A Planting Checklist
While the following chapters provide specifics for growing 10 different fruits and vegetables, this checklist is designed to give you an overview of how to grow champion produce. With these tips in hand, you’re sure to grow a garden filled with quality specimens you’ll be proud to take to any contest or at least to show off to friends and neighbors. And, by the way, best of luck!
The smart start for growing award-winning vegetables is to get your soil tested. A complete soil test, which involves taking samples and sending them to a lab, isn’t difficult. It’s worth the small effort to help you manage the nutrient and fertilizer needs of your prizewinning veggies. Just think, no more guessing.
A soil test provides you with the levels of the major nutrients — nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium — and sometimes trace elements. It gives the pH level, which tells you whether your soil is alkaline (high pH), acidic (low pH), or neutral (just right). In dry regions where soils may contain high levels of salts, a good soil test will indicate the salinity of your soil samples. The results will help you amend the soil with the right nutrients.
Tomato plants grown in rich beds with good support will produce large quantities of high-quality fruits.
If you want to grow prizewinning fruits and vegetables, compost is your go-to organic soil amendment. Made from everyday household and yard waste, this rich, crumbly material improves soil structure and helps grow healthier plants.
Compost adds slow-release nutrients, helps the soil retain nutrients from added fertilizers, and helps maintain soil moisture. In fact, compost can be the answer to most gardening dilemmas, whether you garden in heavy clay soil or struggle with the sandy stuff. So dig in with compost to improve soil fertility, to encourage the beneficial critters in your soil, and to give your gardening efforts a boost in the process.
Vegetable gardens need 6 or more hours of direct sun each day. With 5 hours, you can still grow most vegetables, but it’s hard to produce prizewinners of anything except leafy greens. Find an area that’s also protected from wind, if possible.
Vegetables grow best in loamy soil that contains lots of organic matter. Add a layer of organic matter like good-quality compost or well-aged manure (four or more months old, or purchase composted manure) to increase the soil’s ability to hold moisture and nutrients. Organic matter will also improve the texture of sandy or clayey soils. Spread at least an inch of compost or other organic matter over the entire bed, even more for a new garden, if possible. Be sure to dig it in at least 6 to 8 inches deep. And, whatever you do, don’t walk on the garden soil. Soil compaction limits root growth.
Even if you don’t have a big growing space, you can still grow and show beautiful specimens by planting in containers. Container gardens make it easy to control conditions, such as the amount of sun, water, and fertilizer each plant receives. Containers are portable so they can be scooted out of harm’s way if bad weather such as hail is in the forecast.
For best results use 5- to 20-gallon containers with openings at least 12 inches wide; match the size of the container to the size of the mature plant. Be sure to punch or drill drainage holes in the container bottom, elevate slightly on bricks or blocks to aid drainage, and place a saucer underneath to protect patio or deck from water runoff.Container options include wooden barrels, window boxes, flowerpots, washtubs, and even plastic buckets or bushel baskets. Clay pots are my least favorite for planting because the soil in these dries out faster than in plastic containers. If planting in a terra-cotta pot, try to provide some shade or plant in a plastic container hidden inside.Mix in a slow-release fertilizer at planting time, because nutrients will wash right out of the pot from watering or drenching rainstorms. Water frequently to keep plants from drying out, and add a diluted fertilizer every few weeks through the growing season. Group containers close together to help prevent evaporation and to give the area the look of a real garden.
Your growing season is typically defined as the number of frost-free days you have for planting and growing. If you have a short growing season (like I do), you’ll need to pay attention to the number of days to maturity for the fruits and vegetables you plant. You can also use season extenders (cold frames, plant protectors filled with water, high or low tunnels, and row cover) to get started sooner.
If you lack heat in the garden, make the most of your microclimates. Look for those naturally warmer areas of your growing space, such as the south-facing side of your house or next to a heat-absorbing fence or wall. Raised planting beds are also naturally warmer because all the sides are exposed. Planting in any of these ways can help you get a jump-start on the season.
A soil thermometer is a valuable but under-used tool that takes the guesswork out of when to plant. It’s more reliable than planting by average frost dates or by the calendar. When used to measure soil temperature, a thermometer can give you the go-ahead to plant cool-season crops when the soil warms to an optimum 35 to 40°F. It can stop you from planting peppers before the soil has warmed to the 55 or 60°F needed for these heat-lovers to grow well.
If you purchase transplants, look for the healthiest plants with stocky stems and without any fruit already formed. Make sure transplants have been well tended; look for moist soil and nicely formed roots. Healthy transplants makes for a healthier garden.
If you want to grow unusual varieties, you’ll probably need to start them from seeds. In some areas, seeds for plants like tomatoes and peppers need to be started indoors, allowing plenty of time for plants to get to the transplant stage in advance of the contest. Other seeds, like squash seeds, are sown directly into the garden by following the planting instructions on seed packets. It’s important to follow the spacing recom-mendations, too.Some seeds, like those for beans and cucumbers, germinate faster if they’re soaked in water overnight. If you don’t see seedlings after a week or so, plant again right away.
Tender plants like tomatoes should be hardened off before they’re planted out in the garden.
Tender plants, like tomatoes, need time to get conditioned to the outdoors before planting. Move plants outside and expose them to sun slowly, over the course of about a week before planting, so delicate leaves and stems have a chance to toughen up before planting.
