Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 13, 1991 TAG: 9103130285
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-4 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Lelia Mayton
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
One person has already called our office wanting to know how soon he could put tomatoes outdoors.
It's easy to get carried away, but don't let your throbbing green thumb or your hands that are itching to close around a garden hoe get the best of you.
Think before you start buying all those seeds, gardening equipment, etc.
Who will be doing the work? Will your garden be a group project with family members or friends who will work willingly through the season to a fall harvest? Or will you be handling the hoe alone, in between camping and swimming?
A small, weed-free garden will produce more worth eating than will a large, weedy mess.
What do you and your family like to eat?
Although the vegetables and fruits pictured in the garden catalog look delicious, you don't want to take up valuable space with something no one eats.
Make a list of your family's favorite vegetables, ranked in order of preference. This will help you decide how much to plant.
If you plan to can, freeze, dry, or store part of the produce, this will be a factor not only in planning the size of the garden but also in plant selection because some varieties you select are adapted to your area and intended use.
When to plant depends on when the last killing frost occurs in this area - generally between May 10 and 15.
Hardy vegetables, such as cabbage, broccoli, lettuce and Brussels sprouts can be transplanted two weeks before the average date of the last frost.
Warm-season crops, such as tomato, eggplant, pepper, muskmelon, and watermelon should not be planted until all danger of frost is past.
In this area, we average 165 frost-free days so some plants must be started indoors to give them time to mature and produce. Keep in mind that the average first killing frost is Oct. 10-15.
Some crops, such as tomato, pepper and eggplant, must be started indoors and transplanted if you want an early crop.
When sowing seeds for transplants leave about a quarter-inch of space between seeds to allow them to grow adequately and to discourage damping-off fungus.
by CNB