University of Kentucky ID-128 College of Agriculture, Food and Environment Cooperative Extension Service Home Vegetable Gardening in Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service | Agriculture and Natural Resources | Family and Consumer Sciences | 4-H Youth Development | Community and Economic Development Contents Plans and Preparations Before You Begin ...................................................................3 Planning Your Garden ........................................................3 Choosing a Site .....................................................................3 Organic Gardening ...............................................................3 Preparing the Soil .................................................................4 Preparing a New Garden Site ...........................................6 Crop Rotation ........................................................................7 Pest Control .............................................................................7 Planting General Considerations ......................................................8 Transplants ..............................................................................8 Growing More with Less Space Intensive Gardening ..........................................................11 Container Gardening ........................................................ 12 Mini-Gardens ...................................................................... 12 One Garden Plot: Three Garden Seasons The Spring Garden ............................................................ 14 The Summer Garden ........................................................ 14 The Fall Garden .................................................................. 15 Front cover: Chinese cabbage ‘Pak Choi Asian Delight’ is a Extending the Growing Season ................................... 15 2018 Vegetable Award Winner from All-America Selections. Chinese cabbage is a leafy vegetable that can be added to Caring for Your Vegetables salads when picked young or added to stir fry or steamed During the Growing Season when mature. ‘Pak Choi Asian Delight’ matures quickly in the garden but is slower to bolt than other cultivars of Chinese Irrigating ................................................................................17 cabbage so extended harvest can be realized. In Kentucky, Mulching ............................................................................... 19 Chinese cabbage can be planted in either spring or fall but Fertilizing ............................................................................. 20 does best as a fall vegetable when planted in late summer. Compost ................................................................................ 20 The flavor is more intense when harvested after a light frost. Cover Crops Protect Garden Plots .............................. 21 For more information about this and other AAS Vegetable Winners visit the AAS web site at: www.all-americaselections. Diseases, Insects and Weeds org. Disease Control ..................................................................22 Insect Control ...................................................................... 24 Weed Control ...................................................................... 28 Storing Vegetables ........................................................................ 29 What You Should Know about Asparagus through Watermelons Asparagus ............................................................................30 Beans ....................................................................................... 31 Beets, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts .................................. 32 Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower ....................................... 33 Chinese Cabbage, Collards, Cucumber ......................34 Eggplant, Garlic, Kale, Leeks .......................................... 35 Lettuce, Muskmelons, Mustard Greens .....................36 Okra, Onions, Parsnips ..................................................... 37 Peas, Peppers, Potatoes ...................................................38 Pumpkins............................................................................... 39 Radishes, Rhubarb, Southern Peas, Spinach ............40 Squash, Sweet Corn ........................................................... 41 Sweet Potatoes, Swiss Chard, Tomatoes.................... 42 Turnips, Watermelons .......................................................44 Acknowledgments Contributors to this publication: Richard Durham Department of Horticulture, Editor John Strang Mark Williams Shawn Wright Department of Horticulture Ric Bessin Department of Entomology Brad Lee Department of Plant and Soil Sciences Emily Pfeufer Department of Plant Pathology For further information on home vegetable gardening, contact Richard Durham, Department of Horticulture, University of Kentucky. Mention or display of a trademark, proprietary product or firm in text or fig- ures does not constitute an endorsement and does not imply approval to the exclusion of other suitable products or firms. Plans and Preparations Before You Begin tles because of lack of air drainage, are slow to warm up in the spring. High ground will enable the vegetables to escape “border‑ Every aspiring gardener should follow seven steps to have a suc‑ line” freezes for an earlier start in the spring and longer harvest in cessful gardening season: the fall. 1. Plan your garden on paper before you begin. If possible, choose an area with a southern or southeastern exposure 2. Select a good gardening site that is: which warms up faster in the spring and receives the maximum a. in full sun for at least eight hours each day, amount of sunlight throughout the growing season. Midsummer b. relatively level, vegetables, other than lettuce, should not be located on the north c. well‑drained, side of a building or on a northern slope of a hillside. d. close to a water source, Plant your vegetables away from buildings, trees and other objects which e. dries quickly from morning dew. would shade them. Your plants need at least eight hours of direct 3. Prepare the soil properly, conduct a soil test, and add fertilizer sunlight each day. You can grow lettuce in the shade if you must and lime according to U.K. test result recommendations. locate part of your garden in a partially shaded area. 4. Plan only as large a garden as you can easily maintain. Begin‑ Your garden needs water from rainfall or other sources. However, too ning gardeners often overplant, and then they fail because they much water can be just as damaging as too little. cannot keep up with the tasks required. Weeds and pests must • Examine your garden site to see how it drains and avoid areas be managed, water applied when needed and harvesting done that stay soggy after a rain. To evaluate how your site drains, dig on time. a small diameter hole to a depth of two feet and look for grey 5. Grow vegetables that will produce the maximum amount of colors in the soil. These grey colors indicate that the soil is poor‑ food in the space available. ly drained. Consider moving the garden to a different area or in‑ 6. Plant during the correct season for the crop. stalling raised beds. 7. Choose varieties recommended for Kentucky. • Avoid heavy clay soils in favor of loamy soil. 8. Harvest vegetables at their proper stage of maturity. Store them • Improve sandy soils by adding large amounts of organic matter. promptly and properly if you do not use them immediately. Adding organic matter can often solve minor drainage prob‑ Planning Your Garden lems; however, if the poor drainage is caused by underlying layers of rock or hard clay (hardpan), correcting the drainage A garden plan helps you grow the greatest amount of produce could involve the labor and expense of subsoiling with an exca‑ with the least amount of effort. To use your plan you must expect vator, laying tile or of building raised beds. to harvest each crop as soon as it matures. Then put old plants • Locate your garden away from trees as much as possible. Tree in the compost pile and plant a new crop. This approach is called roots can compete with your vegetables for water and nutri‑ succession planting. ents. Grow only those vegetables that your family will eat. A • Look for a site which supports lush vegetative growth, even if well‑planned and properly kept garden should produce 600 to it is dark green, sturdy weeds. Although you can improve poor 700 pounds of produce per 1000 square feet and may include ma‑ soil over a period of years, you can save much time and work if ny different crops. Consult Vegetable Cultivars for Kentucky Gar- you begin with naturally rich soil. dens (ID‑133) for the latest recommendations on home vegeta‑ • Make sure to use contour rows or terraces for hillside gardens. ble varieties. • Avoid windy locations. Draw a scale model of your garden space when planning where to plant. There are also a number of computer programs that can Finally, the closer the vegetable garden is to your back door, the more you be used to plan your garden. Plant perennials like asparagus, rhu‑ will use it. You can see when your crops are at their peaks and can barb, chives and horseradish along one side of the garden since take maximum advantage of their freshness. Also, keeping up they may produce for six to 12 years. Tall plants such as sweet with planting, weeding, watering and pest control will be easier. corn, tomatoes and pole beans should be planted on the north or west side of