegetables like tomatoes and eggplant are much more productive in mid to late spring. Extended summer heat here in the desert stresses these plants and reduces fruit production. Setting them out as early as possible will extend the harvest period of warm season crops.
Some vegetables can be grown from seed in window sills, cold frames, or greenhouses for later planting out in the garden. These are the types that transplant easily and include; tomato, eggplant, onion, pepper, and okra.
When growing seeds in containers, use prepared potting soil, a seed-starting mix or peat pots. You can make your own seed starting mix by combining equal parts of peat moss, perlite, and vermiculite. You can buy them in separate bags at garden center and home supply stores. Peat pots, peat pellets, plastic cell packs, trays, egg cartons, and virtually clean container that will hold soil can be used to start seeds. Make sure the container has drainage holes.
Small seeds can be shattered over the soil mix and barely covered. Larger seeds can be planted individually or in groups of three and covered a little deeper. Later, the seedlings planted in groups of three can be thinned to leave the one most vigorous. When thinning seedlings, use a scissors to cut them off; never pull them out!
Warm soil hastens seed germination. If your starting seeds indoors, set them in a warm location. Special heating mats are available from mail order garden catalogs. They increase soil temperatures some 15 to 20 degrees.
Some vegetables grown from seed cannot be easily transplanted. Rather that starting them in pots or flats, they should be sown directly in the garden. They include; bean, corn, cucumber, cantaloupe, pumpkin, peas, squash, and watermelon.
Optimum soil temperatures for the germination of most vegetable variety seed is about 80 degrees. This means waiting to seed the garden until soil temperatures have at least risen into the 70 degree range. In the Tucson area that usually happens the end of March.
Garden soil must be prepared well prior to planting seeds. The soil should be tilled, and organic matter added. Desert compost, peat, or composted manure are all good types of organic matter that can be mixed with the soil. Till in 4 inches of organic matter into the top 12 inches of garden soil. At the same time mix in 2 pounds of ammonium phosphate (16-20-0) or similar analysis fertilizer for every 100 square feet of garden area. Organic fertilizers such as fish meal, bone meal, and blood meal may also be used.
Rake the area to be seeded to provide a fine textured seed bed, free of rocks and other debris. Rake the soil out smoothly. Several days prior to planting water the soil thoroughly. This will settle the soil and provide a reservoir of moisture for germinating seeds.
Plant seeds at the depth and spacing called for on the seed packets. And after planting, keep the soil moist. If the soil drys during germination and establishment it can be fatal!
The topic for this week's garden demonstration will be Pruning and Training Fruit Trees. It will be presented at the University of Arizona Farm on N. Campbell Ave, beginning at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday. Participants are asked to use the University of Arizona Meat Lab parking lot, entering from Limberlost, just west of Campbell Ave. The Meat Lab parking lot is directly across Campbell Avenue from the Pima County Extension Center. This program will be repeated at the Wilmot Library at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday and again at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday at the Marana Planning Services on the Northeast corner of Orange Grove and Thornydale.
- Updated: April 20, 2001
-
-
[e-Mail me
the Articles] - [Search
the Articles]
-
|
