SITE PREPERATION: If possible, get a soil test, especially to check on the PH of the soil. If it is needed, spread lime at recommended rate. Start working the ground ahead of time if possible. Disk or till it in dry weather to kill out weeds and grass. It will make maintenance easier later. Once planted, keep weeded when weeds are small!

SPRING GARDEN

POTATOES: Buy seed potatoes the first year, at least. Cut up potatoes making sure there is at least one “eye” in each piece. An average size potato may be cut into 4 to 8 pieces.

PLANTING: Use a round point shovel and take one shovel full out of the ground about 6” deep. Put half a shovel full of manure or compost in the hole; then put dirt on top up to 2” from the top of the hole. Put the potato in the hole and fill to top, or if you have large amount to plant, just make a row and plant about 2” deep and then hoe dirt toward plant to cover weeds and make a small mound. This will also help keep dirt over potatoes as they grow. Plant in February as soon as weather is suitable, usually middle to end of month. Plant in rows 2 to 3 feet apart and 18” between plants. It’s a good idea to sprinkle a little fertilizer in the hole on top of the manure or compost. Don’t use too much; one handful to maybe 4 or 5 holes. Use 10-10-10 or 13-13-13 would be especially good if you have poor soil. As the plants grow, hoe the dirt toward the plants to cover small weeds making a small mound around the plants. Don’t hoe deep right around the plant or you may hoe up the potatoes. As they grow, if bugs start eating the leaves, sprinkle a little seven dust on the leaves. In the morning when plants have dew on them is best, although any time is OK. Dig potatoes when plants begin to die or are dead. You can find some early potatoes by digging around the plant with your hands taking a few bigger ones without pulling up the plant.
TOMATOES: Either buy seed and start indoors in early February or buy plants and set them out in late March. Cover if there is danger of frost. Select plants bred for this area. Some varieties are more resistant to blight and other problems in tomatoes. Also, some varieties, especially some of the new ones, can stand heat better. Prepare the soil like you do for potatoes. Take a shovel of dirt out and put manure in bottom along with a little fertilizer. Put a little dirt on top, then put the tomato plant in and pack soil around the plant and water the plant. If weather is dry, water daily until plants get started good. Plant about 3 feet apart in rows with about 3 feet between rows. Once they get started and are about one foot high put wires around them, if possible, to keep tomatoes off the ground. For best results, rotate tomatoes to different places in the garden every year.
If you want to plant tomatoes in the fall, start the plants early enough so you can set them out in August for October or November tomatoes. You may be able to keep them longer if you cover them during the earlier frosts.

CARROTS, LETTUCE, AND SPINACH: Plant in February or early March as soon as weather and ground are suitable. I like to make a shallow row with my hoe (see below) and scatter seed the full width of my hoe. You can also scatter a little fertilizer in the row but not too much or the seed may not come up. Probably a better plan would be to scatter the fertilizer, then disc or till it in the ground before you plant. Plant only ¼ to ½ inch deep. Thin carrots to 1.5” apart once they are clearly visible; also lettuce, if it is head lettuce and you want it to form a head. Carrots, lettuce and spinach do even better in the fall since they like cool weather. September or October is a good time to plant. You need not cover them for a light frost, but I cover them for a hard freeze. Lettuce and spinach last much longer in the fall. Butter crunch is a favorite in lettuce. You can plant several plantings in Sept. and Oct. for longer season. When you cut the lettuce, cut it maybe 1.5” high and it will probably grow up again. For spinach, just cut the big leaves off. You may need to use a little sevin dust on the spinach but the carrots and lettuce will probably not need any. The carrots are slow coming up but they grow slower and sweeter and last longer in the fall weather. You can start using them around Christmas until April. As they grow big I like to thin them more by using the biggest ones along the row and letting the small ones grow longer.

