Kathy’s Home & Garden Tips – Plan Early for the Summer Vegetable Garden

You only need a few square feet of soil to provide vegetables for the whole family. Raised beds are the best way to grow healthy vegetable plants. Many times, plants die or develop disease from sitting in water that does not properly drain. Timbers work well, but make sure you get wolmanized wood. It’s treated and pressurized to withstand the elements. It comes in many sizes or can be cut to fit your space. Check out other materials at the home and garden store. Paving stones come in many shapes and colors. They also have curved sections so you can make circles. A cheaper and easier option is cinder blocks. Set out your pattern and fill with garden soil, including the holes. This will keep the blocks from shifting. Plant herbs or strawberries in the holes. They don’t need much soil. This method does not require rotating. If you plant directly in the soil, you should not plant the same vegetable in the same spot next year as it can deplete the soil. With raised beds, change the soil yearly, so in small gardens you can keep things uniform.

Now you can plan which vegetables you would like to grow. Most vegetables need at least six hours of sun per day. I know this can be difficult in small yards but do your best. When planning, make sure the sun lovers, like tomatoes, get the most exposure. Other veggies like peppers, beans, cucumbers and lettuce need much less. Each tomato plant requires two square feet of garden space. They need the most space of all vegetables. You can plant two peppers in one square foot or four cucumbers. Follow the directions that come with the plants, but remember you can usually plant things a little closer than recommended. For beginners, I recommend starting out small; try three tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. Plants that are harvested quickly and early like lettuce, spinach and radishes can be sown in between the larger plants. These do best in the early part of the year before the heat sets in. Pick often, especially lettuce and spinach, for best results.

Gardens need the same water as the lawn does, one inch per week. but in the very hottest part of the summer it may be necessary to water daily. Annual vegetables, like annual flowers, have rather shallow root systems and can dry out quickly. That’s why it’s always best to have the garden within sight of the house. Out of sight, out of mind as they say. Fertilize weekly with a general fertilizer like Miracle Grow. Keep well weeded, as weeds compete for both water and nutrients.

KATHY WEAVER-ZECH & DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO