Taste & space
Growing your own vegetables is a rewarding experience. Fresh, garden-ripened vegetables have flavors, colors and textures not available in vegetables which have been picked green then shipped while ripening.
Plan ahead and select your vegetable plants wisely to grow the variety and harvest the amount of vegetables you want and need.
Select the vegetables based on your family's preferences and needs.
Why plant broccoli if no one eats it? Save the broccoli space for vegetables that your family enjoys.
Involve family members in the selection of the garden vegetables to grow.
Engage children in garden planning by helping them select vegetables used in recipes they enjoy. Explain the nutritional value of the vegetables being considered.Helping to grow vegetables may result in more interest in including them in your children's diet, which is another benefit to vegetable gardening.Make a list of vegetables you would like to grow, then determine the space each of these plants requires for optimum growth and yield.Multiply the space per plant times the number of plants you desire to determine the total required space. Subtract the space for this crop from the total area available in your vegetable garden to determine the remaining area available for other plants. Repeat this process for all desired vegetables.If you run out of space before all numbers and types of desired vegetables are accounted for, you either reduce the number or variety of plants, expand your garden perimeter, or find other options to achieve the desired variety of produce.Penn State Extension offers detailed vegetable garden information at: https://extension.psu.edu/beginning-a-vegetable-garden.Container grown plants are one option to achieve the variety and volume of vegetables desired without expanding the main garden. Plants such as cucumber, zucchini, cherry tomatoes and squash grow well in containers or on trellises beyond the main garden.Container-grown cucumbers, zucchini and squash varieties tend to be smaller in size but are just as delicious as those grown directly in the garden.Succession planting, where one crop is harvested then a second crop is planted, is another method for enhancing available garden space. For example, two crops of beets may be harvested from the same space during one season. This reduces the space requirement for beets and results in more effective use of space.Once you have planned the location for the vegetable plants, determine the best time to sow or transplant them into the garden.We are in the USDA Hardiness Zone 5b and 6a. The best time for us to plant summer vegetables is after the last frost, which is mid-to late May. Another consideration is time to maturity, which is listed on seed packets or vegetable markers.Planning your vegetable garden allows for planting the appropriate number and variety of plants. Consider other gardening areas such as containers, hillsides and raised beds, to increase your harvest. Use these locations for growing additional or unusual vegetables that will not detract from your garden space.<i>For questions about gardening, call the Master Gardener Garden Hotline at 724-287-4761, Ext. 7, or email butlermg@psu.edu.Michael Pavelek II is a Butler County Master Gardener.</i>
