This document provides an overview of key considerations for establishing a home vegetable garden, including site selection, soil preparation, garden bed systems, mulching, and weed management. Some of the main points covered are:
- Choosing a garden site that receives full sun, has good drainage, and is easily accessible.
- Improving soil fertility through additions of compost and other organic matter to build healthy soil.
- Options for garden bed systems include traditional in-ground rows or raised beds, each with pros and cons.
- Mulching is important for suppressing weeds and retaining soil moisture. Recommended mulches include shredded leaves and bark chips.
- Cultural practices like crop rotation, cover crops, and timely
Tuesday Morning inspirational quotes and images.pdf
From grass to greens final
1. From Grass to Greens: Raised
Beds and In-Ground Planting
Carl E. Motsenbocker, PhD
LSU / LSU AgCenter
cmotsenbocker@agcenter.lsu.edu
2. Top Ten Reasons to Garden
• Safe, healthy food (avoid pesticides, contaminated food,
preservatives and additives)
• Exercise (1 hr. burns 300 calories for women and 400 calories
for men)
• Add beauty
• Learn
• Make money (business selling flowers or food at farmers’
market, urban market gardens, or job in landscaping/nursery)
• Meet people (garden clubs, community gardens)
• Be creative – artistry….
• To win (4H, county livestock/gardening competitions;
gardening club best in show)
• Emotional needs and spiritual connection
• Memories….
3.
4. Environmental Working Group
Pesticide contamination for 53 popular
fruits and vegetables based on an
analysis of 60,700 samples taken by
the USDA (2000 to 2010)
Most tested produce after it had been
rinsed or peeled.
Grow:
celery, strawberries,
spinach, grapes, bell
peppers, Irish
potatoes, blueberries,
lettuce, kale and
collard greens
5. “The health benefits of a
diet rich in fruits and
vegetables outweigh the
risks of pesticide
exposure. Eating
conventionally grown
produce is far better than
skipping fruits and
vegetables.”
EWG
7. Topics for Today -a recipe for homegrown
vegetables….
Key Ingredients
•Garden Site –
– Sunlight, Water, Weed-free soil, Compost /
OM, Labor, Planning
•Garden Bed Systems – traditional vs. raised
•Bed Materials
•Mulching
•Weed Management
8. • Finding the Right Site
• Sunlight: 6-8 hours of sunlight a day.
– Take note of the location of the sun throughout day by
visiting the garden area at different times during the
day (different seasons….)
– Vegetables perform best when they receive full sun all
day long.
9. Garden Site
– Few vegetables tolerate a little shade.
– When possible, plant your garden where it will
receive southern or southeastern exposure. It will
warm up faster in the spring and receive the
maximum amount of sunlight throughout the
growing season.
Summer vs. winter
– Issues of shade from fencing? planting and shade / heat
10. Garden Site
• Trees
– Trees are one of the garden’s adversaries…..
– Trees not only shade the plants, but their roots
invade the beds, competing for valuable nutrients
and moisture.
11. Garden Site
• Local conditions
– Conditions in the south can change from swamplike
to desert like in a matter of weeks.
– A garden location should drain well and
simultaneously be able to hold moisture well.
12. Vegetables That Tolerate Some Shade
Asparagus Kale Spinach
Cabbage Lettuce Swiss chard
Celery Parsley Turnips
Carrots Radishes
13. • Finding the Right Site
• Easy water access
• Accessible and visible
– Should be easy to get to and convenient to visit
– Should be easy to get resources to garden (soil, tools,
plants, water etc.
15. Watering
• ♦Newly-planted seeds need to be watered daily until they
sprout. After establishment, watering can be 2 to 3 x per week
depending on season.
• Watering deeply but less frequently helps plants develop a
stronger root structure by encouraging them to grow downward
into the soil, instead of spreading out just below the surface.
• Water in the am or evening to prevent rapid evaporation. With
watering in the morning the foliage dries decreasing potential
for disease.
• Plants take up water through the tips of their roots so water
around the plant.
20. • Garden Site
Fertile Soil
• Working the soil.
• Adding the proper amendments.
• Using in-ground or raised garden beds.
Consider the history of site – industry?
Heavy metal contamination?
21.
22. Soil Management
• Basis of farm and garden productivity and therefore
the cornerstone of any ecologically sound approach
to farming/gardening.
Soils!!!
24. Understanding the soil system
• Soil fertility - soil capacity to nurture healthy plants.
Organic / sustainable agriculture aims to protect the soil’s
ability to regenerate nutrients lost when crops are
harvested.
• Regeneration depends on diversity, health, and vitality of
the organisms that live, grow, reproduce and die in the
soil.
• Activities of soil microbes makes available the basic raw
materials needed by plants at the right time and in the right
form and amount.
