Virginia Cooperative Extension- York County - Gloucester County ...

Virginia Cooperative Extension- York County

Pruning Deciduous Shrubs
• Need to know your shrubs
Spring Blooming
Summer Blooming
Virginia Cooperative Extension – York County
Invent the Future
www.yorkcounty.gov/vce
890-4940 / www.ext.vt.edu / ex199@vt.edu

Vegetable Gardening
on the Peninsula

Why Grow Vegetables?
• Healthy plants grown in healthy
soil are nutritious.
• Vegetable gardening helps keep
you in touch with the cycles of
nature.
• You can grow varieties not
available in the local super
market.

Who Will Get to Play in the Garden?
• Will this be a family effort? !
• Remember the summer months
• July 19, 95 degrees, 0 wind speed,
87% humidity
• Dad tills, mom plants, kids harvest
• Neighborhood effort
• Hired hand?

What Does Your family Like to Eat?
• Tomatoes?
• Leafy Greens Vegetables?
• Radishes?
• Beans?
• Cantaloupes, Melons?
• Peppers?

How Much Do You Need to Grow?
• Enough for fresh consumption
• Enough for preservation
• Neighborhood good will
• Wildlife, Disease, and Insects
• Storm events: Hail, Strong Winds

How Much Land/Space is Available?
• 10’ X 20’, 5’ X25’
• Containers
• Land in the Neighborhood
• A Section in Dad’s Garden

Selecting the Site
• Six hours of sunlight each day (major
disappointment if not considered)
• Be aware of microclimates (fencing, close
to the house, a low spot in the landscape)
• Avoid trees, shrubs, and traffic areas
• Look for deep, friable soil (find your best
soil)

N
a.m.

House
Garden
Play Area
N

Be Successful: Manage What You
Started
• Begin with a small plot and expand
later.
• Even one hundred square feet can
provide a family of three with fresh
vegetables.
• Be successful first so that you will
continue to increase your skills.

Soil Fertility
• pH
• Organic Mater
• Fertilizers
• Mulches

pH
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0 11 12 13 14
Ideal pH range for vegetable gardens
6.0- 7.0
On the pH scale, 7 is neutral.
Add pulverized limestone to increase pH.
Add sulfur to decrease pH.

Understanding the Fertilizer Label
10-10-10
N Nitrogen
Leaf growth
P Phosphorous
K Potassium
Root growth
Flower development
Plant stress tolerance
Promotes cold hardiness

Basic Fertilizer Recommendation
• Add 1 pound of 10-10-10 per
100 square feet
• Add 2 pounds of 5-10-5 per
100 square feet

Why pH is Important?
• Most vegetables do best in
slightly acid soil of pH 6.0 to 7.0.
• pH outside this range affects
availability of essential nutrients.
• Plants stressed by growing at the
wrong pH are more likely to
attract insect damage.

Spring Planting Guides
Average last spring frost for your area.
Tidewater VA: April 1 to 21
6 5 4 3 2 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2
0 0 0 0 0 0
0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Plant Harvest Beets

Growing Season
• Equals the number of frost free days:
– Average last frost date in spring:
• April 1 to 21
– Average first frost date in fall:
• November 8 to 28
– Average number of frost free days:
• 230 day
– Ref: MG Handbook, p. 300

Starting Seeds Indoors
• Starting medium: Vermiculite or a
seed starting mix based on peat
• Germination temperature of about 75
deg. F (top of the water heater is
about right)
• Pot up when first true leaves appear
if using Vermiculite--then use dilute
liquid fertilizer

Growing Seeds Indoors
• Shop lights: bank of three suspended about 2”
above the seedlings, 16 hr. on, 8 hr. off
• Keep the soil moist.
• Water with soluble fertilizer weekly

Steps to Ready the Garden
Cultivate soil to depth of 6 inches
Incorporate organic amendments to
a depth of 2 inches
Apply recommended fertilizer and lime
Rake level remove rocks and debris

Vegetables to Start Indoors
Broccoli
Brussels
Sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Eggplant
Tomatoes
Lettuce
Peppers
Swiss Chard
Herbs
Chinese
Cabbage
Celery

Plant These Vegetables Directly
Pole Beans
Bush Beans
Lima Beans
Peas
Collards
Spinach (spring &
fall to winter over)
Carrots
Cucumber
Melon
Squash
Kale
Okra
Corn
Turnips
Beets

Planting the Garden
• Direct Seeded
• Harden seedlings off.
• Water seedlings ahead.
• Plant out late in afternoon or on
cloudy day.
• Plant at soil level--press soil firmly
around roots.
• Water the newly planted seedling

Watering the Garden
Direct seeding into the garden.
Watering the garden

Extending the Season
• Cold Frames are miniature greenhouses
– Can be heated with tape
– Plant lettuces in August for winter eating
• Cloches and tunnels for field crops
• Floating row covers
– Provide 5 deg of frost protection
– Keep insects and critters from tender
crops

Cold Frames

More Cold Frames

Tomatoes
• Reduce incidence of tomato spotted
wilt virus (tswv)
• Raise your own plant (tswv resistant)
• Protect plants with mulch
• Do not allow tobacco products near
your plants, including nicotianna,
petunias and related
• Wash hands before entering the
garden

No Stress

Reduce Insect Populations
• Spun woven fabric covers
• Planting timing
• Crop rotation (not practical)
• Sanitation
• Weed Control
• Insecticidal Soaps

Upcoming Extension Events
• Weekends in February, Free Pruning
Clinics
• Mondays in March, 4-H Lawn Mowing
• March 13, Horticultural Extravaganza
• April 10, Garden Symposium
• April, Plant Health Clinics
• May 1, York County M G Plant Sale
• www.yorkcounty.gov/vce

Thank you
Questions???
Virginia Cooperative Extension-York County
100 County Drive
(757) 890-4940
ex199@vt.edu
www.yorkcounty.gov/vce