Starting a vegetable garden All you need to

Starting a vegetable garden All you need to know to start your backyard vegetable garden!

Find your climate zone Duncan is Zone 3: at 3500 to 5000 feet elevation, corresponds to USDA zone 8 b, Sunset National Garden zone 10 www. gardeninginarizona. com

Questions to answer before you begin: n n Who will be doing the work? What does your family like to eat? How will you use the produce? How much space is available?

Designing your garden n It is best to begin with a drawing that shows arrangement and spacing of crops. Clemson spineless okra (56 days) 5 ft Top crop green bush bean (50 days) Crimson sweet watermelons (85 days) Dixie summer squash (41 days) Sweet slice cucumber (62 days) 5 ft • place tall plants on North side • Group plants by length of growing period • Plant where there is at least 6 hours of sun • Don’t plant vegetables of same family near each other more often than once every 3 years. This helps prevent disease.

Vegetable groups according to family Family Vegetable Amaryllidaceae garlic, leek, onion Chenopodiaceae beet, spinach Compositae endive, lettuce, sunflower Cruciferae broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, collards, kale kohlrabi, mustard, radish, rutabaga, turnip Cucurbitaceae cucumber, muskmelon, pumpkin, squash, watermelon Gramineae corn Leguminosae bean, peanut Liliaceae asparagus Malvaceae okra Solanaceae eggplant, pepper, tomato Umbelliferae carrot, celery, parsley, parsnip

Preparing your soil n n n Ideal soil is deep, well drained and has high organic matter content Soil testing can be helpful. In Arizona, it is common that soils lack Nitrogen and Phosphates. Tillage equipment varies on the size of your garden

Seed selection n Purchase from dependable companies n expensive but more variety n n Cheap and local n n Willhite, park seed, gurneys Walmart, home-depot, safford builders Saving your own seed n n Difficult for beginners Be wary of cross-pollination! not all plants produce seed the same way Test for germination rate

Vegetable Years Asparagus 3 Leek 1 Bean 3 Lettuce 5 Beet 4 Muskmelon 5 Broccoli 4 Mustard 4 Brussels sprouts 4 Okra 2 Cabbage 4 Onion 1 Carrot 3 Parsley 2 Cauliflower 4 Parsnip 1 Celery 5 Pea 3 Chinese cabbage 4 Pepper 3 Collard 4 Pumpkin 4 Corn, sweet 1 Radish 4 Cress, water 5 Rutabaga 4 Cucumber 5 Spinach 4 Eggplant 5 Squash 4 Endive 5 Tomato 3 Kale 4 Turnip 5 Kohlrabi 4 Watermelon 5

Starting seeds indoors n Grow-light systems and grow mats n n Germination stations n n Greenhouse effect, seedlings emerge quickly Various containers n n Warms roots, encourages efficient growth Egg cartons, yogurt tubs, milk cartons, cans Peat pots n Can sow directly, doesn’t disturb roots

Starting seeds outdoors n Depends on soil type n n n Depends on type of seed n n n Sandy soil: plant seed deeper Silty/clay soil: cover seed only 2 -3 times diameter of seed Carrots, beans and peas are best at broadcast seeding Melons, squash, corn and cucumbers are best at hill planting Depends on soil temperature n n Cold soil will often rot the seeds if planted to early Optimum soil temperature chart on next page

MIN. (° F) RANGE (°F) OPTIMUM (°F) MAX (° F) BEANd 60° - 85° 80° 95° 7 - 14 CABBAGEa, b 40° 45° - 95° 85° 100° 7 - 10 CARROTb 40° 45° - 85° 80° 95° 10 - 21 CORNd 50° 60° - 95° 105° 7 - 10 CUCUMBERc, d 60° 75° - 95° 105° 7 - 10 EGGPLANTc 60° 40° - 80° 85° 95° 7 - 12 MUSKMELONe 60° 75° - 95° 90° 100° 7 - 10 OKRAe 60° 70° - 95° 105° 8 - 12 PEPPERc 60° 65° - 95° 85° 95° 14 - 21 PUMPKINd 60° 70° - 90° 95° 100° 7 - 10 RADISHb 40° 45° - 90° 95° 3 -7 SQUASHd 60° 70° - 95° 100° 9 - 12 TOMATOc 59° 60° - 85° 95° 5 - 14 WATERMELONe 60° 70° - 95° 105° 7 - 10 VEGETABLE DAYS TO GERMINATION

