P205 The 4-H Garden - Things To Do To Complete Your Garden Project

The 4-H Garden

Things To Do To Complete Your Garden Project

Beginner

Learn how to fertilize and prepare soil for planting, draw a garden plan, plant large and small seeds, thin plants, grow and set tomato and pepper plants, cultivate vegetables, control pests, mulch vegetables, sidedress plants, prune and stake plants, harvest vegetables when at best edible stages, and judge vegetables. Write a story about your project and keep a record on your project.

Plant at least 75 feet of row in the spring garden, using at least three kinds of vegetables, including 10 tomato plants.

Plant at least 50 feet of row in the fall garden, using at least two kinds of vegetables.

Intermediate

Plant at least 150 feet of row in the spring garden, using at least six kinds of vegetables, including twelve tomato and six sweet pepper plants.

Plant at least 75 feet of row in the fall garden. Grow at least three kinds of vegetables.

Advanced

Plant at least 400 feet of row in the spring garden, using at least ten kinds of vegetables.

Plant 150 feet of row in the fall garden, using at least six kinds of vegetables.

Set 25 strawberry or blackberry plants.

Time for seeds to germinate in warm, moist soil
	Days
Beans	5 to 10
Beets	7 to 10
Cabbage	5 to 10
Carrots	12 to 18
Cauliflower	5 to 10
Corn	5 to 8
Cucumber	6 to 10
Endive	5 to 10
Lettuce	6 to 8
Onion	7 to 10
Peas	6 to 10
Parsnips	10 to 20
Parsley	15 to 21
Pepper	9 to 14
Radish	3 to 6
Spinach	7 to 12
Salsify	7 to 12
Tomato	7 to 12
Turnip	4 to 8

Plants from 1 ounce of seed
Broccoli	5,000
Cabbage	5,000
Cauliflower	5,000
Collards	5,000
Eggplant	2,500
Lettuce	10,000
Pepper	1,500
Tomatoes	4,000
Onion	4,000
Sweetpotato, 1 bu	1,500 to 2,000

It's fun to sow seeds, set plants and watch them grow, and produce food for the table, canning, freezing, and storage. Everyone likes to help the family do more and better things. The 4-H Garden Project is one of the best ways to do this. A project that's more fun, more educational, and more profitable will be hard to find.

In this project you will learn to prepare the soil, use various kinds of fertilizer, and plant seeds. You will learn to cultivate plants, control insects and diseases, and harvest vegetables properly. You will demonstrate improved garden practices, grade and score vegetables, and identify insects and diseases attacking vegetables.

The 4-H Garden Project is truly a project where you can develop all of the four H's. You must use your HEAD to make the plan. Your HAND will be called on to plant, hoe, and grow the vegetables. Your HEART will feel the joys of success and must withstand the failures when they come in your garden work, and HEALTH will develop through exercise in gardening and through eating fresh, canned, frozen, or stored vegetables from your own garden.

Your Garden

You should grow your own rows of vegetables. If you are in your first or second year of gardening, you may plant and care for the required number of feet of rows in the family garden. As you become more experienced, you may care for the family garden or have a separate 4-H garden.

Starting the 4-H Garden

If you select a new plot instead of using a few rows in the family garden, consider these points in locating your plot:

Locate the garden away from buildings and trees.

Have the garden where it is convenient to the house and to water.

The garden should be well drained but not droughty.

Locate the garden on the best soil available -- a sandy loam soil is best.

Protect the plot, whether large or small, with a good fence.

Size and Shape

Make rows just wide enough so you can reach the middle from either side without stepping into the row.

Drainage

Vegetables will not grow well on poorly drained soil, even though supplied with adequate fertilizer. If your soil has a lot of clay or is poorly drained, make the beds high so they will drain quickly and the soil will warm up in the spring. You can reduce the size of the beds just before planting.

Check the plot after a rain to note the low areas, which should be drained or filled in. The soil in a low area may show poor production. In some instances you may use an area too wet for the spring garden or a fall garden.

