Growing Vegetables and Herbs

Nothing tastes better than a vine ripened tomato or food seasoned with fresh herbs. You could drive out to your local produce stand or fresh market, but there is really no place more convenient than your own back yard.

by HSM Staff

You don't need a huge parcel of land to plant a vegetable or herb garden. In fact, a small well tended garden will often yield better crops than a large one. Large gardens require constant tending and may yield more crops than you can use or give away. So, in considering the amount of space your garden will occupy, be mindful of the time you can devote to sowing, tending, and reaping.

The space you choose for your garden must meet these fundamental requirements: adequate sunlight, moderate air circulation, and good water drainage. Your garden spot should ideally get eight hours (six at the very least) of direct sunlight for the best growth. A little shade that is cast by buildings or occasional late afternoon shade will not hurt, but the area should receive no more than three hours of shade per day. Air circulation helps dry foliage reducing the possibility of severity of disease. Your site should allow air to flow, but if the area is prone to gusts include windbreaks to protect crops. Proper drainage will ensure that your plants will easily absorb nutrients and that the root system remains healthy- avoid areas that are prone to flooding or standing water.

Once you have chosen your space, decide how you will organize the space: rows, raised beds, or containers.

Rows
Farmers use rows because they make navigation a cinch so that you can easily cultivate, manage, and harvest. When using rows, plant tall crops on the north side of the garden so that they do not shade smaller ones. If you are planting heat-sensitive plants, plant tall crops on the south side of the garden instead; they will provide intermittent shade for the delicate crops. Follow the recommended spacing instructions provided on the seed packet for the best results. You may, however, plant your seeds a little closer together than the guidelines recommend if you will be hand cultivating.

Raised Beds
Many gardeners find raised beds to be an ideal choice for planting their crops. You have more control over the quality of the soil in a raised bed than you do when planting directly into the ground and have fewer drainage problems. Frames may be built to house you crops using woods such as cedar, redwood, or landscaping timbers. Brick or concrete blocks may also be used, just be sure to avoid chemically treated materials since they may contaminate the soil and crops. A frame four feet wide will allow you to reach the center from either side and the length will depend on the space you need and have available. Try to orient raised beds going north to south when planting low growing crops and east to west for taller ones in order to maximize sun exposure. Remember that you may opt to build several small frames; this will give you the flexibility to plant crops that are similar in nature within a particular raised bed.

Containers
Container gardening is for the gardener that is short on time, space, or both. The best containers to use are large and broad because they retain more moisture; smaller containers (6 to 10 inches in diameter) can be used to house small crops like herbs however. When planting large vegetables such as cucumber, squash, or tomato, select five gallon containers. Whichever containers you select, they should have holes in the bottom for drainage and be filled with high-quality potting soil. Although container gardens require less tending, you will still need to water and fertilize frequently since your plants are limited to what is in the pot.

Be sure that you leave room to move around in your garden. If you will be unable to reach to the center of the garden from the sides, employ walkways. One to two feet between each row will provide enough room to bend or squat. If you will be using equipment such as a cart or wagon to tend the garden, measure them before adding your walkways so that you may adjust the size if needed.

The fun part is choosing what plants you will have in your garden. I suggest making a list of the family's favorites. You may have to make adjustments based on what is ideal for your climate though. Do some research and see what varieties will work best for your garden based on season, climate, soil pH, and the time between planting and harvesting. Interplant your crops- imagine what plants will be going out of season when another is coming in and zone them next to one another. This will allow you to extend the growing season through the spring, summer, and fall.

Gardening is a process of finding what works and what does not. Go to the library or book store and select a variety of books that will give you detailed information on the gardening basics. Visit The Garden Helper for free online information on planning, preparing, and planting your backyard garden. With some forethought, careful planning, and devoted tending you are sure to have a bountiful garden.

It's All in the Plan
A successful garden requires careful planning, but a spiral notebook with pockets and a calendar are all that you really need. In your notebook, make a diagram of the garden that includes measurements, desired layout, and a list of the crops that you intend to grow. Use other sections of the notebook to track your progress, record planting schedules, note any problems and their solutions, as well as keep track of soil testing results and any other information you find helpful. A calendar will help you keep track of scheduling, daily tasks, and record the weather (select one that fits into the pockets of your notebook). Place seed catalogs and other reference materials in the pockets as well. Label your notebook with the year and include photos to compare and contrast with subsequent gardens. Thoughtfully assembled, your garden plans will be a valuable resource now and in the future.

FYI
During the medieval period, monks and nuns developed specialized medical knowledge. They grew the necessary herbs in specialized gardens that typically included rosemary, parsley, sage, marjoram, thyme, mint, rue, angelica, bay, oregano, dill and basil. With the advance of medical and botanical sciences in Renaissance Europe, monastic herb gardens developed into botanical gardens and the section in which herbs were grown became known as a "Garden of Simples". -wikipedia.org

Did You Know?
"Carrots were originally purple or red, with a thin root. The species did not turn orange until the 1500's when Dutch agricultural scientists and growers used a mutant yellow carrot seed from North Africa to develop a carrot in the colour of the House of Orange, the Dutch Royal Family. In an attempt to "nationalize" the country's favourite vegetable they began experiments on improving the pale yellow versions by cross breeding them with red varieties. These varieties contain beta carotene to produce orange-coloured roots This was developed to become the dominant species across the world - wonderful, sweet orange."
-carrotmuseum.com

Soil
Your garden will yield better plants and crops with good soil. Two layers are important for home gardening: topsoil and subsoil.

Topsoil is where most of the plants' roots reside. It should ideally be 18 inches deep and porous enough for air and water to move through. If you do not have enough topsoil, buy enough to create a 4-6 inch layer to spread on the garden. The soil should be dark, crumbly and free of both weeds and pesticide residue.

Subsoil is located immediately below the topsoil and is more compacted than the topsoi.. If your subsoil is too compacted it will restrict water flow and prevent roots from adequate growth. It may be necessary to till the subsoil and mix in some organic matter before replacing the topsoil.

The texture of your soil is also important. Clay soils are dense and do not allow water or nutrients to penetrate well. Soils containing a lot of sand on the other hand, are quite loose and do not retain water or nutrients. Most soils tend to have an excess of one or the other. The ideal soil for your garden is loam which contains an equal mixture of clay, organic matter, and sand; it is soft, contains high amounts of organic matter, and holds moisture well.

Additionally, the pH of your soil will determine if your plants will thrive. Different plants require soils of different levels. A level of 7 is neutral, above 7 is is alkaline, and below 7 is acidic. Most vegetables grow best in the 6 to 7 range. Knowing the pH level of your garden's soil will allow you to add lime or sulfur to raise or lower the soil's pH.

Test your soil. You can send a sample to a private lab (at a reasonable cost) and receive detailed information on the quality of your soil. You may also get a kit from your local nursery and test it yourself, but the information they provide is limited. Based on the results, you can make the necessary adjustments to your soil.

DIY: Test the Texture of Your Soil
Place 1/4 cup of soil in a pint size jar and top with water. Over the course of several days, the contents of the soil will separate and form layer. Sand will sink to the bottom, organic matter will settle in the middle, and clay will sit on top. If the layers are equal, your soil is loamy. On the other hand, a thicker layer of sand or clay means that your soil contains more sand or clay.

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