Transplanting n n Prepare soil prior to planting Disrupt roots as little as possible Make sure plants are “hardened off” Protect plants n n newspaper, boxes, jugs Use a starter solution n Manure tea, fish emulsion, purchased solution

Optimum transplanting temperatures and dates Vegetable Day 2 (°F) Night (°F) Time (weeks) Sweet Corn 70° - 75° 60° - 65° 3 -4 Cucumber 70° - 75° 60° - 65° 3 -4 Eggplant 70° - 80° 65° - 70° 6 -8 Lettuce 70° - 80° 50° - 55° 5 -7 Muskmelon 70° - 75° 60° - 65° 3 -4 Onion 60° - 65° 55° - 60° 10 - 12 Pepper 65° - 75° 60° - 65° 6 -8 Summer Squash 70° - 75° 60° - 65° 3 -4 Tomato 70° - 75° 65° - 75° 5 -7 Watermelon 70° - 80° 65° - 70° 3 -4

Transplant Production Data Easily Survive Transplanting Require Care in the Operation Not Successfully Transplanted by Usual Methods Broccoli Beets Beans Cabbage Carrots (young) Corn Cauliflower Celery Cucumbers Eggplant Chard Peas Lettuce Melon (2 true leaves) Okra Chinese cabbage Squash (2 true leaves) Sweet potato slips Onion (tends to bolt) Tomatoes Pepper

Irrigation n Soil moisture is imperative n n n Depends on soil type n n n mulching helps smother weeds, and hold soil for plants Shading allows soil to retain moisture Clayey soils hold water tightly Sandy soils need additional organic matter to retain water Various types of irrigation n n Water can Soaker hose flood Drip irrigation sprinkler

Fertilizing your garden n n How fertile is the soil naturally? How much organic matter is present? What kind of fertilizer is being applied? What crops are being grown? n some crops are “heavy feeders” while some are “light feeders”

Heavy Feeders Light Feeders Asparagus Lettuce Carrot Alfalfa Beet Okra Garlic Beans Broccoli* Parsley Leek Clover Brussels sprouts* Pepper Mustard Greens Peas Cabbage* Potato Onion Peanut Cantaloupe* Pumpkin* Parsnip Soybeans Cauliflower Radish Rutabaga Celery Rhubarb Shallot Collard Spinach Sweet Potato Corn, Sweet* Squash, Summer* Swiss Chard Eggplant* Strawberry Endive Sunflower Kalle Tomato* Kohlrabi Watermelon*

Controlling weeds n Cultivation n n Mulching n n Prevents weed seedlings from sunlight Herbicides n n Organic mulch, black plastic, old carpet, Close spacing n n Hand digging, hoes, roto-tiller Must be used carefully, follow all directions! Natural methods n Cinnamon oil, thyme, dish detergent

Types of crops n n Cool-season vegetables include beet, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, lettuce, onion, pea, potato, radish, spinach and turnip. Because they are hardy or frost tolerant and germinate in cold soil they can be planted in winter or early spring depending on location. For best quality these crops need to mature during cooler periods rather than in the heat of the summer. Warm-season vegetables include beans, cucumber, eggplant, melons, pepper, pumpkin, squash, sweet corn, sweet potato and tomato. These do not tolerate frost but need warm temperatures to set and properly mature fruit. However, temperatures too high reduce quality; ex. - sunburn fruit, poor colored tomatoes and poor ear fill in sweet corn.

