THE URBAN HOME & GARDEN
Practical vegetable gardening



Even small gardens
can reap a hardy harvest

With food costs skyrocketing in the last couple of years, gardening has become quite popular, even in the City. If you are fortunate enough to have a backyard, a vegetable garden can be a fun and rewarding hobby for your entire household, as well as economical. July is an ideal month to plant beets, carrots, radishes, cabbage, cauliflower, fava beans, and turnips for a hardy fall harvest.

Tips to Get You Started Right
• Careful planning and site preparation are the keys to abundance and enjoyment. Choose the right site. Get to know your microclimate. Make sure your site and the plants you choose to grow are well suited for each other.

• Pay close attention to sun, soil and drainage conditions. The ideal spot for your garden is in full sunlight. Most vegetable plants need six hours or more of full sunlight for healthy growth, best flavor and maximum vitamin content. Some vegetables, though, such as lettuce and spinach will tolerate partial shade. The key word here is partial.

• Situate your garden in a well-drained area (avoid low areas and obvious drainage paths), and avoid planting near trees and shrubs, as they compete for nutrients and moisture. Select a site close to your dwelling and a water source. This will make it easier to spend time in your garden and it will allow you to keep up with insect and disease control, watering and weeding.

Planning
• Make your garden a manageable size. A small, well-kept garden will supply more food with less work. Take a survey of your household’s favorite vegetables and plan how you will use your produce. If you intend to can or freeze part of your harvest, this should be factored into the garden size.

• If your available ground space is limited, include window boxes and container plants in your planting strategy. Expand available space by using vertical structures (fences, walls or trellises) for climbing plants such as cucumbers, squash or pole beans.

Soil Preparation
• Thoroughly prepare the soil before planting – this may be the single most important element in successful vegetable gardening. Test and adjust your soil’s pH to suit your plants. Find out exactly what your garden needs with a kit that will includes tests for pH, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium levels. Add abundant organic matter to improve soil conditions, conserve soil moisture and encourage root development. The best time to add amendments like compost, decomposed manure, or peat moss is when you spade or till the soil. (Never till the soil when it is wet.) Peat moss is an excellent amendment for San Francisco gardens because it is weed-free, helps hold moisture in sandy soil, and can be safely added in large quantities.

• You will also want weed- and seed-free organic material to mulch your plants with once they come up. A thick layer of mulch (minimum four inches) keeps weeds down and retains soil moisture.

• Use proper lifting techniques and have the right tools on hand. Your gardening projects will be faster, safer and easier if you use your body correctly and use the right tools for the project.

• Choose disease-resistant plant varieties whenever you have a choice, and select plants that are appropriate to your region and microclimate. These plants carry a special wisdom: Work with the environment and you will live well and prosper!

Julia Strzesieski is the marketing coordinator at Cole Hardware and can be reached at [email protected].