Teri Dunn Chace
Teri Dunn Chace is author of more than 35 gardening books, including Landscaping for Dummies and The Anxious Gardener’s Book of Answers. She lives in central New York. TeriChaceWriter.com
Is growing your own vegetables worthwhile? Yes, says our Bottom Line gardening expert Teri Dunn Chace, a backyard vegetable garden is a great idea, especially when you factor in that you can choose quality varieties and assure that your crops are organic and picked at the peak of ripeness for maximum flavor and nutrition. Here is how to get started…
Buying vegetable plants in late spring or early summer is just paying someone else to do what you can easily do yourself. Seed packets are very inexpensive, even when you select special heirloom varieties.
Buy fewer packets or ones with fewer seeds. Many mail-order catalogs—even Burpee and Park Seed—now offer smaller, less expensive “mini-packets.” Alternative: Order with other gardeners, and swap and share.
If the actual number of seeds is not listed on the packet, check how many feet of garden row the seeds will sow. If you have a small garden or small household, buy smaller packets with fewer seeds. You can calculate how many seeds you need for the garden space that you have using the online calculator at JohnnySeeds.com.
Use small, clean containers and, if necessary, poke drainage holes in the bottoms. Recycled items such as small yogurt cups and milk cartons work fine. Even better: Biodegradable cardboard, paper or peat-moss cups can go directly into the soil, so you can skip the later step of popping seedlings out of the containers.
The hardest thing to provide when starting seeds is the right temperature—it should be 70°F to 80°F. While you can purchase special heating mats and mini-greenhouses, it is easier and less expensive to raise baby veggies on top of the fridge, on a shelf over a radiator or other heat source, or in your warmest bright room.
Caution: Avoid common seedling diseases by raising seeds in “sterile soilless seed-starting mix,” available wherever gardening supplies are sold.
Certain vegetable seeds can be set right into garden soil in late spring—no indoor early start needed. These include corn, beans, beets, carrots, lettuce, cucumbers, peas, radish, squash and more. But don’t jump the gun and risk a setback. Wait until the ground has warmed up and is no longer cold or muddy.
Also: Space the seeds further apart so you won’t have to thin excess seedlings later—that means exceeding or even doubling the spacing advice on the packet.
Minimize the need for season-long pampering by creating an optimum garden bed. Crops thrive in ground that is free of rocks, clods and roots…and in soil that has been enriched with organic matter such as compost. Add mulch and straw around the bases of the plants, and install support for plants that will grow taller (stakes, tepees, cages—store-bought or homemade). Remember to water consistently.
In areas where lingering late-spring cold and pests are issues, use “floating rowcovers,” again, available wherever gardening supplies are sold (made of soft polypropylene fibers, they warm the soil while allowing in air, light and water)—a modest investment that gives a lot of bang for the buck.
To boost your confidence, start with the easiest vegetables to grow, which include any leafy greens including lettuce, radishes and squash.
