Grow vegetables!
Simple methods anyone can use anywhere to produce nutritious food.
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A Primer on Vegetable Gardening
Start your garden with this simple, easy-to-follow guide by R.L. Villareal, S. Shanmugasundaram, and M.L. Chadha.
A vegetable garden for every situation
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What VEGETABLES need to grow
SOIL
Most vegetable crops grow best in well-drained, rich, crumbly loam soil teeming with life (earthworms, for instance). If your soil is dense and hard-packed or loose and sandy, amend it with compost and other soil builders such as shredded leaves or grass. This will gradually build up into a structure that will allow plant roots to spread easily and take up oxygen, water and nutrients.
Compost — decomposed organic wastes such as straw, leaves, ash, manure and kitchen scraps — help create good soil texture, provide some nutrients for plants, and encourage beneficial soil microorganisms.
It’s easy to make your own compost!
WATER
Vegetables vary widely in their water needs. As a general rule, apply water two to three times a week and water deeply each time as opposed to a brief, shallow watering every day. Watering deeply — moistening the soil to a depth of six inches is ideal — will encourage plants to send roots well into the ground. If it rains frequently, you can water less.
Watering early in the morning gives crops time to absorb the moisture before it evaporates in the heat of the day. Any water that gets on the foliage will also have enough time to dry off before nightfall, minimizing the risk from slugs and fungal diseases.
Drip irrigation for small gardens helps conserve water and ensures it is delivered to the plant roots.
SUNLIGHT
Plant growth and performance is fueled by energy from sunlight. Situate your vegetable garden in a place that will receive sun for at least half the day.
See below for details!
FOOD
If you want vegetables to feed you, you have to feed them first!
To thrive, vegetables need three major nutrients:
- Nitrogen (N) for strong growth of leaves
- Phosphorus (P) for good root and stem development
- Potassium (K) to promote flowering
and trace elements such as Boron, Calcium, Copper, Hydrogen, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Molybdenum, Silicon, Sulfur, and Zinc.
A healthy, well-cared-for soil enriched with compost will provide many of the nutrients vegetables require.
Commercial fertilizers are available with different combinations of mineral nutrients. Although some vegetables have specific nutrient requirements, most will do well with fertilizer at a ratio of 3-1-2: That’s 3% Nitrogen, 1% Phosphorus & 2% Potassium. A fertilizer with a 6-2-4 or a 9-3-6 ratio will also work.
Use fertilizer with care. Over-fertilization is harmful to plants, wastes resources, and pollutes rivers, lakes and groundwater.
SUNLIGHT
Even the most open garden area can provide some shade. Tall stalks of corn, for example, can provide partial shade for smaller radishes and peas, while heavy-leafed squash plants might provide near-permanent shade for carrots.
FULL SUN
Full sun means a minimum of 6 hours (usually at least 8) of sunlight per day. For at least 6 hours, the sun should be directly shining onto the plants nearly every day of the season. No shade (from trees, buildings, etc.) should block sunlight from full-sun veggies.
- Cucumbers
- Pumpkins /Squash
- Eggplant
- Peppers
- Tomatoes
PARTIAL SUN
Partial sun vegetables require at least 4 hours of sunlight per day, but often thrive with less than 6 hours of direct sunlight.
- Beans
- Beets
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Leeks
- Onion
- Peas
- Radish
- Turnips
LIGHT SHADE
Light shade vegetables do well in less sunlight (2 to 4 hours per day).
- Arugula
- Brussels Sprouts
- Endive
- Kale
- Leaf Lettuce
- Mustard Greens
- Spinach
- Swiss Chard
What YOU need to grow vegetables
SEEDS and SEEDLINGS
Obtain seed from seed companies, friends — or save your own.
Seedlings may cost more, but will get a crop into the ground quicker. You can produce your own seedlings.
Use sterilized soil to get your young plants off to a good start!
TOOLS
You don’t need many tools to build and tend a garden — a shovel, hoe and rake, a watering can or hose should do it. Keep your tool collection simple to start, then add to it over time as you gain gardening knowledge and experience.
PATIENCE!
A vegetable garden will produce some quick rewards (like radishes!), but others vegetables like tomatoes and peppers take time to bear fruit. Tend your crops with care: pull weeds, pick off pests, water and feed them regularly. You’ll soon be enjoying a bountiful harvest!
Start a new tradition!
Grow these hardy, tasty and nutritious traditional vegetables
SPIDER PLANT
An annual herb, Spider Plant (Cleome gynandra) adds a tangy mustard flavor to meals and beta-carotene to diets — just what the body needs to produce vitamin A for good vision and a healthy immune system. It contributes plenty of vitamin C, iron and protein, too. An all-around healthy choice!
OKRA
Some call it lady’s fingers; we call it delicious! Abelmoschus esculentus contributes folic acid and antioxidants to the diet. Eat it sauteed, stir-fried, raw or pickled. Use it to thicken soups and sauces. Okra’s slippery texture comes from mucilage, which forms a soothing film over mucous membranes, relieving minor pain and inflammation.
ROSELLE
Add some color to your diet! Dried, pickled, in jams or drinks, the beautiful ruby-red calyxes of Hibiscus sabdariffa provide a delicious boost of antioxidants. Enjoy the young shoots in salads or stir-fried dishes; they contribute a pleasant sour flavor and vitamins C & E, calcium, iron and more to the meal on your plate.
MALABAR SPINACH
Smooth and savory, red-stemmed or green-stemmed, leaves of Basella spp. enrich meals with ample vitamin C.
This fast-growing leafy green can be consumed in many different ways. It’s a great source of folic acid, too.
AFRICAN EGGPLANT
Eggs without chickens? It’s possible with Solanum aethiopicum! African eggplant produces a versatile egg-shaped fruit and highly nutritious leaves that contribute vitamin C, calcium, protein and more to the diet.
Try growing “garden eggs” at home!
AMARANTH
Tasty leaves AND a versatile high-protein grain, all in one amazing plant! There are many species of Amaranthus that can enrich diets with calcium, vitamin C, iron, and protein. Eat the fast-growing leaves and stems fresh, steamed, or boiled, in soups, stews and other dishes. Try popping the grains, or grind them into flour.WAX GOURD
Benincasa hispida can be stored for months — it’s a vegetable for every kitchen! Consume the sweet, mild-tasting flesh in soups, stews and drinks. When mature, the fruit loses its fuzz and develops a waxy coating, which gives it a long shelf life.
WINGED BEAN
All parts of the Winged Bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus) are edible: Leaves can be eaten like spinach, flowers can be used in salads, pods can be eaten raw or cooked, and seeds can be used in similar ways as soybeans. The unusual shape adds visual appeal to meals.BITTER GOURD
Momordica charantia comes in many colors (from deep green to pale cream), shapes (slender or thick, warty or smooth), sizes (tiny to large) — and degrees of bitterness.
Try several types and find your favorite!