By PAMELA BROWN and NANCY R. VOLMAR
Published July 30, 2005
August is a good time to prepare your fall vegetable garden. Successful vegetable gardens are the results of planning, constant care and the will to make things grow. This information should be beneficial to all gardeners; however, it is primarily intended for organic gardeners.
Organic gardening differs from conventional gardening mainly in the areas of fertilization and pest control. The organic gardener prefers to use natural and organic materials and methods, whereas the conventional gardener will utilize a combination of all materials and methods shown to be safe, effective and nondetrimental to the environment.
In the beginning
Consider the size of your family and the amount of produce to be used fresh, canned, frozen, stored or sold. Don't underestimate the work and personal attention involved.
CHOOSING A LOCATION: Select a plot of good, well-drained soil near a water supply. It should be close to the home for convenience, but should not be shaded by tall buildings or trees. Most vegetables need six to eight hours of full sun each day. Enclosing the spot with a fence is usually profitable.
THE DESIGN: Many gardeners find it helpful to draw the location of each row and the crop or succession of crops to be planted on paper.
SOIL PREPARATION: You will need to have the soil pH checked to determine if any additives are needed. Most Florida soils benefit from applications of various forms of organics such as animal manure, rotted leaves, compost and cover crops.
Now is the best time to thoroughly mix liberal amounts of organics in the soil well in advance of September planting. Spread 25 to 100 pounds of compost or animal manure per 100 square feet if you do not expect to use inorganic fertilizer. Well-composted organics may be applied at planting time. Due to inconsistent levels of nutrients in compost, accompanying application of balanced inorganic fertilizer may be beneficial.
Some local garden centers will do pH tests or sell soil-testing kits. The Pinellas County Extension Office will do soil testing for $5 per sample. (Check with the extension office in your county for information.) If you choose to bring your soil to the Pinellas office, take several small samples at a 4- to 5-inch depth and mix together to form about one cup. Results and recommendations will be mailed to you.
For more information on vegetable gardening the organic way, send a long, self-addressed, stamped ($.37) envelope to "Organic Vegetable Gardening," 12175 125th St. N, Largo, FL 33774-3695.
Minor vegetable know-how
Florida's mild climate presents the home gardener with an opportunity to grow an assortment of vegetables. Florida is also a national leader in the production of vegetable crops for commercial purposes. These include 20 to 30 vegetables usually regarded as "major crops," but quite a few of the so-called "minor," "miscellaneous," or "other crops" - vegetables scattered around the state in commercial fields.
SWISS CHARD is a winter vegetable because it does well in the cool season and a summer green because it tolerates heat very well.
Chard may be sown directly in the garden or transplanted from a seed bed or from one row to another. Plants are spaced about 6 to 12 inches apart. Most gardeners find chard easy to grow; it can also be used as a border plant around buildings, because of its attractive foliage. Chewing insects only lightly attack chard, but root-knot nematodes can be a problem. Chard is ready to eat 50 to 60 days from seeding.
HUSK TOMATO, also called ground cherry, strawberry tomato, Chinese lanterns, bladder cherry and Cape gooseberry, is a member of the solanaceae family. It is similar to, but smaller than, the tomatillo.
Upright and trailing varieties are available. One variety is an exotic, superhardy 2-foot perennial with tomato-shaped leaves. Its small white flowers, which form in the spring, are followed by large, dense clusters of 1- to 2-inch brilliant, orange-scarlet, lantern-shaped fruits in the fall. Each fruit is smooth-skinned and completely enclosed in a thin papery husk, which is loose and easily removed. Each tomatolike fruit contains many small, inconspicuous seeds.
Husk tomatoes are seldom grown commercially, but do well in home gardens. Seeds are often advertised in mail-order catalogs. Plant seeds about the time of year that you would normally grow tomatoes.
KOHLRABI is grown for the turniplike enlargement of the stem just above ground level. The enlargement is tender and succulent, if rapidly harvested, but becomes tough and fibrous with age. Before kohlrabi is eaten, the peel is removed, and the interior is diced and boiled. The swollen stem also may be eaten raw, and the leaves are edible.
Propagation and time of planting are similar to cabbage, but plant spacing is about 4 inches. Kohlrabi matures in about 60 days when started from seeds and 40 days started from transplants. Green varieties are most common, but red varieties are popular in many gardens.
LEEK is a biennial that is grown as an annual for its long, unbalanced stems. It forms a thick, fleshy structure like a large green onion plant without a bulb. Its silvery base and green top make it attractive.
The leaves of some varieties are blue-green, while others are yellow-green. The leaves are flat and arranged like a fan. The thick leaf bases and slightly developed bulb can be cooked or eaten raw with or without the leaves. The leaves have a pungent odor and acrid taste. They are used more for flavoring in salads and cooked dishes. A favorite dish for many gardeners is leek soup.
Herb appeal
Herbs are plants grown for their special flavor and aroma. They are used mainly to season, enrich or improve the taste or smell of foods. Because of their similarity to vegetables in their growth habits and cultural requirements, herbs are included with vegetables.
Occasionally, an herb is eaten as vegetable and as herb, such as cilantro, grown from the coriander seed.
Most of the common savory herbs can be grown seasonally in Florida in sufficient quantities for home use.
You may elect to use a small section of your garden for herbs because you don't need to grow a lot. Take time to group perennials and annuals in different parts of your garden. Such grouping allows specific cultural practices, such as spraying for pest control to be restricted to vegetables only.
In general, the majority of herbs will grow satisfactorily under the same conditions of sunlight, soil and with cultural techniques similar to those used for vegetables. Special consideration should be given to the location and care of a few of the herbs that are sensitive to soil-moisture conditions. Sage, rosemary and thyme require a well drained, slightly moist soil; parsley, chervil and mint do best in soils retaining considerable moisture.
Older chive and tarragon plants can be multiplied by dividing the crown clumps, then planted as individual plants.
Mint spreads rapidly by underground or surface runners that can grow several feet from the parent plant. These plants, with roots attached, can be removed and transplanted to other locations.
The annuals and biennials can be grown from seed sown directly in place. Perennials generally are best started in plant beds or boxes using seed or cuttings and then transplanted into the garden or growing containers.
A few plants, such as sage, lemon balm and rosemary can be propagated best by cutting. Stems from new growth make the best cuttings for easiest rooting. Cut the stems into 3 to 4 inch sections, each containing a set of leaves or leaf buds near the upper end.
- Compiled by Pamela Brown and Nancy R. Volmar of the Pinellas County Extension Center/Florida Botanical Gardens. If you have questions, call them at (727) 582-2100.