Vegetable Yields Vegetables Average Crop Expected Per 100 Feet Fresh Storage Canning or Freezing Beans, Snap Bush 120 lb. 15 - 16 plants 15 - 20 feet Beans, Snap Pole 150 lb. 5 - 6 feet 8 - 10 feet Carrots 100 lb. 5 - 10 feet 10 - 15 feet Corn, Sweet 10 dozen 10 - 15 feet 30 - 50 feet Cucumbers 120 lb. 1 - 2 hills 3 - 5 hills Okra 100 lb. 4 - 6 feet 6 - 10 feet Onions (plants/sets) 100 lb. 3 - 5 feet 30 - 50 feet Peppers 60 lb. 3 - 5 plants Pumpkins 100 lb. 1 - 2 hills Radishes 100 bunches 3 - 5 feet Squash, Summer 150 lb. 2 - 3 hills Tomatoes 100 lb. 3 - 5 plants 5 - 10 plants Watermelon 40 fruits 2 -4 hills ------------

Planting Vegetables Plants or Seed per 100 feet Spacing (Inches) Rows Number Days Ready for Use Plants Beans, snap bush 1/2 lb. 24 -36 3 -4 45 -60 Beans, snap pole 1/2 lb. 36 -48 4 -6 60 -70 Carrots 1/2 oz. 15 -24 2 70 -80 Corn, sweet 3 -4 oz. 12 -18 70 -90 Cucumbers 1/2 oz. 48 -72 24 -48 50 -70 Eggplant 1/8 oz. 24 -36 18 -24 80 -90 Okra 2 oz. 36 -24 12 -24 55 -65 Peppers 1/8 oz. 24 -36 18 -24 60 -90 Pumpkins 1/2 oz. 60 -96 36 -48 75 -100 Radishes 1 oz. 14 -24 1 25 -40 Squash, summer 1 oz. 36 -60 18 -36 50 -60 Tomatoes 50 pl. or 1/8 oz. 24 -48 18 -36 70 -90 Watermelon 1 oz. 72 -96 36 -72 80 -120

Planting Dates Vegetable Region 3 2000 - 3000 feet Elevation Bean, bush Mar. 1 - Apr. 1 July 15 - Aug. 15 Bean, pole July 15 - Aug. 10 Cantaloupe Mar. 15 - June 1 Carrot Aug. 25 - Mar. 15 Corn, sweet Mar. 15 - Apr. 1 July 15 - Aug. 15 Cucumber Mar. 20 - May 15 Aug. 1 - Sept. 1 Eggplant Apr. 1 - May 15 Muskmelon Apr. 1 - July 15 Mustard Sept. 1 - Feb. 1 Okra Apr. 1 - June 15 Pepper (seed) Feb. 15 - Mar. 15 Pumpkin Apr. 1 - July 15 Radish Aug. 5 - May 1 Squash, summer Mar. 15 - July 15 Tomato (seed) Jan. 10 - Feb. 15 Watermelon Mar. 15 - June 1

Container Gardening n Location n n Crops n n Package potting soil is best Watering n n Good drainage, allows growth, clay, plastic, metal Growing media n n Carrots, radishes, lettuce, herbs, tomatoes, peppers Containers n n Window sill, patio, balcony, doorstep Must be done regularly Fertilizing n 14 -14 -14, occasional manure tea, occasional fish emulsion

activity n n What type of garden are you going to grow? What 3 crops are you going to grow? Draw your “plan” Use the internet to navigate through the following sites: n n www. willhiteseed. com www. parkseed. com www. gurneys. com Find prices, varieties of seed that grow best in your zone, find our zone, days to harvest and any diseases the plants are resistant too. Compare the 3 sites and choose your favorite. Be sure to explain why (site is easy to navigate, cheap prices, lots of information, ect. )

References n n Arizona master gardener www. gardeninginarizona. com