Last week we discussed the soil preparation needed for a successful vegetable garden. Assuming that the soil has been prepared and allowed to settle (rest) for two or three weeks, you are ready to plant your vegetables.

In the Bay Area we plant winter vegetables and summer vegetables. At this time of year we can plant tomatoes, squash, string beans, pumpkins, peppers, eggplant, carrots, turnips, radishes, potatoes, spinach, chard, lettuce, cucumbers, beets, basil, and of course, parsnips. It’s too late for asparagus. Cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and the other cole crops are winter vegetables. Peas are also winter vegetables.

Your vegetables can be planted from seeds or from individual seedlings purchased at Veggie World. When you want tomatoes for home use, it is more practical to buy five different varieties of seedlings rather than a package of 75 or more of the same kind of seeds. On the other hand, 48 string bean plants will sprout in four or five days and produce a stronger root system than if they are planted from seeds.

Radishes, beets, carrots, turnips and other ‘root crops’ have to be planted from seeds because they are not sold as seedlings.

Tomatoes (see the Care Sheet on our website) will need support to keep the fruit off of the ground. You can build your own support or buy ready made tomato cages such as the Texas Tomato Cages that Wegman’s features. You need a minimum of six feet of support. Cucumbers will grow nicely in the small three foot tall tomato cages.

If you want to plant corn, you need to plant a block at least six or eight feet square to ensure that you get adequate pollination. Otherwise, you may end up with ears that have large gaps in them. (Raccoons will probably eat most of the corn, anyway.)

String beans can be either bush beans or pole beans. Pole beans are easily supported on plastic bird netting and will produce more beans than the bush beans. Be sure the pole beans are located so that they do not shade other parts of the garden.

Plants in the squash family have long vines and could usurp limited space in a small garden. Plant squash, pumpkins and such plants at the edge of the prepared garden or raised bed and let the vine trail out onto the lawn, sidewalk or whatever.

Radishes, carrots, lettuce and small crops can be planted in between and around tomato plants to make use of vacant soil spaces.

The vegetable garden will need to be irrigated and fertilized on a regular basis. Master Nursery Tomato and Vegetable Food applied once a month provides all necessary nutrients. For those organically inclined, Dr. Earth Tomato, Vegetable and Herb Fertilizer applied every two months is recommended. The organic fertilizers take longer to break down and therefore are applied less often. Fertilizers such as Miracle-Gro are so short-lived that we can not recommend them for the vegetable garden. Covering the entire area with another one-half to one inch of Gold Rush as mulch after fertilizing is highly recommended.

Soaker hoses are our choice for irrigating the vegetable garden. Water is not wasted, and the soil is kept uniformly moist to encourage well developed root systems for all of the crops.

Last week, we said that 55°F was the soil temperature at which plant growth would become active. If you can’t wait for the temperature to reach 55°F by itself, you can help a little bit. Before planting your seedlings and after planting seeds, cover the entire area with a piece of 2 mil clear plastic. Then cut X’s in the plastic and plant your seedlings in the soil. Hold the edges of the plastic down with soil and leave in place until the plastic starts to interfere with plant growth. Covering the soil with plastic early in the year can probably increase the soil temperature 10 to 12 degrees.

Tomato Care Sheet:
http://www.wegmansnursery.com/services.asp?page_id=77

Next week—Which Tomato to Plant

Saturday and Sunday, March 24 & 25

• Over-the-top selection of tomatoes, vegetables and herbs
• Special table of 2007 Release Tomatoes
• Display of products, fertilizers and soils to make your garden the envy of the neighborhood

Special Event: 9 to11am on Sunday
Special Speaker on Organic Care

Fall in love with. . . .
Veggie World

Dieringer Nursery became the exclusive grower and distributor of the INKARHO™ System Rhododendrons in 2000. The INKARHO™ System provides several features such as higher pH tolerance, disease resistance, enhanced vigor, salt tolerance, increased longevity and the ability to withstand clay soils to a much greater extent. We have the following varieties in the INKARHO™ System: Cunninghams Pink,Daphnoides, Goldflimmer, Gomer Waterer, Holden, Jean Marie, Mrs. TH Lowinksky, Soldarity and Vulcan’s Flame.

Here are some tips from the Wegman Experts to get the best results:
• Find a location that is well drained or construct an area that raises the planted section several inches above mean ground level.
• Thoroughly water the root ball of the plant; it needs to be wet all the way to the center.
• More rhododendrons, camellias and azaleas die from being planted too deeply than from any other cause. To plant each shrub, dig a hole 1–2 feet wider than the root ball and no deeper than the depth of the soil in the container. Mix in Gold Rush or Nurseryman’s Acid Planting Mix to the soil removed from the hole at a ratio of one-third amendment to two-thirds native soil combined with Master Nursery Master Start fertilizer. Place the root ball in the hole so that its soil level is even with or slightly above the native soil level. Fill the space around the sides with the amended soil mixture until the hole is about half full and fill with water. Then, fill up the hole completely and water it again. This will settle the soil as well as wet it through. Next, build an irrigation basin around the plant. Make sure the level of the basin is flush with the level of the surrounding soil. Avoid sites exposed to cold or constant winds, especially with rhododendrons and camellias. When planting in containers, use Acid Planting Mix directly for optimal growth.
• Rhodies, azaleas and camellias will benefit best from granular fertilizers specially formulated for acid-loving plants, such as Master Nursery Camellia, Azalea, and Gardenia Food or Dr. Earth Rhododendron, Azalea & Camellia Fertilizer. Fertilizing should occur three times a year: right after bloom, one month later, and two months after the first application. A supplemental feeding of Master Nursery Master Bloom can be applied in September to enhance flower blossom production. You may also need to apply Master Nursery Iron-Plus or Master Nursery Chelated Iron if your plants show symptoms of iron deficiency.
• It’s a great idea to keep the plants well watered for the first few months, thereafter the soil should be moist not wet.
• Rhododendrons will best thrive when the flower blooms are removed (deadheaded) after blooming. We want all of the plant’s energy to go into growth, future bud set, and root development.
• Its ok to prune your plants every few years or to remove deadwood from the interior. We’ve found that any major trimming should be completed before the beginning of summer.