These tidy beds have a compost mulch layer protecting vegetables and a walkway protected with thick grass clippings.
Rain and snow melt make spring garden soil preparation a challenge every year, but once you can get into the garden, get into your soil! Feeding your garden soil in spring is an investment that pays off every time. Amending, turning, tilling, fertilizing, and mulching are the five practices needed to make your garden great all season! The addition of drip hoses for easy irrigation can make garden care even more effortless.
Amending Garden Soil
Rich soil yields better crops, so it pays to feed your soil. Adding the best amendments will ensure your soil is ready to work. Adding lots of compost will increase good yields, but be sure that your compost is good quality. Fafard Premium Natural & Organic Compost is a high-performing compost sure to give your garden what it needs. For areas where you intend to plant greens, go with nitrogen-rich amendments, such as Fafard Garden Manure Blend.
Turning Garden Soil
“No till” areas in the vegetable garden need different care. These include beds with perennial and winter crops, like areas with asparagus, garlic, strawberries, or hardy herbs, as well as well-amended spots that are already in good shape below ground. Still, adding extra organic matter to no-till spots will ensure better growth while allowing for the addition of needed amendments. Adding a layer of compost and lightly turning it into the surface will increase organic matter while not disrupting your plants or soil structure.
Tilling Garden Soil
Compost acts as both an amendment and protective mulch.
Many gardeners have bed areas that are tilled yearly. This has its pluses and minuses. Tilling brings the bank of weed seeds to the surface and disrupts soil structure and organisms, but it also increases tilth and allows organic matter to be worked deeply in the soil. If you plan to till, plan to double your amendment by adding a till-in layer and a mulch layer. First, put down a thick layer of compost or manure and till it deeply into the soil, then rake and berm bed spaces as needed. Finally add a second layer of compost to further enrich the soil and protect against weeds. The second step is extra important because tilling brings lots of weed seeds to the soil’s surface.
Fertilizing Garden Soil
Many vegetables require lots of food to produce good yields through the season. It’s essential to feed the garden well from the beginning with a good tomato & vegetable fertilizer. OMRI Listed fertilizers approved for organic gardening are best. Simply broadcast the fertilizer and gently work it into the top layers of soil where it’s needed most. Heavy feeders, such as tomatoes, peppers, and melons, should be fed again at planting time.
Mulching Garden Soil
In addition to adding a compost mulch layer, I protect and define walkways with leaf mulch, straw or hay, and grass clippings. These natural mulches stop weeds and make it easier to traverse the garden in wet, muddy weather. They also hold water and keep root zones cool on hot summer days. By fall’s end, they have usually broken down into accessible organic matter.
Living mulches are another option. Planting a dense summer cover crop in walkways, like white clover, will keep them tidy, cool, and mud-free while also feeding the soil. Just be sure to keep the edges trimmed and turn plants under in fall.
Amendment Application Formula
When adding amendments, determine how many inches you want to add over your garden area. Here is the simple formula needed to determine this:
([area to cover] ft2 x [depth in inches desired] x 0.0031 = ___ yd3).
Example: If you wanted to cover a 20 square foot area with 2 inches of compost, the result would be: 20 ft2 x 2 inches of compost x 0.0031 = 2.48 yd3.
A thick layer of straw helps hold moisture while also keeping walkways clean and weed free.
Irrigation
For added benefit, consider snaking a drip hose beneath mulch layers to make summer watering easier and more efficient. Below-the-surface watering keeps water at root zones while virtually stopping surface evaporation on hot days. The key is marking your drip lines from above (to keep from accidentally cutting the line with gardening tools) and securing nozzles for easy access. At watering time, just hook up your lines and let them drip for an hour or so to ensure deep watering.
Once the vegetable season takes off, your garden will be in good shape with these five steps. Sure, weeds, drought, and hot days will come, but their impacts will be minimized and your time and garden’s productivity will be maximized.
Large-headed cabbages, like those growing in this spring vegetable garden, need lots of space to reach full size .
Of all the cool-season vegetables, few are as variable and satisfying to grow as cole crops (Brassica oleracea), also called “brassicas”. Tasty favorites like kale, cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower yield big harvests and are easily grown the organic way, even in the face of lots of pests. It all starts with healthy plants and good care.