• The organisms involved: bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes,
algae, protozoans, nematodes, mites, earthworms.
25.
26. • Best: soil testing- pH, nutrients. (Send a
sample to a university or university
extension service)
• LSU Ag Center Cooperative Extension
Service
27.
28. Feeding the soil
• Adding minerals and organic matter can turn an
infertile soil into a fertile soil in a cumulative
process.
• Two sources of nutrients for the soil - organic
matter (remains of previously living organisms)
and finely ground rock particles that is the mineral
fraction of the soil.
• Nutrients are made available through biological
and chemical processes.
29. Organic matter
• Vegetables require the richest soils of all farm crops
for best quality and growth.
• Organic matter is key to the soil - foundation for the
microbiological life of the soil.
30. Compost
• Well made compost has been shown to have plant
growing benefits such as nutrients as well as
“suppression of plant diseases and increasing plant
resistance to stress”.
31. GARDEN SITE
Other considerations:
•Check the slope of your garden to ensure equal drainage (areas
where water collects…)
•Add pathways to maintain your garden. MULCHES
•Protect against animals - deer, squirrels, dogs, and rabbits that
could eat or spoil crops. Humans?
•Watch out for noxious plants such as poison ivy and weeds
such as Bermuda Grass.
•Beware of buried pipes and lines. Before you dig, call to find
out what utility pipes may be buried underground.
32. Selecting Your Garden Site
• Wind
– Strong seasonal winds can damage tender plants
and reduce yields.
– Shrubs, fences and buildings can be used as
windbreaks, but care should be taken to avoid
shading.
33. Time and Management
• Gardening done well requires time.
• Plan and prepare enough space for the amount
of time that you can devote to it.
• Remember, a small, well-cared-of garden will
give you more enjoyment and vegetables than a
large, poorly cared-for garden.
35. Planning and observation
• Getting good seed
– Johnny’s Selected Seed
– Shepard’s Garden Seed
– Local hardware stores
– Walmart
36. Garden Bed Systems
• Traditional garden rows
– Based on farm tractors - planted like small farms, the garden
was plowed with straight rows built to grow the vegetables.
– Rows are spaced 3 to 6 ft apart
• which allows for cultivation with a tiller etc and also the
middles/furrows serve as a walkway.
– Traditional garden is suited to a large garden, is easy to work
and is good for vegetables that require lots of space such as
corn, okra, watermelon, cucumbers etc.
39. Garden Bed Systems
• Raised-bed or box gardening
– This system has many advantages over the
traditional garden system.
– Higher yields per unit area because more space is
used for growing.
– It is easier to build up a healthy soil.
– Helps to increase drainage in problem soils.
– Less soil compaction because walks are used and not
furrows.
– Raised beds warm faster in the spring, drain well
and can be easily covered to help protect against
fall/spring freezes or frosts.
40. Garden Bed Systems
• Raised-bed or box gardening
– Beds are usually 3 to 4 feet wide with variable
length.
– One needs to make sure that there is enough space
to get in and out of the garden (walks 18 to 30” or
wider).
41. • Vertical gardening / trellis systems
– Many vegetables like tomatoes, pole beans and vine crops grow
to very large sizes.
– By using a trellis or cage for support, you can grow those
vegetables in small spaces.
– Large fruited vegetables (watermelon, melon) can be grown on
trellises if the fruit are supported.
42. Garden Beds
In-ground beds Raised beds
Pros Cons Pros Cons
Low cost More labor Tend to look neater More expensive
required at start-up and more contained
Can maximize Usually need to Can bring in good May have to
gardening space amend the soil quality soil / replace borders
growing media
Need to test soil Start up labor is Requires larger
and/or know about easier and faster. pathways? Less
previous activity Weed control space is available
easier? for gardening
Weed Can create beds of
management? unique shapes/sizes
Easier to work for
children, elderly,
handicapped
50. Garden Layout
• Many vegetables need to be planted at a specific
time to achieve a successful harvest.
• Planting at the wrong time can reduce yield,
decrease quality, increase insect and disease
problems etc.
• It is best to keep in mind the size of a healthy
mature plant. Planting too close together - yields
are reduced and plants compete for nutrients and
light. Must use the optimal spacing for each crop.
51. When to plant
• The date of harvest depends on the date of
planting
– the timespan depends on the effects of:
– daylength, weather, the aspect of the land, the
crops grown etc.
– Early and late planting:
– Succession and greenhouse planting
• eg maturity of lettuce is lengthened as planting
times go from Sept. to Nov.
• Plant more than one time to have a series of harvests
52. Crop rotation
• Changing the mix of crop each year on a given
piece of ground.
• Best if the crops are not related botanically as
successive crops do not make the same demand
on soil nutrients as well not having the same
pests (disease, insect, weed) complex.
