Ellis - The veggie gardeners answer book : solutions to every problem youll ever face : answers to every question youll ever ask

ANSWER BOOK

Solutions to Every Problem Youll Ever Face

Answers to Every Question Youll Ever Ask

Barbara W. Ellis

The mission of Storey Publishing is to serve our customers by
publishing practical information that encourages
personal independence in harmony with the environment.

Edited by Gwen Steege and Fern Bradley
Art direction and cover and text design by Jessica Armstrong
Text production by Ponderosa Pine Design, Vicky Vaughn Shea

Cover illustrations and chapter opener backgrounds by William Howell Golson
Interior illustrations by Alison Kolesar, except those on ,
,

Indexed by Nancy D. Wood

2008 by Barbara W. Ellis

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The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge.
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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

Ellis, Barbara W.
The veggie gardeners answer book : solutions to every problem youll
ever face; answers to every question youll ever ask / Barbara W. Ellis.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-60342-024-2 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Vegetable gardeningMiscellanea. 2. VegetablesMiscellanea. I. Title.
SB321.E48 2008
635dc22

2007049728

From a distance, those tantalizing glimpses of backyard vegetable gardens make growing tomatoes, squash, and other crops seem like a simple and straightforward hobby. Its easy to imagine that the plants take care of themselves from the day theyre planted until the day the gardener shows up with harvest basket in hand. After all, the crops are arranged in neat rows further organized by an orderly collection of stakes and trellises, with everything blanketed by a thick cover of mulch. Take more than a brief glance at that garden, though, and youll discover a hub of activity, with overlapping tasks that ebb and flow as crops are planted, tended, harvested, and replaced.

The devil is in the details for all this gardening activity, and thats where lots of questions arise. This book is designed to help everyone, from beginner on up, understand all the activity thats at the root of a successful organic food garden. Whether you want to plant a veggie garden for the first time or find new ideas and tips to help you grow vegetables more successfully, this book offers helpful, uncomplicated answers to all sorts of questions about what you need to do when and why. There are questions and answers on planning and planting your garden, improving soil, and caring for crops, as well as safe ways to control pests and diseases. In addition, beginning on to all the cultural quandaries that arise for the most popular vegetable crops, from starting seeds and scheduling transplanting dates right through to knowing when and how to harvest. Throughout, youll find plenty of regional advice, too, since what works for a garden in Maine, Minnesota, or Montana wont always work for one in Alabama, Texas, or California.

Dont try to read this book from cover to cover. Instead, think of it as a knowledgeable gardening friend you can turn to whenever you need help with a particular crop or gardening technique. One of the great things about gardening is that there are always new things to learn, new techniques to try, new crops to grow, and new questions to be answered. As you gain experience, youll learn what works for you in your garden. Youll also discover, if you dont know it already, that there isnt just one way to approach any gardening chore or grow any crop. So experiment, and have fun! Along the way, youll discover how to appreciate and easily manage the hub of activity that results in a beautiful and bountiful organic vegetable garden.

Creating and
Maintaining a Great
Vegetable Garden

exciting, but it can be a little intimidating, too. Every gardener dreams of a bumper harvest, but its hard to know how to manage the details of planting and caring for so many different crops. Here are some basic principles to keep in mind:

KEEP IT SIMPLE AND START SMALL. Dont try to grow everything! Plant just a few easy-to-grow crops.

START COMPOSTING. Once youve used it, youll realize you can never have too much!

MULCH. To control weeds and retain soil moisture, cover garden beds with a thick layer of organic mulch.

VISIT YOUR GARDEN OFTEN. Pull weeds as soon as you see them, add mulch where its thin, water plants that are dry, redirect wayward stems, look for signs of pests and diseases, and check for produce thats ready for harvest.

TAKE NOTES. Start a journal to record spring weather, what and when you planted and transplanted, when certain pests emerged, and how much you harvested.

Q As a new gardener Im completely overwhelmed by all the choices on the seed racks and in the catalogs. How do I narrow down my choices?

A Every gardener beginning and advanced alike has trouble deciding what to grow, since each selection seems a little better than the last. And although each gardener approaches this problem a little bit differently, here are some guidelines that may be helpful.

GROW WHAT YOU CANT BUY. Concentrate on crops that you cant find at your local supermarket and ones that offer unusual color or taste.

PLANT CROPS YOU LOVE. If you adore tomatoes or peppers, grow several cultivars of those. Try to avoid growing the same selections offered in the grocery store.

TRY CROPS YOUR NEIGHBORS SWEAR BY. It helps to know what crops are easy to grow in your area and when theyre easiest to grow. Ask your neighbors, along with experts at garden centers, garden clubs, or the local Cooperative Extension Service.