-
- Articles
Index : Vegetable Gardening
-
-
- 25. Planting The Fall Vegetable Garden - Top
- Autumn is the best time of year to garden here in the desert. Temperatures are warm, but not hot, and there's plenty of sun for good plant growth. Cool season vegetable transplants are available in the garden centers. These include; cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts, and cabbage.
Make sure the transplants you purchase are healthy. Avoid overgrown plants! These are not as vigorous as smaller ones and will not preform as well when planted in the garden. Also check the roots by carefully taking the plant out of it's pot. Healthy, cream colored roots should be visible along the outside edge of the soil ball. Black or gray colored roots indicated a sick plant, one to avoid. Leaves should be medium to dark green and free of blemishes.
Seeds can also be planted now. Cool season vegetables grown from seed include; lettuce, spinach, carrots, radishes, green bunching onion, mustard, and leek. Seed packets are available at local garden centers. For a greater selection of varieties, consider ordering from vegetable seed catalogs. Listings of seed catalogs, and how to obtain them are available in most gardening magazines and books.
Whether planting seeds or transplants, it's important to properly prepare the soil. Mark off the area you intend to plant. Spread a layer of organic matter about four inches thick over the area. Organic matter can be home compost, bagged compost, composted cow or horse manure, or peat moss. What organic matter is the best? Generally, whatever is the least expense and the most available organic matter is best to use.
Before digging in the organic matter, broadcast fertilizer, in the form of ammonium phosphate (16-20-0), at the rate of two pounds per 100 square feet of garden plot. If you prefer an organic fertilizer, use two pounds each of bone meal (3-22-0) and blood meal (12-1-1). Both the fertilizer and the organic matter should be tilled or spaded in to the top 12 inches of soil.
A few days prior to planting, water the soil thoroughly. This will help leach any harmful salts out of the soil where the roots will be growing. Vegetable transplants should be set out in the evening. This will allow transplants a little time to adjust before exposure to the sun. Handle transplants carefully. The root ball is fragile. Dig holes deep enough to set the transplants in just slightly deeper than they were growing in the pot. Before setting them in, lightly roughen the outside of the root ball with your fingers. This will encourage roots to grow out into the garden soil.
After planting, water transplants using a starter fertilizer solution. You can make a starter solution by mixing one tablespoon of ammonium phosphate (16-20-0), or similar analysis fertilizer, in one gallon of water. Water each transplant with a cup of this solution. Finally, firm the soil by hand around each transplant.
Be especially careful not to let plants dry out. For the first few days watering may be required twice daily, then tapering off to once a day. The point being, keep the soil moist and your plants will thrive, let it dry out and they'll suffer.
When starting vegetables from seed, work the soil sufficiently to provide a fine, firm seed bed. Cabbage can be planted in single rows. Vegetables that tolerate crowding, such as looseleaf lettuce and radishes, can be planted in two to three feet wide rows in broadcast fashion. Block plantings, usually in diamond patterns, work well for vegetables that need uniform spacing but not single rows. These include; heading types of lettuce, cabbage, carrots, and onions. Check the seed package for spacing intervals.
A general rule to follow is to place the seed at a depth about four times the diameter of the seed. Cover small seeds such as carrots and lettuce with no more than 1/4 to ½ inch of soil. In sandy soils plant the seeds somewhat deeper.
Cover the seeds and firm the soil over them by gently tamping the soil. This prevents rain or sprinkler water from washing away the seeds.
Irrigate by sprinkling the soil surface lightly with a watering wand or other hose attachment. Seeds need moisture to germinate. Water often enough to prevent crusting and drying around the seed. After seedlings emerge, watering should be less often but deeper. Do not let young seedlings dry out!
Thin to the desirable number of plants as soon as the plants are established. Remove the weaker plants. Do not wait too long before thinning or injury will result from crowding and disturbing the remaining plants.
Finally, if you haven't the room for a large garden how about gardening in pots and planters. Most vegetables grow well in containers if they're grown in a quality, light weight potting soil.
You can mix your own by using one bushel each of peat moss and vermiculite and 1 cup of 6-6-6 (or similar analysis) fertilizer with trace elements. Make sure container vegetables are watered often, especially in warm weather.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Written by John Begeman, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the University of Arizona, 520-626-5161.
Material originally appeared in Arizona Daily Star gardening column, on September 27, 1998
- Updated: April 23, 2001
-
-
[e-Mail me
the Articles] - [Search
the Articles]
-
|