53. Keys to Successful Organic Gardening
• Building the soil
• Using finished compost
• Using mulch materials for weed control
• Using sound horticulture practices
• Biological diversity in the garden
• Encouraging beneficial insects
“Organic Vegetable Gardening” LCES Pub. 2948-A 3/06
54. Biointensive Gardening
• Double-dug, raised beds
• Intensive planting
• Composting
• Companion planting
• Whole gardening method
The Biointensive gardening method is a whole
system and all the components of the method must
be used together for the optimum effect.
John Jeavons, 1995, How to Grow More Vegetables/ www.growbiointensive.org
55. Square Foot Gardening Plant Spacing
• To calculate how many plants per 1 ft square, look
on the back of the seed packet–totally ignore the
row spacing, just look at the plant spacing:
– 12″ apart, plant 1 per square
– 6″ apart, plant 4 per square
– 4″ apart, plant 9 per square
– 3″ apart (or less), plant 16 per square
56. Green Manure – Cover Crops
• Crop grown due to their benefits to the soil.
– Soil organic matter
– Help protect against erosion
– Retain nutrients
– Suppress germination and growth of weeds
– Cycle nutrients from the lower soil layers to the upper layer
– Legumes - provide N to the following crop
57. Bed Materials
• Medium – soil(s), organic matter, finished
compost, ammendments, pH, high C
materials?
• Bed materials
– Non-toxic materials?
– Pine
– Cedar
– Cinder blocks
– Treated wood?
58.
59. Mulching
• Mulching bare ground and around plants is THE
single most important thing that
sustainable/organic gardeners do to create low-
maintenance, healthy gardens.
• Mulch uncovered soil for weed control, water
retention, and to improve the soil's structure.
"the greatest labor-saving gardening product ever
invented.“
60. Benefits of mulches
• Suppress weeds
• Prevents drying out of soil
• Prevents erosion and reduces compaction of soil
• Moderates soil temperature
• Prevents mud splatter on plants and edible portions
• Add nutrients to soil, plus enable the soil to better use soil
nutrients from any source
• Increases the populations of earthworm and beneficial soil
microbes.
• Make gardens look well kept and amenable to planting
61. Types of Mulch
• Compost
– Very good as soil ammendment, expensive if purchased.
– Washes away in heavy rains?
– Weeds love it. Should not come with weeds, wind-blown seeds
land on it and thrive.
– Not very good at weed prevention…
• Pine needles
– often available cheaply, slow to decompose
– May deplete the soil nitrogen.
– Make the soil more acidic
62. Types of Mulch
• Sawdust NR
– High C:N ratio - drawing nitrogen from soil in the decomposition
process.
• Cypress mulch NR
– needed in fragile wetlands.
•
Bark NR
– is moderately expensive to expensive, slow to break down and good-
looking.
– High C:N ratio – N depletion when worked in the garden bed
• Wood chips or shavings NR
– Relatively inexpensive (free?), break down very slowly.
– High C:N ratio – N depletion when worked in the garden bed
• Permanent Garden Paths?
• NR = Not Recommended
63. Types of Mulch
• Leafmold (chopped and aged leaves)
– Rarely sold, easy to make, locate locally from municipal governments
(along with compost and chopped bark/wood?)
– Nutrient-rich and excellent as mulch or a soil amendment.
• Leaves
– Not attractive?
– Shredding first to speed their decomposition and prevent matting.
• Hay
– Inexpensive and readily available?
– Not very attractive? May contain weed seeds. Fire ants love it!
• Straw
– Inexpensive and readily available?
– Not very attractive? More weed-free than hay.
– Rob nitrogen from the soil? Generally disappeared in a season.
65. Cultural Weed Mgt. Strategies (cont.)
• Use of transplants
• Clean equipment
• Avoid weeds in transplants, mulch, manure
• Prevent weeds from flowering
• Weed early
• Crop canopy development
66. Biological Control of Weeds
• Animals (fish, goats, geese,
chickens)
• Insects (klamath beetle)
• Pathogens (strangle weed in citrus)
• Corn gluten
67. LSU Organic Garden Plots
• Raised beds: 5 to 6 feet wide, semi-
permanent, friable, weed free (?)
• 14 years - organic production methods,
not certified
• Fertility:
– green manure cover crops /compost
in winter
– weekly applications during fall
semester class: fish emulsion and/or
seaweed extract
• Irrigation
– manual watering, overhead sprinklers
(trickle?)
69. Topics for Today -a recipe for homegrown
vegetables….
Key Ingredients
•Garden Site –
– Sunlight, Water, Weed-free soil, Compost /
OM, Labor, Planning
•Garden Bed Systems – traditional vs. raised
•Bed Materials
•Mulching
•Weed Management
70. • Join the Good Food Revolution!!
• Grow your own….
and know your local farmer…