Smaller cabbage varieties, like these ‘Caraflex’, can be planted closer together.
Where summers are hot, cole crops are best grown in spring or fall, but in my community garden my spring crops yield better. This is largely due to plentiful foragers, like rabbits, groundhogs, voles, and deer. By summer’s end, mammalian garden pests are in larger numbers and always take a toll on my fall crops—particularly my brassicas. Fencing and smelly organic animal repellants like 100% natural Plantskydd will help, but it’s always a battle.
In spring, it pays to plant large, robust seedling starts for quick establishment and good success. If growing from seed, I begin planting early indoors—generally in late February to early March. By the time my plantlets are 4-inches tall, they are ready to harden off and plant outdoors. Starts are also sold at local nurseries, though they offer less selection. Seed catalogs always have newer, more interesting varieties. This year I chose seeds for the small-headed savoy cabbage ‘Alcosa’, broad-leaved ‘Galega de Folhas Lisas’ kale, bolt-resistant ‘Packman’ broccoli, and bright purple ‘Graffiti’ cauliflower.
Fafard’s OMRI-Listed Compost Blend is an ideal amendment for cole crop beds.
Growing Brassicas
Brassicas require full sun for best growth. Deep, fertile soil with a slightly acid to neutral pH (6-7) is ideal. Be sure to amend the soil with Fafard® Sphagnum Peat Moss and Premium Natural & Organic Compost —being sure to till amendments in deeply—and fortify with a fertilizer formulated for vegetables. These vegetables have high macronutrient requirements (NPK 14-14-14) and specific micronutrient needs (high calcium and boron). At planting time, I recommend fertilizing with an OMRI-Listed (certified by the Organic Materials Review Institute) vegetable fertilizer, bone meal, and borax, at the recommended doses.
Set plants out after hard frosts have ended but cool days and light frosts are still expected. Most cole crops can withstand freezing temperatures down to 20° F but grow best at temperatures between 70° and 85° F. Late March to early April is the best planting window where I live in the Mid-Atlantic.
Each brassica grows a little differently and may require slightly different care. Here are the growing basics for my spring standbys:
Growing Broccoli
Broccoli varieties vary widely. Some produce enormous central clusters and others smaller clusters with ample side shoots; some have large, loose beads (buds) while others have small beads produced in tight, dense clusters. Gardeners can expect plants to bear heads 50 to 70 days after planting. ‘Packman’, ‘Diplomat’, and ‘Early Purple’ are three high-performing varieties that produce big heads, have good side shoot production, and grow beautifully in spring.
Grown for its good looks and flavor, broccoli ‘Early Purple’ is also a popular market vegetable.
Broccoli seedlings look like nondescript leafy sprouts, but in a matter of months they will produce big budding heads of broccoli. Space your broccoli plants about 1 to 1.5 feet apart at planting time, and plant a minimum of six plants for good yields. Don’t allow newly planted seedlings to dry out, and ensure established plants always get ample water. Once nice broccoli heads are set, harvest them and wait for more to develop. Broccoli is a cut-and-come-again crop that should not be allowed to flower and set seed. I generally harvest mine with garden shears or a garden knife.
There are a couple of troubles specific to broccoli. Boron deficiency causes florets to turn brown prematurely and stems to become hollow. Additionally, insufficient water will keep plants from setting florets, and heat in excess of 86 ° F may encourage plants to bolt quickly and taste bitter.
Growing Cabbage
There are lots of fun cabbage varieties offering different flavors, looks and characteristics. Heads may be conical, flattened, rounded, large or small, and can have smooth or savoyed leaves. Four varieties for connoisseurs are the blue-green and purple-pink blushed ‘San Michele’, dwarf conical ‘Caraflex’, giant sweet savoyed ‘Drumhead’, and elongated purple ‘Kalibos.’ Days to harvest vary from variety to variety , but on average you can expect heads to develop 63 to 88 days after planting.
‘Alcosa’ is a small, savoyed heirloom cabbage that’s easy to grow.
Seedlings should be planted outside when they are around 4 to 6 inches tall. Compact varieties may be spaced as close as 10 inches apart and large varieties between 18 and 24 inches apart. Once healthy heads develop, cut them at the base with a garden knife and remove any large, ratty lower leaves. Cabbage will store for a long time, if refrigerated or kept in a cool dry place.
