How to Grow the Easy Veggies

After talking to a couple of new veggie gardeners recently, I remembered what it was like when I first tried to grow veggies and all the poor, sad plants I killed. It would almost be worth it all if I could help someone else avoid the mistakes I made.

Here's where I went wrong:

1. Chose the wrong veggies for a beginner;
2. Tried to grow hot season plants too soon;
3. Planted in cold ground; 
4. Grew sun plants in less than full sun
5. Forgot to prepare the soil;
6. Let my enthusiasm over-water the seedlings;
7. Failed to protect the new plants from weather extremes.

1. The Wrong Veggies - in Central Oregon, growing corn, cucumbers and eggplant is not easy for the best gardeners. But leaf lettuce, broccoli, peas, potatoes and (in the middle of summer), beans and zucchini, will produce beautiful crops and make you proud to show off your garden to all the neighborhood. Once you've got these veggies mastered (give yourself a couple years), branch out to the more fussy ones like pumpkin and melon (they really need a long hot season with no cold nights).

2. The Right Season - sad to say, corn is a difficult plant.  It needs a steady heat to pollinate the ears and keep them growing fat and juicy - not easy with Central Oregon's occasional summer nights of 45 degrees. If you are adventurous and plant corn, don't start it before June or the seeds will rot in the damp, cold soil.  However, peas will be delighted to send out their tough little shoots in early May and you'll have plenty of pea pods before the heat of summer takes over. Leaf lettuce also does well in a cool Spring alongside  broccoli and cabbage. Hold off planting beans until June, too.

3. The Cold Cold Ground - the seed packets talk about air temperatures but the seeds care about soil temps. Get a soil thermometer (they're cheap: $5) and check your planting beds every couple days. When the soil is above 45, it's okay to start most cool season crops.  Micro-climates in your yard will have different temperatures, so check everywhere you intend to plant.

4. The Full Sun Garden - this seems like a no-brainer, but novice gardeners underestimate their solar exposure all the time.  Trees, buildings, time of year all play a part.  If your garden faces South or West, you have a good start but be aware of any potential shade sources that will reduce your solar exposure. Most veggies want at least 6 hours a day  or they'll grow tall and lanky trying to find the sun, and you'll get a disappointing crop, if at all.

5. Preparation is Everything - I've gardened in clay, sand, and rocky soil and know that Central Oregon's sandy-ish soil is not too bad once I've amended it. A yearly addition of compost and/or aged manure supplies organic, slow-released nutrients and helps the soil hold water. The change from native soil to amended soil is staggering - and my plants show their gratitude all summer long.

6. Water-Logged vs Dry to the Bone - when I was new at this, watering was a way to enjoy my hard work: spraying water across my new plants and feeling proud.  Until the plants started to wilt and die!  More water! More water!  They must be dry! But, in reality, what really was happening was the roots were so wet they were rotting in the damp soil. The fine hair-like roots drowned and died, unable to absorb nutrients in the soil. A slow sad death I could have avoided. Dry plants should perk up again but wet, wilted plants are destined for the compost pile.

7. Weather Extremes - those of us who live here, don't talk of weather extremes, we talk of regular, daily weather. Summer temps can range from 40 at night to 85 in the mid-afternoon. Hail can strike any Spring or Summer day. And everyone has stories about the wind blowing down 100 year-old trees. Farmers know how devastating the weather can be but, luckily, homeowners, with their smaller gardens, can do something about it. My storage shed holds row cover, walls of water, and improvised wind screens to be brought out at a moment's notice. I feel I've become a close acquaintance with the local TV weather forecaster (thanks, Travis) and study the NOAA website daily in the growing season.  A little attention and I haven't lost any plants to the weather in years. Not to say Mother Nature may not come up with something new any day, though (the paper says Mount St. Helens is still an active volcano!).

These websites have some really good information about veggie gardens, but you should add 2 or 3 weeks to  adjust the Minnesota dates to work with our shorter growing season (June 1 to Sept 1):
http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/vegetables/planting-the-vegetable-garden/
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/gardennotes/719.pdf