1. Master Gardener Training February 2, 2011 Janet Throop, Benton Co MG.
GROWING VEGETABLES
I. Why Grow Vegetables?
A. Willamette Valley- a great place to garden - Display
B. Health
C. Sustainability
D. Economy
E. Master Gardeners play important role by inspiring and helping others
II. Resources
A. Books
1. Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades, Steve Solomon
2. How to Grow More Vegetables , J. Jeavons
3. The Resilient Gardener, Carol Deppe (new book and ideas, local)
4. The Bountiful Container, Mc Gee and Stuckey
B. Public Library and Extension office
C. Seed Catalogs – great information
1. Local: Territorial, Nichols (Albany), Thyme Garden (herbs) Wild Garden
Seed (Wren), Adaptive Seeds (Sweet Home)
2. Other: Fedco (ME), Johnny’s, Seed Savers Exchange, Cook’s Garden,
Pinetree, New Dimensions (Asian)
D. Local Group - www.corvallisgarden.net
Web board, groups, free printed resource guide to be available around March 1
E. Gardens to visit: Benton Co MG Demo Garden, Linn Co MG Demo Garden,
Corvallis Community Gardens (Starker Arts Park, Calvin Presbyterian Church), Nichols
Seeds in Albany, Thyme Garden in Alsea, OTHERS?
III. Garden location
A. Big Picture: maritime climate – moderated by the sea
1. Know what to expect
2. Take advantage of it

2. B. Your specific site- things to consider in placing your garden
1. convenience
2. sun,wind, tree roots, water, tool storage, fence,
3. future conditions?
C. Soil
1. Native soil
2. Soil test
3. Amendments
a. organic matter
b. lime
c. Nitrogen
d. Phosphorus
e. Potassium? Wood Ashes
f. Sand ?
4. Purchased topsoil – what to check for
IV. Gardening basics
A. Raised beds – consider these “basic” for this area
1. Advantages
2. Types
B. Water: need 1”/week -- check with shovel to at least 6”
1. drip system
2. soaker hoses
3. hand watering
4. overhead – put out can
D. Mulch
1.Why
2.When
3.materials

3. E. Weeds
1. Identification
2. Tools
3. Control EARLY
F. Fall
1. Cleanup
2. Amendments
3. Cover crops- annual seed: rye grain, rye grass, vetch, crimson clover, field
peas, mache(corn salad), overwintering fava beans (small seed), others
V. Vegetable Families – special needs? What part of the plant do you eat?
A. Greens
B. Solanacae
C. Legumes
D. Brassicas
E. Roots
F. Curcubits
G. Alliums

4. H. Other – corn
Asparagus
VI. Plant layout and planting- Art, science, and experience
A. Perennials and Annuals: Carefully plan location of perennials such as rhubarb,
asparagus, artichoke, herbs, perennial onions, strawberries, other?
B. Annual Plant spacing - TABLE 8 Planting Distances for Intensive Gardeners
1. Rows
2. Broadcast
3. Equal spacing
4. Support structures
5. Interplanting: mixing vegetable families – efficient use of space, may
reduce pest & disease problems, less space for weeds
“Three sisters” – a classic example
Other ideas
TABLE 9 Short Season Crops
TABLE 10 Long Season Crops
TABLE 11 Complementary above ground Growth Patterns
TABLE 12 Characteristic Rooting Depths
TABLE 13 Complementary Root Patterns
C. Succession Planting – planting more than one crop in the same space in a year
1. short season crops See Table 9
2. long season crops – See table 10
3.Transplants are useful
4.Careful selection of varieties is important
D. Rotation – Changing the type of plant/vegetable from year to year

5. 1. Why
2. Cycle of 3 years is ideal– but not always possible.
E. Record Keeping
1.Notebook with planting date, variety, transplant date, harvest date, and
comments
2.Yearly site map – draw onto Xeroxed master copy
F. Timing Information
1.OSU Monthly Calendar
2.Catalogs – especially Territorial
3.Your records
G. Planting: seeds or transplants?
1. Direct seeding
2. Purchasing Transplants
Know the variety, select stocky plants with good color, check roots
3. Growing Transplants
a. Seed starter mix: purchase it or blend your own. DO NOT
USE GARDEN SOIL. Damping off-
b. Recipe for homemade mix
1. equal parts of peat moss, perlite (or vermiculite), and
pasteurized compost (damp soil in oven 170 degrees F for 30 min).
2. for each 1cubic foot mix, add 1 c lime, l cup fish meal,
and 3 T kelp
c. bottom heat
d. Flourescent or plenty of natural light and heat
e. Hardening off
f.. Timing- count back to decide when to start transplants
g. Planting out transplants

6. h. Growing transplants outdoors- nursery bed or pots
VII Summer Gardening
A. Special techniques
a. Black and other plastic
b. Special varieties to select
B. Specific crops
a. Tomatoes
b. Peppers
c. Eggplant
d. Potatoe
e. Squash
Summer
Winter
f. Melons
g. Cukes
h. Beans
Bush
Pole
i. Greens
h. Cover crop- buckwheat

7. VIII. Cool Season Gardening
A. Special techniques
1. special varieties
2. begin early enough to get a good start – but avoid lush growth
3. floating row covers
4. mulches
5. Season extenders: cloches, coldfames, greenhouses
B. Specific crops
Legumes
Peas
Favas
Cover crop
Greens
Lettuce- special romaines
Escarole, endive, chicory, raddichio
Arugula, coriander
Parsley
Chard
Spinich
Mustards- many! Pac Choi, Mizuna
Corn salad- mache
Brassicas -
Fall/winter vs “overwintering”- genetic response to day length
Kale/ collards
Cabbage
Broccoli- fall, winter and overwintering

8. Cauli- fall and overwintering
Kohlrabi- especially giant ones
Roots
Carrots, beets, parsnip
Allium
Leek
Garlic
Onion
IX Herbs
A. Location: convenience + growing conditions. Containers?
B. Perennial-
Thyme, oregano, tarragon(may freeze out), chives, winter savory, sage, rosemary
C. Annual
cilantro, basil
D. Biennial
Parsley – curly or flat italian
X. Perennial Vegetables- Rhubarb, Asparagas, Artichoke, Others?
XI. Container Vegetables
XII. Questions
XIII. What is in a beginners garden? a small garden,