The Complex Art of Planting

by Charles W. Reynolds.

Charles W. Reynolds is Professor of Vegetable Crops, University of Maryland, College Park.

Before you begin to plant the garden, plan carefully which vegetables to grow, how much of each, when to plant, and where to plant them in the garden area. Choose crops your family likes, those that can be expected to do well in your area, and those for which you have adequate space. Make a sketch on paper showing the location, the amount (row length), and time to plant each crop. Group the crops according to time of planting, growth habit, and time to maturity.

Here are some points to consider in planning the garden:

Plant perennial crops (those which live for many years) along one side of the garden where they will interfere least with preparing the rest of the garden.

Group early quick-maturing crops together, and plant tall-growing ones to one side where they will not shade shorter crops.

Allow adequate space between rows for the type of cultivation you will use. Rows can be closer together for hand cultivation than for use of small tractors.

Make repeated or succession plantings of crops like snap beans and sweet corn to provide a supply over a large part of the season.

Keep the garden producing for the whole growing season. Follow early short season crops with others planted for midseason or fall use.

If adequate space is available, make special plantings of selected crops for canning, freezing or other storage.

Good soil preparation is essential for gardening success. Preparation may include adding organic matter, liming to correct soil acidity, fertilization, plowing or spading, and smoothing the soil by disking or raking.

Adding organic matter improves the tilth of most soils. It makes them easier to manage, as well as improving drainage of clay soils, water retention of sandy soils, and aeration of the soil. If available, add 20 to 30 bushels of barnyard manure per 1,000 square feet (poultry manure at half this rate). Or add well-rotted compost prepared at home in a compost pile from leaves, grass clippings and waste plant material from almost any source. Compost started during the summer months will be ready for use the next year.

Green Manure

Green manure or cover crops of rye or ryegrass alone or mixed with a legume will protect the soil from erosion and add organic matter when turned under.

If garden soils are acid, lime may be needed. Soil acidity is expressed as pH. A pH of 7.0 is neutral. A pH lower than 7.0 indicates acidity, a higher one alkalinity. Most vegetable crops grow best with a pH of 6.0 to 6.5, slightly acid. If the pH is 5.0, for example, lime is needed to make the soil less acid.

Soils should be tested occasionally to determine the need for lime and for fertilizer. Such tests are available to gardeners through local Agricultural Extension Agents at little or no cost. Amounts of lime and fertilizer to use are suggested depending on results of the soil test.

If needed, broadcast lime evenly over the garden area at the recommended rate and mix well with the topsoil as you prepare the soil for planting. If the soil test shows a need for magnesium, add dolomitic lime which contains magnesium as well as calcium.

Heavy soils those having considerable clay may be improved physically if you plow or spade the garden in the fall and leave it rough over the winter. Alternate freezing and thawing improves the tilth, making the soil easier to manage. However, if there is danger of erosion, such as on sloping land, this may not be a good practice.

Prepare garden soils by plowing or spading to a depth of at least 6 to 8 inches. This should mix into the topsoil any organic matter added, crop residues or cover crops that are present, and the lime and fertilizer applied. Do not work soils when they are wet, especially those with considerable clay. This causes damage to the tilth or physical structure of the soil which may last for a long time. Plow, spade, or cultivate only when the soil is dry 0 enough to crumble easily.

Fertilizing

On most soils the yield and quality of vegetables will be improved by adding commercial fertilizer even if you make generous applications of manure or other organic matter. Commercial fertilizers for gardens usually contain nitrogen, phosphorus and potash. Kinds such as 5-10-5, 5-10-10, 10-10-10, and 10-6-4 are widely used. Ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, or urea may be used when only nitrogen is needed such as for side-dressed applications.

In general, leafy vegetables need large amounts of nitrogen. Pod or fruit crops respond well to phosphorus, and the root crops require more potassium. Many vegetable crops respond to as much as 40 to 50 pounds per 1,000 square feet of N-P-K fertilizer such as the grades listed above. About half of this should be broadcast and mixed into the topsoil during soil preparation before planting.

Banding fertilizer. Place band 2 or 3 inches to each side of seed and about 1 or 2 inches deeper.

The remainder can then be applied in bands 2 or 3 inches to the side of the row at planting or as one or more side-dressings after the crop emerges.

Starter solutions are high-analysis water-soluble fertilizers mixed with water for use at transplanting. A small amount of this dilute solution around the roots of newly set plants provides readily available nutrients while the transplant is becoming established.

Use of starter solutions reduces the loss of plants following transplanting, promotes rapid early growth, and improves yields.

There are many excellent varieties or cultivars of most vegetable crops. Dozens of new ones become available each year, some of which are definite improvements over older kinds in yielding ability, quality, and disease resistance. Try some of the new ones, especially those recommended by your local Agricultural Extension Service. But continue to depend upon those that have proven suitable for your conditions in the past.

Get the best seed you can locate. Cheap seed is hardly ever a bargain. Some kinds left over from previous years may have poor germination and low vigor. If you are not sure of old seed, discard it and obtain new seed from a dependable source. Never save your own seed from hybrids; resulting plants will not be true to type.