Easy Ways to Vegetable Garden

Many people don’t want to take the time and energy to dig up a vegetable garden plot and amend the existing soil. Not to worry! There are several other ways to garden that are easy and almost “dig-free!”

For expert advice, I visited master gardener, Janet Lester, at her Fayetteville

home to learn easy options for those who want to start a vegetable garden. Janet gives leadership to the “Plant a Row for the Hungry” (PAR) garden that Fayette master gardeners plant each year. Last year the garden yielded a harvest of over 26,000 lbs. of vegetables that were donated to several local charitable organizations.

Gardening Raised Beds: In her own garden, Janet grows vegetables in raised beds and encourages new gardeners to do this as well. Simply decide on the length of your raised bed and build a frame that is no more than 4 feet wide and is 12 inches high. A bed that is 4 feet wide ensures that you can tend to the plot from either side without having to step inside the bed and compact your soil. The 12-inch depth will give you plenty of space for most vegetables’ root systems. You can find instructions on how to build a raised bed or even complete kits online by doing a Google search.  Set your raised bed frame on top of the ground, cover the bottom with landscape fabric or plastic to deter weeds and add your soil mixture.

In her raised bed frames, Janet adds her special soil recipe:

• ½ of soil mixture is a top soil mix (including sand) that she obtains at Concrete Supply Company in Fayetteville.
• ½ of soil mixture is composted horse manure (many local farms will give you composted manure for free!)
• Mix the top soil and compost together and add slow-release fertilizer or 10-10-10 based on the needs of the vegetables you are planting.

You can also get bags of top soil and compost at local nurseries and home improvement centers.

Janet plants many vegetables (except corn) in her raised beds. Favorite warm season vegetables include yellow squash, zucchini, cucumber, bush beans and determinant (bush) tomatoes. Plant two rows of seeds in each raised bed alongside a drip irrigation tape or soaker hose and cover the bed with black plastic sheeting (mulch). Secure the plastic with landscape anchors. (See my April article on vegetable gardening in Fayette Woman Magazine for more information on gardening using black plastic mulch).

Janet loves to grow vegetables from seed. She says, “there is nothing more exciting or miraculous than watching a seed push up through the soil.” A good rule of thumb when planting seeds, Janet says, is “plant no deeper than the seed.”  Janet’s favorite seed catalogs include Jung and Rupp. She also likes to buy seed in bulk from Swints Feed & Garden Supply in Jonesboro.

Vertical Gardening: If you don’t have room to go out, why not garden up!  Vertical gardening is a great way to garden in a small space using a trellis, teepee

or any structure that will support a vining plant. Vegetables with a vining growth habit include pole beans, peas, cucumbers, squash and indeterminate tomatoes.  A simple teepee is easy to make and a project that children enjoy.

Container Gardening:   Just like you plant flowers in pots, you can grow vegetables and herbs in containers.  A small herb garden in a container next to your kitchen allows you to have fresh ingredients on hand while cooking.  Use large containers (at least 20” wide) if possible and give vegetables plenty of room and air circulation. You can plant up to seven different herbs in a whiskey barrel or large container. Patio tomato seedlings (like cherry tomatoes) work great in a container.

You can purchase a complete container kit for growing vegetables called the

Earthbox ® kit. It is promoted as a revolutionary method for growing vegetables that is maintenance-free, eliminates guesswork and doubles the yield of conventional gardening. For the new gardener, it is a fool-proof way to start. The kit costs about $55 and can be purchased online at www.earthbox.com

A good book to purchase as a resource on vegetable gardening is The Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Book by Walter Reeves and Felder Rushing.

If you would like to learn more about vegetable gardening, sign up to attend a free class on March 6th hosted by the Fayette Extension Office.  The class will be taught by Mr. Lester Bray, a well-respected Fayetteville gardener. Mr. Bray will discuss what seeds to plant, when to plant, how to fertilize and when to spray for insects or disease. He will also show how to tie up tomatoes and other vegetables and will discuss organic gardening.  The class will be held on Saturday, March 6 from 10:00 am – 12:30 pm at New Hope Baptist Church, Building A, Room 112, lower level, 551 New Hope Road, Fayetteville. Please RSVP by March 4 by email to fmga08@gmail.com or by calling 770.305.5412, Ext 7.