The Garden Plan

Make a garden plan and make the plan work. A good plan is a "must" for the 4-H garden to yield the most. Your plan will include what vegetables to plant, which varieties to select, their locations in the garden, and vegetables to follow for a second crop.

Plan your garden around the requirements for your age group.

Garden Practices

Every 4-H gardener wants to grow as many quality vegetables as possible with the least expense. To do this you must use good garden practices.

Prepare plot or rows during fall and winter for early spring planting.

Use fresh seeds of recommended varieties.

Make double-row plantings of beets, carrots, radish, mustard, lettuce, turnips, onions, English peas, and spinach in the spring garden.

Use adequate fertilizer.

Sidedress plants with a nitrate fertilizer when the plants are 3 to 4 inches tall.

Prune and/or stake plants that require it, such as tomatoes, pole beans, sweet pepper, and eggplant.

Water, mulch, and harvest regularly to keep plants producing.

Cultivate when grass and weeds are small.

Grow two or more crops of certain vegetables on same row at same time.

Control pests.

Make at least two plantings of most vegetables for continuous production.

Soil

Good soil is another must for best garden results. If your garden soil is heavy or "packy," you can improve it by adding organic matter (barnyard manure, leaves, or compost). Work this into the soil in late fall and winter. Good garden soil should be loose, well-drained but hold some moisture, and contain some organic matter or plant food. You can harvest two or even three crops a year from the same row, but be careful with soil on which so much is grown.

Fertilizing

Most vegetables are heavy feeders and require a soil well supplied with plant food and organic matter. Do not attempt gardening without using fertilizer. Do not use fresh manure during the growing season because it may burn young plants. Do not use fresh leaves except as mulch. Compost also works well as a sidedressing material. Apply it at a rate of 20 to 30 pounds per 100 row feet, and work it into the soil.

It will pay to use a balanced commercial fertilizer in the rows 10 days to 2 weeks before planting. This type of fertilizer (13-13-13 or 8-8-8) contains the three basic materials necessary for plant growth -- nitrogen, phosphorous, and potash.

Use a balanced fertilizer such as 13-13-13 at the rate of 3 to 5 pounds per 100 feet of row. Spread it over the row and mix it 4 to 5 inches deep. The exact amount to use for each vegetable is determined by the kind of vegetable grown. Leafy vegetables usually require more fertilizer than pod vegetables.

In addition to a balanced fertilizer, a supply of nitrogen fertilizer, such as ammonium nitrate, should be available for sidedressing the plants when they are 3 to 6 inches tall. The usual amount for this job is 3/4 to 1 pound to 100 feet of row. Place it 3 to 4 inches from the plants and work it well into the soil.

Seeds

Select seed varieties that do well in your area and plant fresh seeds each year. Poor or low-quality seeds are expensive. They are slow in "coming-up," may show stunted growth or deformed plants, and might be low producers.

Seeds more than 1 year old, bought or home-saved, should be tested before planting. Buy seeds from a reliable seed dealer and get enough for at least two plantings. Getting your seeds early will insure your getting the varieties you want.

Plants

The seed box, hotbed, and cold frame are used for growing early plants while you wait for good weather for planting outdoors. You can start plants such as tomato, pepper, and eggplant from seeds planted in small wooden boxes or in the hotbed.

Grow the plants for 3 to 4 weeks and transplant to the cold frame for hardening off. Or you may, with special care, grow the plants for 5 to 7 weeks in the seed box and set them in the open. The first method gives best results. In either case, you want to set only healthy, strong plants.

Preparing the Rows

Preparation of the spring garden should start the fall or winter before. The first step is to clean out the plot. Remove all grass, weeds, vines, and plant stubble. Spread the usual fall application of barnyard manure or compost over the plot and plow under.

After a few weeks, make the rows. If you make the rows by midwinter, the winter weather will help in having a loose soil for early spring planting. Most of the early low-growing spring vegetables can be planted in double rows.

