May is the month when the vegetable garden begins to look more and more like the summer garden. By mid-month, most warm-season crops can be sown or transplants out in the garden without worry. (If nights are still chilly where you live, keep row covers and other crop protectors at the ready.) By the end
June is the month the vegetable, herb, and fruit gardens pick up steam. Spring comes to a close in June and summer begins. Complete your spring planting in early June. By the end of the month, the soil and air will be sufficiently warm for plant growth to accelerate and begin growth toward harvest. (Of
Mid-summer is a busy time in the vegetable garden. Spring planted warm-season crops will begin coming to harvest this month. You’ll want to get crops harvested at the peak of flavor. Check planting dates to know when each crop should be picked–count the days to maturity from the planting date. But it’s not all about
Mid to late summer is the time to plan and plant the fall vegetable garden. The key to planting vegetables in mid- to late- summer is timing. Plant the late summer and autumn vegetable garden so that the crops reach maturity and harvest before or on about the average date of the first frost in
October is the right time to prepare for the coming frost and cold weather. How will you extend the season if your summer crops are not yet ready for harvest? How will you protect your autumn and winter garden from snow and freezing temperatures? We have put together a roundup of things to do starting
Place black plastic over the planting bed to warm the soil. Cut an X in the plastic to set tomato seedlings in the soil. Set out tomato seedlings in midafternoon after the air and soil have warmed for the day. Seedlings set out on cold mornings are more susceptible to chilling injury—their metabolic reserves have
What vegetables should you grow in your garden? There are three basic guidelines to follow: Plant the vegetables that you and your family like to eat; plant vegetables that are suited to your region, to the time of year, and to the space and time you can devote to gardening; decide if you are going
Cool days and nights can be a problem for tender warm-season crops such peppers, melons, and eggplants. Temperatures in the 40sF won’t kill these plants but their growth will be stunted. Wait to plant out very tender crops until the lowest temperatures do not fall below 50°F/10°C—55 or 60 degrees is even better. If you
Cloche is a cover to protect plants from bad weather–made of glass or plastic. Cloches and hot caps can be used to protect individual plants or a few plants at a time. A cloche or hot cap used at the beginning or end of the growing season when there are big swings in the daytime
Chop plant debris to turn under or compost Clean the garden of plant debris and decaying vegetable matter at the end of the season to be sure insect pests and plant diseases do not overwinter in your garden. At the end of harvest or after the first hard frost, clean the garden and compost plant