BROCCOLI, CABBAGE AND COLLARDS: These plants like cool weather so plant them early. Late Feb. or early March in the spring or Sep. or Oct. in the fall. If you want to plant seeds, start them early in the house by a sunny window or on the south side of your house, etc., about six weeks before you want to plant them in the garden – or plant them directly in the garden in Sept. I like to get plants at the Co-op or garden supply for these vegetables rather than seed. Set the plants out about 18” apart and I prepare my holes like I do for potatoes when I use plants rather than seed. If you want a big garden you can plant seeds in a row like spinach then thin or transplant at a couple inches high, especially in the fall. This will save you money.
I always use these plants in my fall garden because they last much longer. The broccoli and collards last all winter. If you see holes in the leaves use sevin dust. I take a glass jar like a salad dressing jar with a screw lid and take a nail and poke holes in the lid. This works good for sprinkling sevin dust on plants. In the spring I get one head of broccoli but in the fall, smaller heads keep growing all winter. Collards keep producing all winter also. Turnips and mustard greens are also great for your fall garden.

ZUCCHINI, SQUASH AND CUCUMBERS: Plant in March or early April as soon as the ground warms up. Zucchini and summer squash can’t take much heat so they need to be out early. I get plants so I can get an earlier start, or you could start some inside your house or hot bed in Feb. If you plant seeds in the garden, I like to make a small hole “shovel full,” then put some compost or manure in it, then one inch of dirt on top, then my seeds, then one more inch of dirt. Put several seeds in a mound but thin them to 1 or 2 plants once they come up. Plant them at least 2 feet apart. Butternut squash should be planted about the same time or later because it can stand more heat. Pick them once they get flesh colored. They keep well especially in a cool dry area, sometimes all winter. They make great pies.

ONIONS: I like to get sets if possible and plant them in Feb. or early March or in the fall. Make a row about 2” deep with a hoe and set them in about 4” apart. Once the tops start to dry out, pull the unused ones and hang them by the tops in the garage or on a screen, etc. Cool and dry is best. In the fall, I like to plant some multiplying or table onions. Break off some of the shoots and the plant keeps producing more. They will probably last all winter and spring.

PEPPERS: Plant them like you do tomatoes, also about the same time. They like heat and will probably grow all summer until frost. Plant about 2 feet apart. You can use compost when planting but no fertilizer. It’s too strong!

GREEN BEANS: Plant in late March or Sept. in rows 1” deep and seeds 3” apart. Rows should be at least 18” apart or further if you use a tiller. Beans don’t require much fertilizer, but you could sprinkle a little beside the rows then hoe it in when you weed them.
SWEET CORN: Plant in early March up until the end of March. Several plantings a week or so apart will let you eat corn for a month. Plant in rows 2.5 to 3 feet apart and seeds should be 8-10 inches apart. Make a row with your hoe and sprinkle a little fertilizer in the row, then go over the row lightly with your hoe to mix the fertilizer in the ground. Cover the seed about 1.5 inches deep. For corn, use a fertilizer with a fairly high first number, because corn needs nitrogen. Also potash needs to be fairly high. Once the corn is about a foot high, sprinkle high nitrogen fertilizer along both sides of the row and hoe dirt toward the plant to cover fertilizer. This will give the corn a boost as it makes an ear.

WATERMELON AND CANTALOUPE: Plant in late March or early April. Take a shovel full of dirt out and put some compost or manure and maybe a little fertilizer mixed in the hole. Put a little dirt on top of compost, then scatter some seeds on the mound, then another inch of dirt on top. Make the mounds about 5 feet apart. When the plants come up, thin them to about 2 watermelon plants, and 2 or 3 cantaloupe plants per hill. Before the vines grow too long, put a little fertilizer around the plants but not on the leaves and hoe it in. Avoid stepping on the vines whenever possible.

BEETS: Plant in spring in March or fall in Sept. Plant like spinach then thin to 3” apart.
GARLIC: Plant only in the fall, in Sept. They will form bulbs in late spring. Plant like you do onions. You can buy bulbs, then take the bulbs apart and put the cloves just under the ground with the root end down about 3 or 4 inches apart. GARDEN PEAS: Plant in Jan. or Feb. 2” apart and 1” deep, rows 18” apart or more if you use a tiller. I plant 3 feet apart for ease of picking and tilling.