Home Vegetable Gardening

367 Pages·2015·18.243 MB·English

by  Walters, Alan

HOME VEGETABLE
GARDENING
F
irst edition
By Alan Walters
Southern Illinois University – Carbondale
Bassim Hamadeh, CEO and Publisher
Michael Simpson, Vice President of Acquisitions
Jamie Giganti, Managing Editor
Jess Busch, Senior Graphic Designer
Angela Kozlowski, Acquisitions Editor
Michelle Piehl, Project Editor
Alexa Lucido, Licensing Associate
Mandy Licata, Interior Designer
Copyright © 2015 by Cognella, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted, reproduced,
transmitted, or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or in any information retrieval system without the
written permission of Cognella, Inc.
First published in the United States of America in 2015 by Cognella, Inc.
Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for
identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
Printed in the United States of America
ISBN: 978-1-62661-117-7 (pbk)/ 978-1-63487-074-0 (br)
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
Chapter 1: Home Garden Preparation 3
CHAPTER TWO
Chapter 2: Compost, Soil Modification, and Mulching for the Home Garden 29
CHAPTER THREE
Chapter 3: Garden Soil Fertility Practices 43
CHAPTER FOUR
Chapter 4: Vegetable Propagation Methods for the Home Garden 51
CHAPTER FIVE
Chapter 5: Vegetable Relationships 57
CHAPTER SIX
Chapter 6: Cool-Season Vegetables for the Home Garden 63
CHAPTER SEVEN
Chapter 7: Warm-Season Vegetables for the Home Garden 135
CHAPTER EIGHT
Chapter 8: Common Problems of Vegetables in Home Gardens 207
CHAPTER NINE
Chapter 9: Pest Management for Vegetables in the Home Garden 217
CHAPTER TEN
Chapter 10: Organic Gardening 237
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Chapter 11: Gardening Aids 267
CHAPTER TWELVE
Chapter 12: Season-Extension Techniques for Vegetables
Grown in Home Gardens 277
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Chapter 13: Autumn Vegetable Gardening 283
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Chapter 14: Container Vegetable Gardening 293
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Chapter 15: Heirloom Vegetable Gardening 315
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Chapter 16: Culinary Herbs For The Home Garden 325
Credits 349
Index 353
PREFACE
Gardening is in our blood, so to speak. Home gardening is an important part of our culture and
for many of us who grew up in rural areas, it was a yearly ritual of planting in the spring and
spending a lot of our time in the summer and fall working in the garden. Although gardening is
labor-intensive, sweaty work, the benefit received from having fresh vegetables was well worth
the effort. To me, it brings back such great memories of my youth and the people in my family
who has since passed who taught me many things.
However, not only those of us who grew up in rural areas have interests in gardening. Many
gardeners now live in highly urbanized areas and are now growing their own vegetables. They
realize that those bought from local supermarkets do not compare in taste, quality, or freshness
with those grown in a home garden. So, many are now trying their hand at container vegetable
gardening to raise fresh vegetables on any sunlit space that is available, such as balconies or
patios. A vegetable garden can also be used to supplement a family’s food budget, as well as a
source of those vegetables that can’t easily be found in the supermarket, such as various Chinese
vegetables, kohlrabi, culinary or medicinal herbs, or various heirloom vegetables. Flowers and
various other herbaceous and woody ornamental plants also play important roles in gardening
by increasing the aesthetics around or in the home, and many gardeners combine both food and
beauty.
Home gardening can be seen all around us, as all we have to do is observe our surroundings
a little more. As you drive along rural highways during the summer months, take notice that
many homes have small flower, fruit, or vegetable gardens adjacent to them. When you drive in
urbanized areas, observe the number of city residents who try to grow flowers and vegetables
in confined areas with many of these plants grown in some type of container. Almost anyone
can grow these plants and it can be easily done. It is possible to enliven our living spaces with
flowers, fruits, or vegetables and all one needs is a little sunlight and motivation to do so.
Home gardening is often hot, sweaty work, but it is rewarding in the end—and gets easier with
experience.
This book had its beginnings as my set of lecture notes that I developed for the Home
Gardening class that I teach at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. For several years, I
have made these notes available for the students who took this class. These notes have now been
modified even more and developed into a book. My goal is that this text will not only provide a
useful source for students, but also to others who are interested in gaining a better understand-
ing of vegetables and the methods used to produce these crops in home gardens.
Dr. Alan Walters is Professor of Vegetable Science at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale,
Illinois.
INTRODUCTION
The interest in home gardening seems to increase every year and this is occurring for several
reasons. In the past, many would garden as a hobby, to have fresh vegetables available for the
kitchen, or to save money and reduce the amount spent for food in a grocery store. However,
today, consumers are becoming increasingly interested in and aware of developing healthier
lifestyles and eating habits, and are becoming more knowledgeable about fresh fruits and veg-
etables. Both gardeners and consumers are concerned about their nutrition and health, and are
becoming more interested in eating fresh fruits and vegetables that do not have toxic pesticide
residues. Some consumers perceive organically produced vegetables as being safer primarily from
reduced pesticide residues. Many consumers are willing to pay significantly more for organic
produce, as they associate these foods as being healthier, more nutritious, better tasting, safer,