When planting time comes in the early spring, all that will be necessary before planting is to "freshen up" the top of the row for planting small seeds. If rows are too low after the winter rains, remake them and allow time to settle before planting.

Cultivation

The chief purpose of cultivation is to keep down weeds and grass. Cultivate shallow and as often as needed. There is no set time to do this job, but the best time is while the grass and weeds are small.

Mulches

Mulching vegetables helps keep down weeds and grass and saves moisture. It may not be practical to mulch all garden crops, but mulching especially pays off on long-growing summer crops such as tomatoes and peppers. Leaves, pine straw, old straw, compost, old sawdust, newspapers, or heavy building paper will do the job.

Apply mulches of leaves and straw 3 to 4 inches deep and cover both the middles and the rows. Apply mulches when the garden is clean and just after watering or a rain.

Know Your Vegetables

Vegetables may be classified by their resistance to frosts and cold. By knowing this, you can tell what and when to plant for best production. The four general groups of vegetables are hardy, half hardy, tender, and very tender.

Vegetables in the hardy group can withstand hard frosts and can be planted 2 to 3 weeks before the last killing frost in the spring or as soon as the soil can be prepared. The half-hardy group contains vegetables that can withstand light frosts. The seeds will germinate at low temperatures. These vegetables are planted about the time of the last killing frost.

Warm-season crops

Tender	Very tender
Beans (snap)	Beans (lima)	Pepper
Corn (sweet)	Cucumbers	Pumpkin
New Zealand spinach	Cantaloupe	Squash
Tomatoes	Eggplant	Sweetpotato
	Okra	Watermelon

Cool-season crops

Hardy	Half hardy
Asparagus	Artichoke
Brussels sprouts	Beets
Broccoli	Carrots
Cabbage	Cauliflower
Chinese cabbage	Celery
Collards	Endive
Garlic	Lettuce
Kale	Parsnip
Kohlrabi	Potato, Irish
Mustard	Salsify
Onion	Swiss chard
Parsley
Peas (English)
Radish
Rutabaga
Spinach
Turnips

Vegetables and How To Grow Them

Asparagus variety--Mary Washington. Plant crowns or roots in winter or early spring, setting roots 18 inches apart in 3 1/2- to 4-foot rows. Use plenty of well-composted organic matter. Open trench in rows 6 inches deep and 12 inches wide. Spread roots carefully, then fill in over each crown with 3 to 4 inches of loose, fertile soil. Cultivation must be shallow.

Do not cut asparagus for table use the first spring, though you may expect a light cutting the second year. Cut for 4 to 5 weeks, then let stalks grow. After frost each fall, cut tops, remove them from garden, and burn. Cover beds with 3 to 4 inches of barnyard manure in late fall.

Beans, bush snap. This vegetable will produce in 55 days. Make plantings every 10 days to 2 weeks from March to May and one fall planting in August. Distance between rows should be 24 to 36 inches. Plant seed in continuous row with seeds 2 inches apart in row. Cover seeds 1 inch deep. Dust for bean beetles. Do not cultivate or pick beans when plants are wet.

Beans, pole snap. Make at least three plantings from April to August. Space rows 3 to 4 feet apart. Drop seeds three per hill in hills 18 inches apart or plant in continuous drill with seeds 6 to 8 inches apart.

Provide poles or wire and string for vines before they begin to climb.

Beans, bush lima. Make a planting every 4 to 5 weeks from April to August. Plant as recommended for bush snap beans.

Beans, pole lima. Make at least two plantings from April to mid-July. Plant, thin, and support as for pole snap bean.

Beets. Plant any time from February to April for spring crop, in late August or September for fall crop. Rows should be 24 to 36 inches apart. You can use double rows 10 inches apart, with each double row 36 inches apart, if space is limited. You can also do this with carrots, lettuce, onions, radishes, English peas, and other early crops.

In planting beets, open a shallow drill (trench), sow two or three seeds to each inch of row, and cover 1/2 inch deep. When plants are 3 inches tall, thin to a spacing of 4 inches. Plants removed can be reset if they are needed.

