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Visions of veggies start now

If you picture a winter garden bursting with healthful greens, luscious leeks and heavenly herbs, get moving. Fresh produce takes time.

By Pam Brown and Carol Suggs, Pinellas County Extension Center
Published August 4, 2007

August is a good time to prepare for your fall vegetable garden. Successful vegetable gardens don't just happen. They are the result of planning, constant care and the will to make things grow.

With the current emphasis on the environment, you may want to consider home vegetable gardening the organic way. The information here should be beneficial to all gardeners, regardless of the cultural methods they use. However, it is primarily intended to help the organic gardener with sustainable gardening methods, which are also compatible with organic gardening's philosophy.

Organic gardening mainly differs from conventional gardening in its approach to fertilizing and pest control. The organic gardener uses natural and organic materials and methods; the conventional gardener may use a combination of all materials and methods shown to be safe, effective and non-detrimental to him or Florida's environment.

Consider the size of your family and the amount of produce you can use or may want to share. (Resist the urge to plant too many zucchinis.) If you have not had a vegetable garden in the past, you may want to start small. Don't underestimate the work involved.

Choosing a location: Select a location with good, well-drained soil, near a water supply, and not shaded by tall buildings or trees. Most vegetables need six to eight hours of full sun each day. Enclosing the garden with a fence can help keep out small critters that may want to eat your tender plants.

The garden design: Many gardeners find it helpful to sketch on paper the location of each row and the crop or succession of crops to be planted.

Soil preparation: Have the soil pH checked to determine if it needs any amendments. Some local garden centers will do pH tests for a fee. Or small soil kits are available that let you do your own testing.

Soil pH is also tested at the Pinellas County Extension Center for $5 a sample. When collecting soil for a pH test, take several small samples at a depth of 5 to 6 inches and mix together. Take about a cup of this mixture to the office, at 12520 Ulmerton Road, Largo. Results and recommendations will be mailed to your home.

Most Florida soils benefit from organic material such as manure, rotted leaves, compost and cover crops. Now is the best time to thoroughly mix generous amounts of organics into the soil, well before September planting. Spread 25 to 100 pounds of compost or manure per 100 square feet if you do not plan to use a commercial organic fertilizer. Compost can be applied at planting time.

Because compost contains inconsistent levels of nutrients, applying a balanced organic fertilizer can be beneficial.

For more information on vegetable gardening the organic way, please send a long, self-addressed, stamped (41 cents) envelope to Organic Vegetable Gardening, Pinellas County Extension Center, 12520 Ulmerton Road, Largo, FL 33774-3602.

Try these first

This year you may feel adventurous enough to try a few minor vegetables in your garden plot.

Swiss chard: This is commonly grown throughout Florida both as a winter vegetable, since it is a cool-season crop, and as a summer cooking green, since it also tolerates heat very well. Most gardeners find chard easy to grow. One variety, called "Bright Lights," has midribs that are shades of yellow, orange, pink and red and can be a colorful addition to flower beds.

The succulent, glossy, dark-green leaves, which are usually slightly crinkled, are eaten as cooked greens. Sometimes the fleshy white leaf midribs are separated from the leaf blade and prepared much like celery or asparagus. Chard is ready to eat 50 to 60 days after seeding.

Kohlrabi: This is grown for the globe-like swollen stem just above ground level. Cabbage-like leaves on long stems rise from the top and sides of the round, root-like stem. The globe is tender and succulent if rapidly grown and harvested, but becomes tough and fibrous with age.

Remove the peel before eating kohlrabi raw, sliced, boiled or roasted. The leaves may also be cooked and eaten. Planting time is similar to that of cabbage, but plant spacing is about four inches. Kohlrabi matures in about 60 days when started from seeds, and 40 days started from transplants. While green varieties are most common, red varieties are popular with many gardeners.

leekS: A biennial, it produces food and seeds in alternating years. Most local gardeners grow it as an annual for its long, blanched stems. It resembles a large green onion plant without a bulb and has an attractive silvery base and long, strap-like leaves. The leaves of some varieties are blue-green; others are yellow-green. The leaves are flat, in contrast to the onion's round ones, and are arranged in a fan shape. The thick, pale leaf bases are eaten cooked or raw. The green leaves may be eaten; they have a pungent odor and acrid taste that add more flavor to many cooked dishes. Leek soup is a favorite of many gardeners.

Herbs: They are a great addition to the fall garden because their growth habits and cultural requirements are similar to those of vegetables. Give special consideration to the location and care of a few of the herbs that are sensitive to soil moisture. Sage, rosemary and thyme require well-drained, slightly moist soil, whereas parsley, chervil and mint thrive best in much moister soil.

Annuals and biennials ordinarily are grown from seed sown directly in place. Perennials generally are best started, with either seed or cuttings, in plant beds or boxes, then transplanted into the garden or growing containers.

A few herbs, such as sage, lemon balm and rosemary, can be propagated by rooting cuttings. Stems from new growth root most easily. Cut the stems into sections 3 to 4 inches long, each containing a set of leaves or leaf buds near the upper end. Place in pots with sterile potting soil. Keep the cuttings moist until roots form.

Compiled by Pam Brown and Carol Suggs of the Pinellas County Extension Center/Florida Botanical Gardens. Questions? Call them at (727) 582-2100.

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Calendar of events

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Aug. 11: "Rain Barrel Workshop" at Sunken Gardens, 1825 Fourth St. N, St. Petersburg. Learn how to set up a recycled plastic barrel to collect rain from your roof for watering your garden and landscape plants. Workshop is free with paid admission to Sunken Gardens. Barrels will be available for purchase. For reservations or information, call Sunken Gardens at (727) 551-3100.

10-11 a.m. Aug. 18: "Compost Happens" at Weedon Island Preserve Environmental Education Center, 1800 Weedon Drive NE, St. Petersburg. Basics of composting. Pinellas County residents attending the class will receive a free 17.6-cubic-foot plastic compost bin. Quantity is limited. Reserve by calling Weedon Island Preserve at (727) 453-6500.

6:30-8 p.m. Aug. 29, "Living with Our Wildlife Neighbors" at Brooker Creek Preserve Environmental Education Center, 3940 Keystone Road, Tarpon Springs. Jeanne Murphy, Pinellas County Extension wildlife biologist, discusses diverse wildlife in urban yards. Register at (727) 453-6800.

[Last modified August 2, 2007, 16:01:42]