and produced through more environmentally friendly methods than those produced through
conventional agricultural practices. However, organic produce is sometimes two or three times
the cost of that produced conventionally with pesticides. Thus, a major reason that many have
their own garden is to produce organic foods for their family. This allows them to possibly avoid
the high costs associated with organic produce by growing their own. This gives gardeners and
consumers assurance that they, their children, or other family members are eating products that
are entirely natural and free of pesticides.
From an environmental cost standpoint, the carbon emissions associated with the transport of
food from farm to supermarket can be substantial. Greenhouse gases, which include the carbon
dioxide and other gases released when fossil fuels are burned for energy, are an environmental
concern. These gases absorb and trap the heat in the air and re-radiate that heat downward,
contributing to the trend in global warming. The carrots or lettuce that you put in your grocery
cart at a supermarket travels an average distance of about 1,600 miles to reach you. Thus, grow-
ing your own produce has environmental benefits, as the less your food travels, the less energy
is being used, and less carbon dioxide gas emissions are being created in getting the food to you.
Growing your own produce in a home garden is its own reward. Although many home
gardeners gain the satisfaction of watching their food grow, they also get to enjoy the taste of
fresh fruits and vegetables once crops are ready to harvest. Whether a gardener is growing a few
herbs on the windowsill of a studio apartment or putting in rows of veggies in an acre-sized
backyard, cultivating your own food is a great way to eat healthy, cut down on your carbon
footprint, reduce pesticide-residue consumption, and encourage a produce-heavy diet, full of
easy-to-grow vegetable crops, like lettuce and tomatoes, and herbs. Anyone can grow a lot of
tasty produce in a small space if they are careful about picking the right crops and providing the
proper growing conditions. A good rule of thumb is that about a half-pound of vegetables can
be grown in a 1 ft x 1 ft space.
Chapter One
HOME GARDEN PREPARATION
G arden preparation is the key to successful gardening. What we do before we even
plant a seed in the soil, water or fertilize a plant is very important to how successful a
garden will be. It doesn’t matter how you garden outside, whether in containers or in
the ground. All of these factors that I am going to discuss next are very important for a gardner
to think about prior to establishing a home garden.
SITE SELECTION
Some home gardeners do not select the proper site in which to locate their garden and have prob-
lems that can be observed year after year due to the location of the garden. So, site selection is an
important step in developing a successful garden. There are many things that you should consider
before selecting and developing a site for garden use. A few things that the new home gardener
should consider that will influence their gardening success are the climate in the area, sunlight
exposure, the soil on the site, the water supply, and the accessibility to the garden from the house.
CLIMATE
Climate is weather conditions over time for a particular region. The climate has a direct effect
on which plants can be grown in a given area and the best planting dates to achieve optimum
results. For example, southern Illinois is considered to be in the lower Midwest and is in Zone
6b according to the USDA Plant Hardiness Map (Fig. 1), which divides the U.S. into eleven plant
hardiness zones based on average minimum temperatures. The minimum temperatures for Zone
6b is –5° to 0°F. It is easy to find the region of the U.S. in which you have an interest; see Fig. 1.1.
There are four critical components of climate that we need to be concerned about before we
decide on a planting a home garden. These are
1) Temperature
2) Precipitation
3) Solar Radiation
4) Air Movement and Composition (hot or cold air)
3
4 | HOME VEGETABLE GARDENING
Plant Hardiness Zone Map
Seattle
OLYMPIA
PortlandColumbia Missouri
SALEM HELENA BISMARCK AUGUSTA
MONTPELIER
SACRASaMnE FNraTOnciscCoARSON CITY BOISE SALT LAKE CITY DCENHVEYEERNNE PIERRE LMIissoNuriCOLNDESSA MINOT MiIPsSsiNssAipPpiERUSILNGMFIAECLDDhISicOIaNNgDoIANLDAAePNtOrSoLICiNItSOGLUMBWUASSHINGPiATtBOtHNusbNAfNfua RADrlRogP.CIhOS.BNLUIeSRwG YDAoOLrPkBVThRAAEiHElaNRvANedYTRreOaTlFgpNOeCh RiAOaPDBnNROnOCuSaVOTlOI REDxNDEtrNeCmEe
Los Angeles Las Vegas Colorado SANTA FE WichitaTOPEJEKFAFERSON CITYSaint Louis NASHVFOIRLAhLEiNoKFCOHRATRLESTCORhNIaCrRHloAMtLtOeEINGDH M–––i432n000Time tttmooou19m p–––7321 6T(000e–F2m)0 Zp0o2315enraeture
OKLAHOMA CITY COLUMBIA –10 to 0 4
HONOHLaUwLUaii San Diego PHOTEuNcIsXon Dallas LITTLE ROCKMississippiJACKSON BirmMiOngANhTTLaGAmONMTAERY 12000 tttooo 231000 567
0024555900110M80K0iilleosmeters Rio Grande ASaUnS TAINntonHioouston NewB AOTrOleNa nRsOUGE TALLAHASSEE 3400 ttoo 4500 89
Tampa
Anchorage Puerto Rico
0054010008020K0il1o6mM0eiletesrs Alaska JUNEAU0010705201050 400K3ilo0m0Meiletesrs 00115032006400KMiliolemseters Miami
Figure 1.1 USDA Plant Hardiness Map.
The first component is temperature, which really determines the length of growing season and
is affected by:
Latitude. We generally associate that it will be 1°F cooler for every 200 miles from equator,
and this temperature decrease with increasing latitude is due to a decrease in the as the angle
of sunlight reaching a surface.
Altitude or elevation. There is also an average decrease of 3° to 4°F for every 1,000 feet of
an increase in elevation.
Large bodies of water. The proximity to large bodies of water affects the temperature for a
given area; bodies of water such as oceans, rivers, and large lakes reduce temperature extremes
and give a land area cooler summers and warmer winters.
June 1
Average Dates of Last
Spring Frost
May 1 June 1–June 30
May 1–May 31
April 1 April 1–April 30
March 1– March 31
FMeabrrcuha r1y 1 February 1–February 28
January 1–January 31
Figure 1.2 The average dates of the last spring frost for specific regions of the U.S.