Cabbage. Buy healthy plants for spring planting. Set in rows 24 to 36 inches apart, spacing plants 12 inches apart in row. May be planted from January to April. Feed cabbage plenty of nitrogen. Sidedress with 1 pound ammonium nitrate to each 100 feet of row when plants are well established.

Carrots. Plant spring crop from February through April; fall crop in August, September, and early October. Sow seed, placing four to six seeds to the inch. A few radish seeds mixed with carrots in seed row will mark row and help carrot seedlings through ground. Thin carrots to stand 2 inches apart.

Chard, Swiss. Plant like beets, but thin plants to 12-inch spacing when 3 inches tall.

Collards. Sow seed in spring or fall. Thin to 15-inch spacing. Fertilize with ammonium nitrate as for cabbage.

Corn, sweet. Do not save seed. Make at least four plantings, beginning in March. Plant 2 to 3 weeks apart. Plant three seeds to a hill 12 inches apart and thin to one stalk per hill. Fertilize heavily. Do not pull suckers.

Cucumbers. Plant seed in continuous drill with seeds 9 to 12 inches apart. Water if possible in dry weather. Pick regularly.

Eggplant. Sow seed in seedbox or hotbed in January or February. Set in garden after danger of frost is past, spacing plants 18 to 24 inches apart.

Lettuce, head. Plant in January or February in seedbox, if necessary. Transplant or thin plants to spacing of 12 inches. Lettuce needs rich soil.

Lettuce, leaf. Sow in January, February, March, or April. Thin to 4-inch spacing. Make fall planting in August or September.

Mustard. Sow every 3 or 4 weeks in February, March, and April and again in August and September. Thin plants to 1-inch spacing. Eat plants pulled in thinning.

Okra. Plant after danger of frost is past, sowing seed thick enough to assure a stand. Leave plants 18 inches apart. One planting will bear until frost.

Onion. Buy plants or sets or get sets of multipliers from your neighbors. Plant in garden in early spring, spacing onion plants or sets 3 inches apart. Thin those to store to 6 inches apart, eating green onions that are removed. Use rich soil for onions. Cultivate often and shallow. Pull to store when tops die down.

Peas, English. Plant several varieties from January to April. Sow seed 1 inch apart in double rows 12 inches apart and place support of brush, wire, or string, between each double row.

Pepper, hot. Plant seed in January or February in seedbox or hotbed. Set plants 2 feet apart in row after danger of frost is past. Six to 12 plants are enough.

Peppers, sweet. Cultivate same as for hot pepper. May need to stake large plants. Stake like tomatoes.

Potato, Irish. Plant spring crop in January, February, and March, and fall crop in August. Cut seed pieces with two eyes, the size of an egg or larger, and plant 6 inches deep 12 inches apart. Use potatoes from spring crop for fall crop, sprouting seed in July under moist sacks, straw, or soil. Plant 5 to 6 inches deep in August.

Radish. Plant 10 to 15 feet of row every 2 weeks in February, March, and April, also in September and October. Sow seed 1/2 of an inch apart and 1/2 of an inch deep. Thin to 2 inches.

Spinach. Plant any time in winter between October and March. Sow 1 inch deep and thin plants to 3 inches apart. Use ammonium nitrate as sidedressing when plants are 2 inches tall.

Squash. Sow two to three seed in hills 36 inches apart. Thin to one plant after the danger of frost is past.

Tomato. Sow seed in seedbox or hotbed in February or March. Transplant to plant boxes or cold frame when 2 to 3 inches high. Set plants in open garden after danger of frost is past. Set plants in rows 3 to 4 feet apart with plants 18 to 36 inches apart in row. Prune early crop to one or two stems and tie to a 5-foot stake. Do not prune the fall crop as heavily. Sow seed in June for fall crop. Mulch tomatoes in June.

Turnip and tendergreen. Plant February to April and for fall garden in September. Sow seed 1/2-inch deep in rows or broadcast over wide bed.

Watermelon. Plant seeds in April and May, six to eight seed in hill, 6 feet apart in rows 10 feet apart. Thin plants to two to hill.

