Texas Home Vegetable Gardening Guide

1 Texas HomeGuideTexas HomeVegetable Gardening GuideFrank J. Dainello, Professor and Extension HorticulturistAlthough many urban gardeners have little choice,selecting an appropriate garden site is essential tothe success of a ideal area is exposed tofull or near-full sunlight, with deep well-drained, fer-tile location should be near a water sourceand free of competition from existing shrubs orshade trees. By modifying certain cultural practicesand selecting adaptable crops and varieties, however,almost any site can become highly many areas of the state, poor soils prohibitoptimum Vegetable production. Heavy clays with1 home Gardening continues to grow in popularity. Most gardens arefound in urban settings. An estimated 1 of every 3 familiesengages in some type of gardeners are fortunatein being able to produce high quality, nutritious vegetables year-round inmost areas of the state. Successful Gardening is based on a few basic rulesand on making practical and timely drainage are special problems that may beaddressed by using raised beds.

2 Raised beds shouldbe 12 to 18 in height, 4 to 6 wide and 8 to 10 long. Materials such as cinder blocks, used railroadties and/or landscape timbers are ideal for building araised bed. Once constructed, the beds should befilled with a growing medium. A mixture of 1/3top-soil,1/3sand or coarse perlite and 1/3compost orbark mulch provides excellent growth for most of the first decisions a home gardener mustmake is what vegetables to grow and how much 1 lists crops suited to small and largegardens. Consider only those crops that return alarge volume of produce for the time and crops such as watermelon, cantaloupeand winter squash require a large area per , these are poor choices for gardenswith limited space. Locating the garden near a fenceor trellis may allow a gardener to produce vinecrops in less space than normally deci-sion about the amount of a Vegetable to producedepends on your family 1. home garden vegetables suggested for gardens ofvarying garden vegetablesLarge garden vegetablesBeetGreen beanCantaloupePotatoBroccoliLettuceColla rdsPumpkinBush SquashOnionCucumberSweet cornCabbageParsleyMustardSweet potatoCarrotPepperOkraWatermelonCauliflo werRadishEggplantSpinachGarlicTomatoGard en SiteCrop SelectionEqually as important as your choice of crop wrong variety may yield disappointingresults regardless of the time and effort spent in thegarden.

3 A list of recommended varieties is presentedin the your garden is not in an area that gets full ornear full sunlight, your crop selection may be limitedto cool season crops such as broccoli, mustard andcabbage, which are well adapted to low light 2 lists light requirements of commongarden 2. Light requirements of common bright sunlightBeanEggplantPepperSquashCantalou peOkraPotatoTomatoCucumberOnionPumpkinWa termelonTolerates partial shadeBeetCabbageKaleRadishBroccoliCollar dsLettuceSpinachBrussel s sprouts CauliflowerMustardTurnipJust as an architect needs a plan to construct abuilding, a gardener must have a plan. Careful plan-ning reduces work, lessens the incidence of crop fail-ure and increases returns on the labor and moneyinvested in the crops require long growing these crops in areas of the garden where theywill not interfere with the care and harvest of short-er season crops. Plant tall crops where they will notshade smaller growing crops. Plant crops such asokra, sweet corn, trellised tomatoes and pole beanson the north side of a garden to avoid shading small-er plants such as pepper, squash, lettuce, onion andradish.

4 It is also a good idea to group crops accord-ing to their rate of 3 shows the matu-rity rate of selected vegetables. Grouping plants bymaturity enables a gardener to make the maximumuse of limited garden space. As mature crops areremoved, they can be replaced by other crops withsimilar maturity rates. It is also a good practice toplant crops that are unrelated to the previous crop rotation reduces damage from soil-bornepathogens (diseases or pests). For example, followearly beans with beets, bush squash or bell 3. Rate of maturity of selected - 60 daysBeetMustardSummer squashBush beanRadishTurnip topsLeaf lettuce SpinachTurnip roots30 - 60 daysBroccoliGreen onionOkraChinese CabbageKohlrabiParsleyCarrotLima beanTomatoCucumberBush bean60+ daysBrussel s sproutsCauliflowerPumpkinBulb onionEggplantSweet potatoCabbageGarlicTomatoCantalupeIrish potatoWatermelonProper planting time is important to producingmaximum yield and plant quality. Consult thePlanting Date Guide in the appendix for recom-mended planting times for home gardens in yourarea.

5 Usually home gardens can be planted 10 daysto 2 weeks earlier than commercial fields becausethey are protected by existing buildings, trees andshrubs in the home landscape. Figures 1 and 2 showaverage dates for first and last freeze (32 degrees F)for various regions in dates and theinformation found in the Planting Date Guide canhelp determine optimum planting garden sites do not have deep, well drained,fertile soils that are ideal for Vegetable growing. As aresult, these soils must be altered to provide gooddrainage and aeration. If the soil is a heavy clay,adding organic matter or sand may help improve thesoil s physical 1 to 2 inches of good sand and 2 to 3 inch-es of organic matter to the garden site surface andturn under in late winter or early onthe soil s condition may be required over severalyears to obtain adequate conditions for a productivegarden. Periodically add organic matter such as com-2 Garden PlanWhen to PlantSoil Preparation3 Apr. 15 Mar.

