CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 03/10/16

Plan before you plant for a successful summer vegetable garden

By Frank M. Watson

This time of the year gardeners get excited about their soon-to-be-planted spring vegetable gardens. They envision lush rows of perfect pods of peas, scrumptiously delicious sweet corn and big, beautiful tomatoes. University of Georgia Extension urges gardeners to wait and put some thought and vision into their garden first.

Gardeners should create a garden plan before they order the first packet of seeds or turn the first spade of soil. First, determine how much land you have available, how much time you can spend caring for the garden and the kinds and amounts of vegetables you want to grow.

Where?

Next, select for the location of your garden. It's best to put the garden near your home for quick, convenient access. Select a site with a suitable source of water for irrigating on hot, dry summer days. When deciding on a garden site, also remember most vegetables need a lot of sunlight and perform best in well-drained, fertile soil.

Draw a map of the garden showing the overall dimensions and the number, width, and length of the rows. Next, decide which vegetables (and specific varieties) you want to grow. Note them in your garden plan. (This will help plan next year’s garden, too, as UGA experts recommend rotating crop locations to reduce pest pressure.)

Perennial crops, such as asparagus and strawberries, should be planted to one side so they won't interfere with other garden activities. Plant tall crops, like sweet corn, on the north or west side of the garden so they don’t shade lower-growing vegetable plants.

Gather your tools

No matter how well you plan, it's hard to maintain a garden without the right tools. Plan ahead to have the right equipment on hand. A hoe, rake, spading fork, round-nosed shovel and watering can may be all that's needed to plant and maintain a small garden. For larger gardens, a rotary tiller or garden tractor might be needed.

During the gardening season, keep detailed records. These records will help you evaluate each variety you grow. Record planting dates and fertilizer applications. Also document rainfall.

It's easy to make changes on paper, but almost impossible to change your garden after it is planted. Carefully plan your garden and follow your plan to help make 2014’s vegetable garden the best ever.

For more information on planting a vegetable garden in Georgia, see the UGA Extension publication website at www.caes.uga.edu/publications.

Frank Watson is the University of Georgia Extension agent in Wilkes County, Ga.

Authors:
Frank M. Watson
Experts/Sources:
Frank M. Watson
Developing a garden plan will help gardeners decide where to plant crops based on their size and growth pattern. Some gardeners save space by growing green beans on a trellis as is shown in this Spalding County garden.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Download Image
Seth McAllister and farmer Mark Daniel discuss crop production and agritourism. CAES News
UGA Extension supports agritourism through expert advice and collaboration 10/24/24 Emily Cabrera
On a sunny day with bright-blue skies, I arrive at Mark’s Melon Patch in Sasser, Georgia, and immediately spot the familiar white University of Georgia Cooperative Extension pickup truck, the Terrell County Extension logo prominently displayed on the door. Seth McAllister, the Agriculture and Natural Resources agent for Terrell County, greets me with a broad grin and a firm handshake. Terrell County alone has 60,000 acres of row crops, half in cotton. But what McAllister loves most about his role as an Extension agent is the diversity of his work.
Combining data collection and analysis with plant pathology, precision agriculture and robotics, the UGA team will build a photographic library of the foliar symptoms caused by onion diseases and other physiological disorders, feed them into the AI software, and use machine learning to identify the diseases based on pattern and color recognition from the images. CAES News
UGA uses AI, robotics to improve Georgia’s Vidalia sweet onion crop 10/23/24 Jordan Powers
A multidisciplinary team of UGA researchers aims to enhance the competitiveness of Vidalia onion growers in Georgia by providing them with the ability to confidently detect onion diseases early, enabling them to make management decisions on their crop at a critical time. These abilities, researchers say, should result in increased yield and quality of marketable onions and an overall increase in efficiency and productivity.
heavily infestedToH web CAES News
CAES combats invasive spotted lanternfly threatening U.S. farms and vineyards 09/24/24 Jordan Powers
The spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula), an invasive insect pest that first arrived in Pennsylvania in 2014 and has since spread to 16 additional states in the Eastern U.S., has state governments urging residents to be on the lookout and to use caution when moving firewood. The insect’s preference for feeding on the tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) — another invasive species — has led to significant pest reservoirs, affecting vineyards and other agricultural sectors, including hardwoods and other ornamental and fruiting trees.
Most of Georgia’s vegetable crops are grown in the southern part of the state, which, similar to California, faces drought risks. However, as the climate warms, the area is expected to receive slightly more rainfall than usual, according to CAES economist Jeff Mullen. If vegetable production in California decreases and prices rise elsewhere, Southeast producers may consider shifting from row crop to vegetable production. CAES News
Georgia vegetable production may expand as a result of climate change 09/17/24 Maria M. Lameiras
Changing weather patterns are influencing cropping systems and where certain crops can be successfully grown. Researchers in the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences recently published a study in the journal Sustainability examining the feasibility of expanding fresh vegetable production in Georgia as increased temperatures and more frequent and extreme droughts threaten producers in the Western United States.
Although it may not fit the traditional image of a well-kept lawn, this landscape is the result of careful planning and a deep commitment to ecological stewardship. CAES News
Done with mowing? How to transform your lawn into a native, perennial landscape 09/12/24 Emily Cabrera
On a tour of her Blairsville, Georgia, home, Becky Griffin navigates a swaying maze of perennial grasses interspersed with pussy willows, switchgrass and boneset. Although it may not fit the traditional image of a well-kept lawn, this landscape is the result of careful planning and a deep commitment to ecological stewardship. As a native plant enthusiast and coordinator of the Great Southeast Pollinator Census, Griffin hand-selected each of these native plants for the countless ecological services they provide year-round.
Master Gardener Carrots CAES News
Celebrating 45 years of Georgia Master Gardeners 09/03/24 Sheri Dorn
The Georgia Master Gardener Extension Volunteer program is celebrating its 45th anniversary with signature events throughout 2024, culminating in the Georgia Master Gardener Association’s annual conference Oct. 4-5. Hosted on the University of Georgia Griffin campus, the event’s theme is “Think Globally, Grow Locally” and will feature research tours, presentations and workshops hosted by Master Gardeners.