The Vegetable Garden Season

When people think of their kitchen garden they think summer corn and tomatoes. But the true food gardener knows that the time span between spring and fall frosts is not the limit to the edible garden, From early spring to the last days of fall, with good planning, a garden can keep being productive. If you live where the winters are mild, you can actually keep growing several vegetables right through the winter.

The most hardy or cold season crops can be started from seed in early spring or as soon as the soil will permit being dry enough to be tilled. This variety of seed can be also planted again in mid-summer for a fall crop. Some examples of these vegetables include arugula, beets, cabbage, endive, kale, radish, Swiss chard, and turnips. All of these respond to cold and frost favorably making them taste sweeter and crisp. After all danger of frost has past, the warm-season seeds can be planted or transferred into the garden. These can also be started indoors to get a head start. Some warm-season vegetables are basil, beans, cucumbers, eggplant, squash, peppers, sweet corn, sweet potatoes and tomatoes.

Although the spring season varies from area to area, there is usually a period of time in which it rains consistently and heavily. This weather will drown or ruin any early seed planting. In order to avoid this fate, make a raised bed letting the water drain properly. And consider using cloches, tunnels or other season–stretching devices. By mid-spring the garden’s salad season is in full swing.

The summer kitchen vegetables thrive on the warm temperatures, intense sunlight, and long days. It is important in the summer to keep you vegetable garden watered every day. The plants need to be monitored by weeding and providing feed fertilizer when necessary. Several summer plants require stakes, screens, or trellises to lift them off the ground for better growing conditions. This also will help with controlling the insects. The vegetables that stay ion the ground for long periods of time will do well with a layer of mulch. Mulch helps with the weeds and will keep moisture in the soil. Both peppers and tomatoes benefit with mulching.

A way of extending the harvest season is in doing a succession of plantings. For instance, snap beans can be planted two times, same with kale. Plant a row of seed, and in the next three to four weeks, plant a new row of this plant. Or you might want to plant eggplant or peppers after the spring spinach has been all harvested. Broccoli or cabbage, both cooler season vegetables, can be planted after the radishes and lettuce have been harvested. As one plant bears all the crop it is going to give you, simply replace it with something else. In this way your small kitchen garden is capable of producing many abundant harvests and with a sufficient variety too.

After a busy summer of working in the garden, it is hard to muster up the energy to keep your garden growing into the fall, but it is well worth the effort. The cool nights will improve the quality of your vegetables. Most fall harvests taste fantastic being are much sweeter and crispier. Because the conditions have changed, it will take longer for your crops to grow. Adding about three weeks to the normal maturity date is usually a good rule of thumb. If you mulch and plastic tunnel some cool-season plants, you can grow hardy varieties throughout the winter in milder climates.

Dayelle Swensson is an avid writer for the web on a number of topics. Having gardened herself for many years, she is able to advise others about a variety of things including gardening tips, lawn and tree care, watering, hose reel and keeping your home garden looking attractive and healthy.