While the lawn calls have been far outweighing the gardening calls this year, there are still a number of homeowners installing and maintaining vegetable gardens.
While Ive heard both novice and experienced gardeners comment regularly that it is much cheaper and easier to buy tomatoes at a grocery store than to struggle with a garden, there is still a certain degree of accomplishment that comes with seeing those tomato plants begin to produce.
While every season brings its own challenges — be it wet and cool or hot and dry — there are some basic steps that will increase your chances for gardening success. Consider the following suggestions:
Proper nutrition: It is always a good idea to do a soil test during the dormant season to determine nutritional needs. In the absence of the test, a balanced fertilizer, such as 10-10-10, is a good choice. Vegetables range from light to heavy feeders, and therefore have different nutritional requirements. It is important to avoid over-fertilization, which promotes succulent, vegetative growth of the plant but can diminish your vegetable output.
Water management: Maintain a consistent supply of moisture. Most gardens need at least 1 inch of water per week, which we have been receiving so far this spring. As we move through the summer, use soaker hoses or drip irrigation to avoid wetting the foliage. Use a watering can in small gardens to target moisture directly on plant roots. Remember that wet foliage can lead to diseases issues.
Mulch: Mulching plants offers many benefits in the home garden. Mulch prevents weeds, which rob moisture and nutrients from vegetable plants. It also conserves moisture and provides a more uniform water supply. The occurrence of diseases that are spread by water splash will also be prevented with a layer of mulch.
Scouting: Dont forget to scout your garden for pest problems. Tomatoes, especially, have a difficult time with disease in Georgias hot, humid climate. Hand-pick any infected, suspicious-looking leaves or fruit. Remove plants completely that are heavily infected with disease. Remember that most insects in the garden are actually beneficial and cause no problem to your plants. Make sure you properly identify the insect pest before you spray an insecticide.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM): Scouting is only one small part of IPM, which is a process used to solve pest problems while minimizing risks to people and the environment. IPM involves scouting and monitoring leading to correct pest identification to determine what management strategy might be needed. Management approaches then range from cultural controls such as correct irrigation practices to chemical control as the final option to control pest problems.
Harvesting: Finally, harvest vegetables as soon as theyre ripe. Leaving them on the plant too long will lead to poor quality and attract more diseases and insects. Picking squash, okra and indeterminate tomatoes frequently can also extend your harvest. If you allow the fruit to stay on the plants too long, theyll actually shut down production.
Your local Cooperative Extension office will likely have a number of vegetable gardening publications available. For the internet savvy reader, type vegetable gardening site uga.edu into your preferred search engine. The list of publications should include general vegetable gardening publications for Georgia, planting charts and recommendations for growing vegetables organically. For more information, contact your local Cooperative Extension office.
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