Gardener to Farmer

Organic Vegetable Gardens: What to Grow?

One of the biggest challenges in veggie gardening is trying to decide what to grow. There are so many factors to consider. Recently, I received a question from a reader about what grows well in Orlando, FL. Seems one of her main challenges is hateful bugs, particularly aphids. Sound familiar?

When I am planning my vegetable garden, I take into consideration several factors.

• Zone (or average temperatures)
• Sun condition needed
• Variety best suited to my region
• Ease of growing
• Soil condition needed 
• Pests and disease problems in my area
• My general patience with care versus my level of desire to grow

Each of these variables affects the likely success of the plant. And, what might be challenging here (read: winter squash and tomatoes) won't be in warmer climates. Not that those challenges will stop me from growing tomatoes, but that I will keep in mind they will require extra care...and extra care = extra time and energy.

Understanding your local pest and disease problems is great to do BEFORE you chose your plants. There are some plant varieties that have resistance to certain diseases. And, if I know that slugs are a big problem (which they are), I start the lettuce out with organic slug control methods. I don't wait to see a problem, because with slugs, prevention is way better than trying to save the lettuce patch. Sometimes there are things I choose not to grow because I just don't want to deal with the battle.

When you plant something in its ideal conditions, it will be a happy plant. If you plant it with too little light, water, etc, you will spend the rest of your time trying to care for it. Don't turn a low maintenance plant into a pain in the rear!

Each year, I am an enthusiastic over-orderer of seeds...and I start out the season with fervor and excitement. Sometime around August I am hot and irritated, but by September, I am happy to be in the garden again. When you plant your vegetable garden this year, try to set realistic goals for your achievements. In the long run, it will make the process much more enjoyable!

Vegetable Garden Plans, Part II

So, you have dutifully described your organic gardening experiences this past season. As we talked about in Vegetable Gardening Plans, Part I, you have written down what you loved and what you didn't, what overproduced, what you didn't plant enough of, where things really worked and where they didn't. Keeping a journal, even if it is short notes to yourself, is a great way to get a head start on next year's planting.

The next step is to get some graph paper and a pencil and sketch out your beds. Draw the locations using landmarks to help orient the picture. Now, note where you grew what vegetables. Be as accurate as you can...some plants do not like to be grown in the same spot two times in a row.

Now, draw your beds again, this time, start writing in your plans for next year. This is just a suggestion for spring planting...something to serve as a reminder of this season's garden. When you are filling in your beds (with pencil, please!), make sure you plan to rotate crops that have disease and pest problems. For example, members of the nightshade family (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants and peppers) can be heavy feeders (tomatoes) and can have pests that overwinter in the ground.

Bill Thorness of the Seattle Times published a great article on crop rotation. He suggests using the mantra, "leaf, root, flower, fruit" to guide you in planning. By rotating crops in this way, you reduce the burden on the soil, manage overwintering pests and keep plants healthy. Crop rotation is important to all kinds of gardening, but particularly organic gardening. Practicing good rotation methods protects the soil you have worked so hard to build and keeps the pests down to a dull roar.

In Part III of our series, we will look at the benefits of companion planting.

Vegetable Garden Plans, Part One

Vegetable garden plans are best mapped out in the fall. It is a great time to look back at what grew well, what tasted great, what you couldn't get enough of and what showed up in huge quantities.

Each spring, I (try) to keep a list of all that I am planting. When the seed packets come in, I log them in a database, listing important growing information. As the season progresses, I note germination time/rates, greenhouse or garden starting, transplanting information and notes that will help me make decisions about next year's choices.

Even if you don't have time to create a database, you can do some simple things that will make it easier for you to have a more productive garden next year. Pick up a pen and paper right now and record the following:

• What did you absolutely LOVE this year?
• What was horrible?
• Where was there too much and where was there too little production?
• Where did you plant what? Remember, some veggies shouldn't be replanted in the same spot, year after year
• What did better than expected? Note varieties that like your climate, grew larger than you thought, liked having certain companions
• What growing tips have you learned? (ie use tomato cages BEFORE tomato plants are too big!)

Believe me, I would love to believe that I will remember all of these great bits of wisdom for next spring. But I know I won't. Take an hour to write down the important lessons of this gardening year. This information will be absolutely invaluable for next year.