There are several common cabbage nutrient deficiencies. Potassium deficiency is common and results in heads with leaves that become yellow then dry and papery along the edges. If comparable yellowing is seen between the leaves, then magnesium deficiency is likely the problem. Heads with weak or hollow stems are suffering from boron deficiency.
Growing Cauliflower
Cauliflower comes in a myriad of sizes (tiny to giant) and colors (white, green, purple and orange). Fun, interesting varieties include the dwarf heirloom ‘Snowball’, bright purple ‘Graffiti’, electric orange ‘Cheddar’, and very large ‘Giant Naples.’
The orange cauliflower ‘Cheddar’ is higher in beta-carotene than white forms.
The sooner you can get your cauliflower into spring ground, the bigger the heads will be, but it’s important to note that this brassica is not as frost-tolerant as cabbages, broccoli and kale. Seedlings should be planted 18 to 20 inches apart. Be sure to give plants ample water when cauliflower heads begin to develop. Layers of leaves cover and protect developing heads from sun and pests. Once the leaves unfurl and heads look curdy and fully developed, they can be cut from beneath and harvested.
Nutrient deficiencies and heat troubles that plague broccoli are also a problem with cauliflower. Excessive heat and ill-timed harvest can cause heads to elongate and taste bitter.
Growing Kale
Some of the best kale varieties for eating are the popular ‘Nero di Toscana’ (aka. dinosaur kale), heat-tolerant Portuguese ‘Tronchuda Beira’, and frilly, tender ‘Red Ursa’. Young leaves can be eaten fresh in salads and more mature leaves are great for cooking.
One of the most beautiful and delicious kales for the garden is the blue-green ‘Nero di Toscana.’
Kales are cold hardy and can be planted along with broccoli and cabbage starts. Spacing varies from variety to variety, but on average 12 to 18 inches apart is a good planting range. Leaves can be harvested as soon as plants reach a reasonable size and have ample foliage. Harvest leaves as needed using clean shears.
Unlike the other cole crops mentioned, kales can survive hot summers with care. Be sure to water them well through the hot months while protecting them from summer pests, namely harlequin bugs and cabbage loopers.
Brassica Pests
Lots of pests predate on brassicas. Slugs and cabbage loopers (Trichoplusia ni) commonly attack cabbage heads, eating their way through the layers of leaves. Harlequin bugs (Murgantia histrionica) are aggressive sucking insects known to lay waste to summer kales, and cabbage maggots (Delia radicum) will de-root and gut spring plants in no time.
Orange, black and white harlequin bugs attacking a head of ‘Packman’ broccoli.
There are several organic methods to tackling these pests. Sluggo® is a non-toxic, OMRI-Listed pesticide that will quickly take care of slugs. Cabbage loopers are best tackled with a product containing BT (Bacillus thuringiensis); OMRI-Listed Safer® Caterpillar Killer is a great choice. Harlequin beetles are eradicated at all stages with products containing neem oil, a popular organic pesticide, and applying a sprinkling of wood ashes around the base your brassicas will deter cabbage root maggots.
It also pays to recognize and destroy the pest eggs on sight: Small, pearly cabbage looper eggs are laid singly or in small, open clusters (5-7 eggs) on leaf surfaces; harlequin bug eggs look like black and white bulls-eyed barrels laid in tight clusters (~12 eggs) along leaf undersides; cabbage maggot flies lay eggs near the base of plants, so it can be helpful to sink 3” plastic bottle collars (1” below ground, 2” above) to keep hatched maggots from reaching seedlings.
With good care, any gardener can grow broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and kale organically. Once the harvest begins, it will make all the work worth it.
The purple beans of ‘Purple Podded Pole’ turn bright green when cooked. (Photo by Marian Keith)
Whether bush or pole, wax or green, string beans are an essential part of any good vegetable garden. Their flavorful pods are rich in protein, and the plants fortify the soil with nitrogen—making them the best rotation crop to follow heavy feeders like tomatoes, potatoes and peppers. Replenishing legume crops are also wonderfully easy to grow, and there are so many varieties available, it’s always fun to and try new, interesting varieties each year in search of an even better bean.
