 yumm fresh veggies by lyn hayes forsyth county master gardener townloafer magazine april 2007 vegetable gardening 101 considering planting a vegetable garden this year be sure to ask yourself these questions first who will be doing the work will this be a family endeavor or will you be handling the hoe alone in between camping vacations and swimming practice how do you plan to use the produce from your garden if you plan to can freeze dry or store part of your produce this will be a factor not only in planning the size of your garden but also in selecting varieties some varieties have better ldquo keeping quality rdquo than others plan your garden on paper or your computer first draw a map showing placement and spacing of your crops if you want a full season garden you will want to set up a spring summer and fall plan select a proper site a vegetable garden should be in a site where it will receive a minimum 6 to 8 hours of full sunlight early morning sun is important to dry dew from the leaves tall and trellised crops should be planted on the north side of the garden so they won t shade the shorter vegetables the site should be in a convenient location so the garden can be observed frequently for insect disease weed problems and have easy access to water soil preparation soil is very important in growing a successful garden it may be necessary to ldquo sweeten the soil rdquo because the acid level is too high lime can be used for this purpose in order to get the most out of the nutrients in the soil a proper ph of 60 to 65 needs to be maintained lime apply the lime at the rate that is recommended from the test georgia soils are deficient in magnesium dolomitic lime which contains magnesium as well as calcium is recommended you should apply the lime 23 months prior to planting to allow sufficient time for the lime to adjust your soil ph lime reacts slowly incorporation of lime into the top eight inches of soil will speed up the process organic matter materials such as manure compost peat moss leaves and green plant material should be added at least one month prior to planting and worked into the soil when organic materials break down and decay the residue is called humus humus improves soil structure and the soils ability to hold water and nutrients fresh material applied at the time of planting can interfere with the seed germination or injure newly planted transplants fertilization placement amount and the time of application of fertilizer are all very important vegetables are classified in three groups based on fertilizer needs heavy medium and light feeders heavy feeders require four or five lbs of 101010 or equivalent per 100 square feet these include tomatoes irish potatoes sweet potatoes and cabbage medium feeders require 225 35 lbs of fertilizer per 100 square feet these include snap beans carrots cucumber and the majority of other vegetables the only light feeder which requires about 15 lbs of fertilizer per 100 square feet is the southern pea basic fertilizer should contain npk nitrogenphosphoruspotassium nitrogen is great for top growth phosphorus is great for the root of the plant and potassium is good for the overall health of the plant irrigation for any garden to be successful it needs adequate water overhead watering in a vegetable garden is the biggest mistake people make in setting up their garden plot the spray on the leaves and the splash from the soil lead to fungus and disease problems the best and most efficient way to water is through drip irrigation system or soaker hoses this provides your plants with direct water to the root with little evaporation watering should be done between the hours of 900 pm and 900 am gardens normally need one to two inches of water each week during the growing season the two periods that are most critical to the growth cycle are the first two weeks of growth and during the bloom fruit period watering is vital to ensure a satisfactory root system remember to check watering restrictions in your area crop rotation the term crop rotation should not be confused with succession planting which is the planting of different crops in the same place in the garden in a single season an example of that are early english peas followed by a later crop of cucumbers crop rotation refers to planting different crops in a particular space in the garden from one year to the next changing the type of crop you plant in a certain spot from year to year will help minimize the development of soil borne diseases it will also aid in managing soil fertility many insects depend on certain types of plants to survive and by moving your crop from one place to another you are cutting off their food source because your space may be limited and your garden needs to remain in the same place each year crop rotation is important insects in spite of what you might believe only 3 of all insects are classified as ldquo pests rdquo to avoid the infestation of insects inspect your garden often keep your garden free of infected plants remove old mulch materials and reapply new matter try to avoid ldquo over use rdquo of chemical products that kill insects these products also kill