One of the tricks I use to prevent transplant shock after planting is to cover each plant with a 1-gallon plastic milk jug with the bottom cut off. I place the jug over each plant with the spout end up and the cap removed to allow air flow. After three days, I remove these miniature greenhouses and let nature take over.
Don Francois’s lush Iowa garden
The healthier your plants are, the fewer insect pests and plant diseases you’ll see. Use good cultural practices like selecting vigorous, disease-resistant cultivars, rotating crops, giving plants plenty of room for air to circulate, and timing plantings to avoid pests. Quickly remove any diseased plants and put them in the trash, not the compost pile.
Plan ahead for controlling insect pests early in the season to give young plants the healthiest start possible. Cooperative Extension horticultural agents or Master Gardeners can advise you on the specifics of when to plant to avoid pest infestations at the beginning of the season for your region. After that, keep an eye on the garden so you can catch problems early and take action.It’s also important to keep your garden weed-free. Not only does it make for a more attractive garden, but your vegetable plants won’t have to compete with weeds for nutrients and water. Weeds also provide safe harbor for problem insects.
Plants grow best when they receive consistent water that goes deep into the soil. Unless your garden receives an inch or so of rain each week, you’ll need to irrigate. Drip irrigation makes it easy to get moisture directly to plant roots without wetting leaves to prevent foliar diseases like powdery mildew. Check to make sure water soaks into the soil at least 5 inches deep. Stick your finger deeply into the soil to check whether the soil is cool and moist. This type of deep watering is especially important when plants are forming roots and fruits. Adequate water makes for large, high-quality specimens.
Never let the garden dry out. During the heat of summer, plants may need watering more frequently than at the beginning of the season. A soil moisture meter can help you decide when it’s time to water, but using your finger is cheaper.Overwatering can cause as much of a problem as underwatering. Plants don’t like to grow in soggy soil. For example, too much water while tomatoes are ripening can reduce the sugar content and affect flavor.
Competition-worthy vegetables come from plants that are healthy, well tended, and relatively pest-free.
Plant for beneficial insects that target insect pests. Lady beetles (ladybugs), lacewing larvae, and spiders are some of the beneficial insects that help control pest populations. To attract beneficial insects to your yard, plant a diverse landscape with layers from low-lying groundcovers to evergreen and flowering shrubs. Plant flowers in your vegetable patch, too. Grow some that bloom from early in the season to mid-season and late in the season. Good choices include alyssum, dianthus, larkspur, viola, black-eyed Susan, borage, lovage, lavender, salvia, sunflower, and zinnia. The more insects in the landscape, the more insect predators you’ll have, including birds.
There are many ways to outsmart the pests that pester your plants. Handpick and destroy large pests like tomato hornworms. Knock beetles into a jar of soapy water, where they’ll drown. Spray a forceful stream of water on both sides of leaves to dislodge aphids and spider mites. Trap slugs in a shallow dish filled with beer. Or deter slugs with irritants like coffee grounds, dryer lint, or other abrasive substances placed around the base of plants. Diatomaceous earth is especially abrasive; this powdery substance is the remains of fossilized microorganisms. Sprinkle it on or around plants to discourage slugs, snails, grubs, flea, beetles, and other pests. Use sticky traps to lead tiny leafhoppers, thrips, and aphids to their demise.
Row cover cloth is an excellent physical barrier, especially when tied down tightly so insects can’t crawl inside. Cutworm collars, like plastic cups or juice cans with the ends removed, prevent the hungry critters from crawling up plant stems. Marigolds help control nematodes, those harmful microscopic pests, by secreting a substance through their roots. Plants that are susceptible to nematode damage, like tomatoes, benefit when marigolds are planted nearby.
You can enlist living organisms to help you grow your vegetables. Called biological controls, these bacteria, fungi, and beneficial nematodes target certain pests without harming birds or pets. One of the best known is Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a soil bacterium that helps control caterpillars and beetle larvae, if the right kind is applied at the right time. Beneficial nematodes are effective against grubs and cutworms.
Use chemical controls only as a last resort. Before using any chemicals, natural or synthetic, read the label carefully and follow instructions. Make sure the product is safe for beneficial insects. Organic controls include insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils, and repellents such as neem oil.
For high-quality produce you may need to fertilize once a month, especially during the prime growing season. Use the fertilizer of your choice or a recommendation from your favorite gardener. Some prefer fish emulsion and seaweed extract; others use fruit- or vegetable-specific organic formulas. There are many all-purpose water-soluble plant foods on the market, too. Whatever you use, follow the recommended rates of application (or dilution, for liquid formulas). Too much fertilizer makes plants more attractive to pests and can interfere with fruit production (and your tomatoes won’t taste as good). The key is to keep plants well fed.
Prepare garden beds in fall to anticipate the next growing season. Layer leaves, compost, and fertilizer on the bed, and then turn under into the soil. You can also dig trenches in the beds; pile in compost, dry leaves, and fertilizer; and cover these with soil. The compost and leaves will decompose and leave the soil more fertile for spring. Some gardeners plant cover crops like winter rye, hairy vetch, or clover to boost soil organic matter and fertility.
Record what you plant and when, how each plant performed, and the yield or numbers you harvested. Also note what inputs you added (what type of fertilizer, how much, and when you applied it). Jot down problems with weather, insects, and diseases; note your solutions and their results. Use the information to make good planting choices for the next season of vegetable contests.