Beyond American standbys, like ‘Blue Lake’ bush beans and ‘Kentucky Wonder’ pole beans, there are heirloom cultivars and European favorites galore. Many come in unique shapes, sizes, and colors making them that much more interesting at the table. Flavors vary considerably as well. Variability in pest and disease resistance also make trialing an important practice because you never really know how a new variety will perform until you actually grow it in your garden.
Through years of trial and error, I have fixed on several less commonplace bean varieties that are delicious, pretty and perform well in home garden. They include a selection of pole and bush types able to grow in gardens large or small.
The beautiful, slender filet beans of ‘Emerite’ are tender and stringless.
Pole filet bean Émérite
Pole beans require a little more work because they must be trellised, but they are often more productive. The wonderful haricot verts pole filet bean Émérite, produces lots of slender, crisp beans that can be harvested in the baby stage or when fully mature at 7 inches. Either way, they are never stringy, and when roasted with butter and herbs they almost develop a meaty taste. As an added benefit, their pretty, leguminous blooms are pink. This outstanding bean can be purchased through John Scheeper’s Kitchen Garden Seeds.
Pole Bean ‘Green Anellino’
The unusual short, curved beans of ‘Green Anellino’ are very flavorful.
The unusual, curved pods of ‘Green Anellino’ (sometimes sold as ‘Anelino Verde’), are truly delicious, though the pods are small. This prolific pole bean originates from northern Italy and thrives in warm summer temperatures. Its beans are best picked when young and crisp. They have the deep, beany flavor of a larger, meatier Romano type. The plants are highly productive, producing beans into late summer and even early fall.
Pole Bean ‘Purple Podded Pole’
Slender, deep purple beans are the highlight of the ‘Purple Podded Pole’ bean. The long, vigorous vines start by bearing loads of purple-pink blooms followed by deepest purple fruits. Once cooked, the flavorful beans lose their purple color and turn bright green.
‘Soleil Filet’ produces slender, pale yellow beans that are best picked young and tender.
Bush Bean ‘Soleil Filet’
Mild, buttery wax beans have always been a favorite and the slender filet-type wax beans are often superior to beefier standards. An exceptional golden filet is ‘Soleil Filet’ (translates to “sun filet”). Offered by seed companies like Territorial and Vermont Bean Seed Company, its super straight, slender beans add exceptional color, texture and taste to summer bean salads.
The broad pods of ‘Super Marconi’ remain stringless even when they grow quite large.
Romano Bean ‘Super Marconi’
Of the Romano-type broad string beans, ‘Super Marconi’ has tender and stringless beans with very rich flavor. The large, flattened pods are deep green and vines are prolific, so expect big harvests. I get my seed from Franchi Sementi.
Tricolor Bush Bean Mix
Gardeners unable to decide on one variety may want to choose the Tricolor Bush Mix from Renee’s Garden Seeds. Each packet contains three bush bean varieties in equal proportions: golden ‘Roc d’Or’ haricot verts, purple podded ‘Purple Queen’ beans, and the perfectly straight, slender, bright green ‘Slenderette’ beans. All are space-saving, flavorful and pretty.
Growing String Beans
Only a few simple cultural requirements need to be met for successful bean growing. All string beans need full sun and fertile soil with good drainage. Pole beans require trellises of poles for best production and development. Fortifying your garden soil with Fafard Sphagnum Peat Mosswill provide a good foundation for your bean beds. Additional amendment with Black Gold Tomato & Vegetable fertilizer is also beneficial.
Mexican bean beetles are the most common and destructive pests of green beans. In their larval form they are spiky, yellowish-orange, voracious bean destructors able to quickly devastate beans and plants, if beetle populations are too high. The adults look much like large, golden brown lady bugs and lay masses of orange-yellow, ovoid eggs on bean leaf undersides. The University of Florida’s Entomology Department offers a very good guide for the management of these pests as does Cornell’s Insect Diagnostic Page.
Where your tomatoes and peppers are growing this year is where you should plant one or more of these stellar bean varieties next year. Give at least one a try to hone your own “best bean” list your garden.
Amending Garden Soil