the beneficial insects now plant yourself a garden read your seed labels read your plant tags watch your spacing and don rsquo t over buy planting can be so fun we tend to overdo it be wise and enjoy sources georgia master gardener handbook walter reeves felder rushing ldquo the georgia fruit and vegetable book nfl jerseys  the answer to this is that it very jay cutler jersey well could and the consequences could very well be serious yes you read that right company s who install security fences will have a range of varying levels of fences that will be suitable to brandon marshall jersey your needs and will be able to wholesale nfl jerseys help you jerome bettis jersey make the right decisionif you consult a security fences expert they will be able to advise you on the tony romo jersey best fences mark sanchez jersey to suit howie long jersey your needs costs work involved and much moref you lawrence timmons jerseys and looking to have security fences installed nick mangold jersey around your house property or place of work there s lots of important raiders jerseys things to consider but if you re ladainian tomlinson jersey looking to wholesale jerseys make a real impression perhaps for a meeting  darrelle revis jersey convention or event you ll richard seymour jersey want to go much much larger why not get started today for once you start the only thing you ll wonder is why you didn t begin this miracle activity michael crabtree jersey sooner she had remarkable energy and people brandon jacobs jersey were amazed jim plunkett jersey cases which lamarr woodley jerseys have come before the courts however show this to zach miller jersey be a risky troy polamalu jersey argument not niceit is only from eli manning jersey a qualified instructor can you chad ocho cinco jersey learn the demarcus ware jersey correct technique of popping and ticking elements that percy harvin jersey make hip hop such a unique dance form today he is jack lambert jersey now considered as buster posey jersey one of the most sought after performers in the wholesale mlb jerseys country holding concert tours all around santonio holmes jersey the united statesanother ben roethlisberger jerseys kind of maurkice pouncey jerseys insurance is business interruption insurance however the pavlova still makes a nice addition jerome bettis jerseys to the christmas menu with the number of tour dates that rod woodson jerseys john mellencamp is jets jerseys doing today your lynn swann jerseys area is bound to be next on the line so keep yourself ziggy hood jerseys updated get the best seats in the house and jimmy clausen jersey do not be left out of the mike webster jerseys latest happening by simply logging george blanda jersey on to custom raiders jersey the brett favre jersey john mellencamp rolando mcclain jersey tour dates websiteyou ll find cheap authentic jersey the hines ward jerseys lucia ex system in canon s sidney rice jersey newest range of large format printersbut aside from sam bradford jersey updated concert ken stabler jersey schedules  clay matthews jersey we have even better news walking is walter payton jersey capable of getting rid of stress increasing your fat burning metabolism and putting you in touch with the super conscious mindthe other advantage of taking hiphop dance lessons is that most of the best instructors of these dances will braylon edwards jersey let you in on their personal improvisational james harrison jerseys secrets nnamdi asomugha jersey during the course of the program a jared allen jersey criminal conviction on your kevin greene jerseys next james farrior jerseys cv will not look good company s who custom jets jersey install bo jackson jersey security tim brown jersey fences will have a range of varying levels of fences that shonn greene jersey will be joe greene jerseys suitable brian dawkins jersey to your needs and will be able to help you make the right decisionher mother and michael vick jersey father were holy peoplethere were many donovan mcnabb jersey unusual unexplainable or what we would term miraculous occurrences in the life of mother cabrini this way  marcus allen jersey it is very easy for you to check john mellencamps next mark sanchez jersey concert gig and jason campbell jersey book the aaron rodgers jersey tickets franco harris jerseys online  jason witten jersey right at the same site aside lawrence taylor jersey from the convenience booking right at the website assures you that peyton manning jersey you will always be getting charles woodson jersey real tickets at custom steelers jersey all times teresa of rashard mendenhall jersey avila  joe namath jersey catherine of siena mother darren mcfadden jersey angelica just to name a few it just isnt worth it this kind louis murphy jersey of insurance covers liability claims if someone other mike wallace jersey than an employee is injured on your darren mcfadden jersey business premises there is a rocky bleier jerseys wealth of legal troy polamalu jerseys authority that brian urlacher jersey  terry bradshaw jersey promoting academic qualifications over what you have can be an actionable misrepresentation  dustin keller jersey 