Planting Dates for the 4-H Garden

	Zone 1		Zone 2		Zone 3		Zone 4		Zone 5
Vegetable	Spring	Fall	Spring	Fall	Spring	Fall	Spring	Fall	Spring	Fall
Asparagus (seeds)	Not Recommended		Feb. 1 Feb. 15		Feb. 1 Feb. 15		Feb. 15 Mar. 15		Mar. 1 Apr. 1
Asparagus (crowns)	Not Recommended		Dec. 1 Feb. 1		Dec. 1 Mar. 1		Dec. 1 Mar. 10		Dec. 1 Mar. 15
Beans, snap (bush)	Feb.10 Apr.15	Aug.25 Sept. 20	Mar. 1 Apr. 20	Aug. 25 Sept. 10	Mar. 15 May 1	Aug. 15 Sept. 7	Mar. 20 May 1	Aug. 15 Sept. 1	Apr. 1 May 10	Aug. 15 Sept. 1
(Pole)	Mar. 1 to Sept. 1		Mar. 15 to Aug. 15		Mar. 20 to Aug. 15		Apr. 1 to Aug. 10		Apr. 10 to Aug. 1
Beans, lima (bush)	Mar. 1 to Aug. 15		Mar. 15 to Aug. 1		Mar. 20 to Aug. 1		Apr. 1 to July 25		April 10 to July 15
(Pole)	Mar. 1 to Aug. 5		Mar. 15 to July 20		Mar. 20 to July 20		Apr. 1 to July 15		April 10 to July 5
Beets	Jan. 1 Mar. 1	Aug. 15 Oct. 1	Feb. 1 Mar. 15	Aug. 10 Sept. 20	Feb. 10 Apr. 1	Aug. 1 Sept. 20	Feb. 15 Apr. 1	Aug. 1 Sept. 15	Feb. 20 Apr. 5	Aug. 1 Sept. 7
Broccoli (set plants in spring,seed in fall)	Jan. 1 Feb. 15	Sept. 1 Sept. 15	Feb. 1 Mar. 1	Aug. 20 Sept. 1	Feb. 10 Mar. 10	Aug. 15 Aug. 25	Feb. 15 Mar. 15	Aug. 5 Aug. 15	Feb. 20 Mar. 20	July 25 Aug. 5
Cabbage (set plants in spring,seed in fall)	Jan. 1 Feb. 15	Sept. 1 Sept. 15	Jan. 15 Mar. 1	Aug. 20 Sept. 1	Jan. 20 Mar. 15	Aug. 15 Aug. 25	Feb. 5 Mar. 20	Aug. 5 Aug. 15	Feb. 10 Apr. 1	July 25 Aug. 5
Cantaloupe	Feb. 15 Apr. 20		Mar. 15 May 1		Apr. 1 May 10		Apr. 5 May 10		Apr. 10 May 15
Carrots	Jan. 1 Apr. 15	July 15 Nov. 1	Jan. 1 Apr. 15	July 15 Nov. 1	Jan. 15 Apr. 15	July 10 Oct. 1	Feb. 1 Apr. 15	July 15 Oct. 1	Feb. 15 Apr. 15	July 15 Oct. 1
Cauliflower (set plants in spring, seed in fall)	Jan. 1 Feb. 15	Aug. 10 Sept. 1	Feb. 1 Mar. 1	Aug. 5 Aug. 25	Feb. 10 Mar. 10	Aug. 1 Aug. 20	Feb. 15 Mar. 15	July 20 Aug. 10	Feb. 20 Mar. 20	July 20 Aug. 1
Chard, Swiss	Jan. 1 Mar. 1	Aug. 15 Oct. 1	Feb. 1 Mar. 15	Aug. 10 Sept. 20	Feb. 10 Apr. 1	Aug. 1 Sept. 20	Feb. 15 Apr. 15	Aug. 1 Sept. 15	Feb. 20 Apr. 15	Aug. 1 Sept. 7
