Here are basic elements needed by every vegetable garden: Sunlight is a must Vegetables need a lot of sunlight to grow well. The most productive vegetable garden must receive no less than six full hours of sunlight each day; eight hours is best. Your vegetable garden should not fall in the shadows of trees, shrubs
A vegetable garden can be any size and shape. In one season, a garden as small as just 4-by-4 feet can produce a head of cabbage, a head of broccoli, a head of cauliflower, four heads of romaine lettuce, four heads of leaf lettuce, nine bunches of spinach, nine bunches of Swiss chard, sixteen baby
Success growing many vegetable crops is driven by warm temperatures. Not surprisingly, warm-season vegetables grow best in warm weather. Here are the key temperatures you need to keep in mind to successfully grow warm-season vegetables: Soil temperature: Warm-season crops require a minimum soil temperature of 60°F (16°C) but 70°F (21°C) is optimal.Air temperature: The optimal
The three most active planting periods in the vegetable garden are: Early spring before the last frost when hardy frost-tolerant cool-season vegetables can be planted for late spring and early summer harvest.Late spring to early summer, 2 weeks or more after the last frost when tender crops can be planted for summer harvest.Mid to late
Good King Henry is a perennial green sometimes called “wild spinach” or “poor man’s asparagus.” It is grown for its juicy and flavorful arrow-shaped leaves which can be cooked and eaten like spinach and for its young shoots which can be blanched and eaten like asparagus. Good King Henry has been grown in kitchen gardens
Celeriac is a firm, crisp root vegetable that can be started from seed indoors 4 to 8 weeks before the last frost in spring. Set seedlings in the garden after the last frost. Like celery, celeriac seedlings are likely to bolt if exposed to low temperatures in the 30’s and 40’s for more than a
Plant tomato seedlings in the garden 4 weeks after the last frost. Sow tomato seeds indoors 6 to 10 weeks before setting seedlings in the garden. The garden soil temperature for setting out transplants should be at least 60°F (16°C). Tomatoes can be set in the garden sooner if they are protected from the cold
Plant pepper seedlings in the garden 2 to 3 weeks after the last frost in spring. Start pepper seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before setting transplants in the garden. Don’t set out pepper seedlings until the average night temperatures are 55°F (13°C). You can set pepper seedlings in the garden earlier if they are
Start eggplant seeds indoors 8 to 10 weeks before setting seedlings in the garden. Transplant eggplant seedlings to the garden 2 to 3 weeks after the last frost. Eggplant seeds germinate in about 10 days. Eggplants grow best in average temperatures between 70° and 85°F (21-29°C). Grow long-season varieties in regions with hot summers. Grow
Plant broad beans, also called fava beans, directly in the garden 4 to 7 weeks before the last frost in spring. Sow broad beans as soon as the soil can be worked for harvest before the weather warms. Broad beans are a cool-season crop that grows best in temperatures ranging from 60° to 65°F (15-18°C)
