Now’s the time to Plan your Vegetable Garden

 

  

Whether you are establishing a new bed or renewing last year’s garden, it’s important to have a plan. Among other things, a plan will help you decide what you’re going to grow this season. Planning your garden now will help you achieve the most in the space and location you have available. Having a plan will also help you apply lessons – good and bad, from past gardening experiences.    

  

When deciding what to plant this year, it’s always good to grow what you’ll eat. If you don’t like beets or broccoli, don’t plant them. Once you’ve made your list of crops to grow, the next question is whether to direct sow, start your own seedlings or buy rooted starter plants from The Flower Bin. The best choice may be a combination of all three.  

  

Many vegetables can and should be sown directly into the garden. This is true because they don’t transplant well.  Cool weather and short season crops are good candidates for direct seeding in the garden, including radishes, beans, carrots, spinach.

Warm weather, long season crops such as tomatoes and peppers need to be started indoors from seed, then transplanted into the garden when the weather moderates.

Buying well-rooted starter plants is also a good option.  

  

  

A plan helps you map out the garden for the full season, from cool spring to warm season crops, then back to cool weather crops in the fall. Lettuce, spinach, cabbage, and radishes can be planted in early March. Corn, tomatoes, peppers, and other warm weather crops need to be planted after Mother’s Day. You could plant earlier if you can provide protection against late frosts. By the time August gets here, you’re ready to replant cool weather crops for fall harvest. This is called succession planting and following this plan will optimize the amount of garden space available as well as the length of the season.  

  

Consider your growing experiences from past years. Each season brings its own share of successes and failures. For example, 2023’s tomato crop suffered from sustained 90⁰ temperatures most of the growing season.

Lesson: You may need to supply some afternoon shade for your tomato plants and other vegetables. In seasons past, insects have been a problem. Lesson: Make plans this year to clean up the garden thoroughly before you plant. All this does is emphasize the importance of keeping a log during each gardening season. Taking pictures and writing things down is easy and provides valuable information when it comes to planning your garden.   

  

Plan the garden on paper before you start to plant. Draw a map showing the arrangement and spacing of the crops you want to grow. Arrange crops from tallest to shortest, North to South. Group plants by the length of their growing period. Plant spring crops together so that later crops can be planted in these areas after the early crops mature. Finally, practice crop rotation. Try not to plant the same vegetable or a related vegetable in the same location year after year. This is particularly important with tomato and potato crops.   

    

Whether you’re growing in raised beds, containers, or a traditional in-ground bed, having a plan will help you enjoy the many benefits of gardening, while optimizing your space, and resources.  

 

 

Now's the Time to Winter Water

  

It’s important to understand that trees don’t go into total dormancy during the winter. Even though they appear to be dormant, their roots are actively looking for moisture. You may not see the damage right away, but trees that don’t receive supplemental watering during the winter may experience smaller leaf production, branch dieback and chlorosis through spring and summer. This is especially true of trees planted this past season that haven’t had time to establish.  

  

Even if you watered thoroughly late last fall, it's still important to water periodically through the winter, to supplement any natural moisture that may occur.  

 

 

Evergreens are at risk during the winter because they retain their needles. Winter winds can compound the problem by pulling water from the needles, causing them to brown.  

  

Plan to water your deciduous trees and evergreens once a month between now and March. The best time to water is during the warmest part of the day when the temperature is above 40°F.  

  

A long screwdriver will help you check the dryness of your soil. If it doesn’t go down easily, the soil is dry and needs water. Check the soil around your deciduous trees, shrubs, roses and evergreens.  

  

Water during the day when temperatures are above 40 degrees to allow the water to soak in before freezing night temperatures. Do not water if the soil is frozen or if snow is present.  

  

Frog eye sprinklers, soil needles or hoses with a soft spray attachment can be used to water trees in the winter. Do not turn on your irrigation system to water your trees.  

  

How much water your tree should receive depends upon the tree size. A general rule of thumb is to use approximately 10 gallons of water per inch of trunk diameter for each watering. Measure the trunk diameter at knee height.  A 3-inch diameter tree should receive 30 gallons of water.

  

The most effective area to water for deciduous trees is at the dripline. The dripline is located under the outer circumference of the tree branches. This will help ensure water absorption will be optimized. The goal is to water slowly and deeply. Plan to move the sprinkler or water needle every 10 to 15 minutes until you’ve covered the entire dripline.  If you’re using a soil needle, insert the needle no deeper than 8 inches.  

  

If you start to experience runoff while you’re watering, turn the water off and let it soak in before you resume watering. This soak and cycle method will help reduce waste from runoff and the water at the root system, where it's needed.  

  

For evergreens, water about 3 feet beyond the dripline on all sides of the tree.  

  

  

Small shrubs and roses should receive 5 gallons of water per month. Shrubs taller than 3 feet should receive 15 gallons of water per month.  

  

Winter watering your trees, shrubs and roses will help them stay hydrated and moisture acts as an insulator, reducing damage from temperature variations.  

  

Once you’re done watering, be sure to disconnect the hose from the faucet.