Starting a vegetable garden depends on your climate and what kinds of crops you intend to grow, with “cool weather” crops like peas, beans, lettuce and kale generally doing best when planted early spring or fall.
Continue sowing indoors or outdoors cool weather vegetables such as cabbage, kohlrabi, kale and leeks; plant early and maincrop potatoes outdoors as well as sowing summer spinach direct.
Spring
Vegetable gardens provide you with the greatest opportunity for success when it comes to producing fresh, healthy produce and herbs. However, proper planning must take place for this endeavor to work effectively. Start by having a clear idea of what you hope to achieve and making sure that all necessary materials and equipment are available for the task at hand. If you have a large area to work with, dividing the space into sections may help ensure you focus on specific areas and prevent weeds from taking over. Cover any unusable spaces with membrane or cardboard to reduce weed growth; sunken gardens provide ideal protection from wind; to ensure efficient water use reduce trips back and forth with a watering can; accessing taps or water butts is crucial as well.
Before any planting can begin, the first step must be preparing your soil. This should be completed either during autumn or early spring by mixing Oakdell Organic Compost into the top six inches of your soil to break it down and help your vegetable plants’ roots absorb all necessary nutrients from it.
Before planting your seedlings or transplants outdoors, it’s a wise practice to allow them to adjust to the varying temperatures and weather conditions of an outdoor garden by slowly placing them out for increasing periods of time until they have fully adjusted to your climate. This means placing them outside over time so they become used to their surroundings.
After the danger of frost has passed in mid to late spring, you can begin sowing early crops like carrots, beets and radishes. Later in May and June when frost risk has passed you can plant tomatoes, squash, corn melons peppers eggplant okra summer beans herbs according to seed packet instructions and gardening zones if planting from seeds. For optimal results it is also essential that if planting from seed you follow all instructions on seed packet and know your gardening zone!
Summer
Some vegetables thrive best in cooler temperatures. Gardeners who live in cooler areas should plant cool-season veggies like carrots, kale, spinach and broccoli as well as beets and turnips indoors or outdoors in spring and fall – both indoors and out! You can sow radish seeds indoors before transplanting them outside later; for optimal planting times refer to individual seed packets or gardening books.
As soon as midsummer passes and frost risks have passed, direct sowing of beans, corn, squash and melons into the ground becomes possible. Also at this time is when transplanting tomato plants as well as peppers, eggplant Swiss chard tomatillos and cucumber.
As fall approaches, you can plant root vegetables such as rutabagas and beets into the soil outdoors along with hardy salad leaves and asparagus crowns (roots from perennial asparagus plants). Also sow kohlrabi, mustard greens, turnips as well as winter spinach and arugula which are slow-growing but can withstand winter chill if protected with row covers.
Many novice gardeners believe that to successfully start and harvest a vegetable garden in time for winter’s arrival. With enough information at their fingertips, however, a garden can be planted any season – be it summer or midwinter. Understanding your average last frost date in spring and first frost date in fall, then comparing these with the Days to Maturity for your desired vegetables is the key to successful gardening. Be prepared to make adjustments if necessary! Plant warm-season vegetables in the fall after your first frost date and protect them with greenhouse or plastic mulch to keep the temperature down and protect the leaves and fruits from being exposed to too much heat and lost. By sowing at optimal times, you will enjoy a nutritious and flavorful crop to satisfy culinary desires and provide essential nutrition to the entire family! Have fun sowing!
Fall
As the warm season garden draws to a close, it’s time to focus on planning a fall vegetable garden. Fall weather provides plenty of fresh produce that ripens quickly – including vegetables that taste even better after receiving their first frost. Furthermore, many pests that plague spring and summer gardens don’t pose as much of a threat when planting fall crops.
Early August is an ideal time to plant quick-maturing fall vegetables such as arugula, 45-day radishes and kale seedlings or transplants if harvesting before frost comes. Also plant peas that can be ready in 60 days or less using row cover or tunnel protection from cold weather; additional fast maturing fall crops include kohlrabi carrots and beets.
As early fall is an optimal time for planting vegetable gardens, wait until soil conditions allow to start prepping beds for your new garden. Use tilling or spadeing techniques and incorporate plenty of organic matter to improve its structure while simultaneously adding fertilizer as needed to spur new growth.
Cool season vegetables that thrive in fall such as broccoli, Swiss chard and spinach perform best when planted between late August and September. Referring to the Days-to-Maturity estimate on seed packets or starter plant tags and counting back from your average first frost date is an effective way of knowing when you should sow seeds or transplant starter plants.
Beans–both pole and bush varieties–are another excellent addition to a fall vegetable garden. Since these fast-maturing crops mature quickly, succession planting will ensure fresh beans throughout fall and into winter.
Arugula and other leafy greens that thrive quickly in cool weather–including lettuce, mache, tatsoi and pac choi–are easy to plant in fall. For added protection from cold temperatures, try covering with row covers or planting in teepees or empty tunnels; alternatively indoors they may benefit from being grown in greenhouse or cold frame space while outside an upright support may help them stay upright; in either case the temperature may necessitate planting at different times than anticipated or delayed planting until temperatures rise again!
Winter
As summer vegetables ripen and you enjoy fresh salads, winter gardening may not be top of mind. Yet in many regions, crop varieties that can be grown throughout winter can expand your harvest and allow you to continue eating fresh produce year-round.
When starting a winter vegetable garden depends on both climate and soil factors. As a general guideline, however, planting crops prior to frost gives them enough time to establish strong root systems before lower temperatures cause their growth to slow down. You should also provide some form of protection such as light covers or blankets in case frost occurs and keeps ground temperatures warm enough so plants continue growing successfully.
Many winter vegetables can be directly planted into the ground; however, starting seedlings indoors or on a bright windowsill usually gives more reliable germination and pest control. This method is especially helpful with leafy crops like rocket, endive and spinach that need protection from weeds until they’ve grown enough to compete with competition.
One key point to bear in mind when planning a winter garden is that its growth may not match that of its summer counterpart; you should sow more seeds so as to have enough for both freezer storage and meals. Therefore, it’s wise to plan for a larger space than would normally be necessary, particularly if living in an area with harsh winter conditions.
Before the temperatures turn too cold, it’s also wise to take steps to prepare your garden for Winter by clearing away diseased or damaged plant material and adding plenty of compost to planting beds. This will ensure that when spring rolls around again next year, your soil is healthy enough for planting again. Finally, winter is also an opportunity to conduct a soil test and gain clarity into what nutrients and pH levels your soil requires for healthy growing conditions.