6 31 Mar. 31 Mar. 16M a r. 1 Mar. 16 Mar. 1M a r. 1 Feb. 14 Feb. 14 Jan. 30 Jan. 30 Mar. 31 Apr. 15 Nov. 1 Nov. 1 Nov. 16 Nov. 16 Dec. 16 Dec. 16 Dec. 1 Dec. 1 Figure 1. Averge date of last 32 F freeze in the 2. Averge date of first 32 F freeze in the work wet garden soil. Soils containing ahigh degree of organic matter can be worked athigher moisture content than heavy clay if the soil is suitable for working, squeezetogether a small handful of soil. If it sticks togetherin a ball and does not readily crumble under slightpressure by the thumb and finger, it is too wet germinate more readily in well preparedsoil than in coarse, lumpy preparationgreatly reduces the work of planting and caring for acrop. It is possible, however, to overdo preparationof some soils. An ideal soil for planting is granular,not powdery materials, bark mulch, leaves and grass the soil to a depth of 8 to 10 inches; thedeeper the better. Under certain conditions, addinggypsum can improve soil structure and drainage.

7 Ifgypsum is used on a tight heavy clay, apply 6 to 8pounds per 100 square adding organic matter or sand to a gardensite, take care to avoid introducing soil pests such asnematodes and weeds such as nut canbecome very serious problems if they invade a gar-den Cooperative Extension provides alaboratory service to determine whether or notnematodes are present in a soil. Contact your coun-ty Extension agent for additional fertilization is important to successful veg-etable amount of fertilizer neededdepends on soil type and soils vary fromdeep blow sands to fertile, well drained soils to heavy,dark clays underlaid by layers of caliche rock. Cropsgrown on sandy soils usually respond to liberalamounts of potassium, whereas crops grown on claysoils do not. Common nutrient deficiency symptomsare listed in Table clay soils can be fertilized considerablyheavier at planting than can sandy soils. Heavy claysoils and those high in organic matter can absorb andstore fertilizer at three to four times the rate of sandysoils.

8 Although poor thin, sandy soils need fertilizer themost, they cannot be fertilized as heavily and stillmaintain plant safety. Consequently, fertilize these soilsmore often but with lighter doses of fertilizer. For rec-ommendations regarding fertilizer rates, contact yourcounty Extension agent and request a soil test kit andinstructions on where to send the gardens need a complete fertilizer with theproper analysis of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) andpotassium (K). A common misconception is that mostTexas garden soils need to be fertilized with a bal-anced fertilizer such as 13-13-13 or one high in phos-phorous such as 5 shows the relativepercentages of nutrients found in plant leaves in com-mon garden plants. Nutrient ratios of 10:1 (N: P) and10:1 (N: K) are the same regardless if It is a fruit, veg-etable or ornamental general, apply a complete fertilizer such as10-5-10 or 12-6-12 at the rate of 1 to 2 pounds per100 square feet. Amounts to apply should be basedon soil analysis performed with the assistance of yourcounty Extension agent.

9 After determining the properamount of fertilizer for pre-plant application, applythe fertilizer a few days before planting. Spade thegarden plot, spread the fertilizer by hand or with afertilizer distributor and then work the soil one ortwo times to properly mix the fertilizer with the bed the garden in preparation for planting. Onalkaline soils, apply 0-20-0 (superphosphate) directlybeneath the intended seed or plant row before plant-ing. Apply the superphosphate 2 to 4 inches beneaththe seeds or roots of transplants at the rate of 1/4to1/2pounds per 100 linear row care to avoidbanding nitrogen materials directly beneath the seedrow to avoid burning or killing emerging additional nitrogen as a furrow or side dressapplication later in the season. For most soils,1/2to3/4pound of 21-0-0 (ammonium sulfate) per 100 lin-ear row feet, applied in the furrow and watered in, isadequate. Apply at first fruit set for crops such astomato, pepper and squash. Leafy crops such as cab-bage and lettuce should be side-dressed with nitro-gen when they develop several sets of true your garden as early as possible in thespring and fall so the vegetables will grow andmature during the best weather or establishing Vegetable crops withseedlings allows earlier harvesting and extends theproductive period of many Vegetable is not practical or convenient, plantseeds.

10 A general rule of thumb for planting is tocover the seed 2 to 3 times its widest measurementThis is especially true for big-seeded crops such asgreen beans, sweet corn, cucumber, cantaloupe andwatermelon. For smaller-seeded crops such as car-FertilizationPlanting5 Table 5. Average N-P-K content of horticultural type% N% P%KN: :1 Fruit :1 Fertilizer ratios needed to equal leaf analysis: 15 4. Common symptoms of nutrient deficiencies in SymptomsOccurrenceMAJOR ELEMENTSN itrogenLower leaves first to show symptoms, become light green toLighter soils that are easily leached by yellowish and size is reduced. Weak growthexcessive rainfall or irrigationPhosphorousStems are thin and shortened. Purplish discoloration of leave,Deficiencies more prevalent undershortened internodes. Stunted plant growth and delayed , wet conditions. Low pH seen on older leaves that become grayish in colorLighter soils that are easily leached byfollowed by scorching of the leaf marginsexcessive rainfall or ELEMENTSB oronGrowing points die; stems are shortened and hard; leaves are On soils with a pH above or ondistorted.