Chinese cabbage		Sept. 1 Oct. 1		Sept. 1 Sept. 20		Aug. 16 Sept. 10		Aug. 1 Sept. 21		July 20 Aug. 15
Collards (set plants)	Apr. 1 June 1		Apr. 1 June 1		Apr. 15 June 15		Apr. 15 June 15		Apr. 15 June 15
Corn	Feb. 15 July 15		Mar. 1 July 15		Mar. 15 July 15		Mar. 20 July 15		Mar. 25 July 15
Cucumbers	Feb. 15 Apr. 20	Aug. 28 Sept. 14	Mar. 15 May 1	Aug. 14 Aug. 28	Apr. 1 May 10	Aug. 7 Aug. 21	Apr. 5 May 10	Aug. 1 Aug. 14	Apr. 10 May 15	July 25 Aug. 10
Eggplant (set plants)	Mar. 1 Aug. 15		Mar. 15 Aug. 1		Apr. 1 Aug. 1		Apr. 5 Aug. 1		Apr. 10 July 15
Lettuce (head)	Jan. 15 Mar. 1	Sept. 1 Oct. 1	Jan. 15 Mar. 1	Sept. 1 Oct. 1	Jan. 15 Mar. 1	Aug. 20 Sept. 20	Feb. 1 Mar. 5	Aug. 20 Sept. 15	Feb. 1 Mar. 10	Aug. 20 Sept. 10
Lettuce (leaf)	Jan. 15 Apr. 1	Sept. 1 Nov. 1	Jan. 15 Apr. 1	Sept. 1 Nov. 1	Jan. 15 Apr. 1	Aug. 15 Oct. 15	Feb. 1 Apr. 10	Aug. 15 Oct. 15	Feb. 1 Apr. 15	Aug. 15 Oct. 15
Mustard	Jan. 1 Apr. 1	Sept. 1 Nov. 1	Jan. 1 Apr. 1	Sept. 1 Nov. 1	Jan. 15 Apr. 15	Aug. 20 Nov. 1	Feb. 1 Apr. 15	Aug. 20 Oct. 15	Feb. 15 Apr. 10	Aug. 20 Oct. 10
New Zealand spinach	Feb. 15 Apr. 15		Feb. 15 Apr. 15		Mar. 1 Apr. 20		Apr. 1 May 15		Apr. 10 May 15
Okra	Mar. 1 July 15		Mar. 10 July 15		Mar. 20 July 15		Apr. 1 July 15		Apr. 10 July 15
Onions (sets or plants)	Jan. 1 Mar. 1	Sept. 1 Nov. 1	Jan. 1 Mar. 1	Sept. 1 Nov. 1	Jan. 1 Mar. 1	Sept. 1 Oct. 15	Feb. 1 Mar. 1	Sept. 1 Oct. 10	Feb. 15 Mar. 15	Sept. 1 Oct. 10
Parsley	Jan. 1 Mar. 1	Aug. 15 Oct. 15	Jan. 1 Mar. 1	Aug. 15 Oct. 15	Jan. 15 Mar. 1	Aug. 15 Oct. 1	Feb. 1 Mar. 20	Aug. 15 Oct. 1	Feb. 15 Apr. 1	Aug. 15 Sept. 15
Peas, English	Jan. 1 Mar. 10		Jan. 1 Mar. 10		Jan. 15 Mar. 15		Feb. 1 Mar. 20		Feb. 15 Apr. 1
Pepper (set plants)	Mar. 1 Aug. 15		Mar. 15 Aug. 1		Apr. 1 Aug. 1		Apr. 5 Aug. 1		Apr. 10 July 15
Potato, Irish	Jan. 20 Feb. 15	Aug. 20 Sept. 1	Jan. 20 Mar. 1	Aug. 15 Aug. 25	Jan. 20 Mar. 1	Aug. 10 Aug. 20	Feb. 1 Mar. 10	Aug. 5 Aug. 15	Feb. 10 Mar. 15	Aug. 1 Aug. 10
Potato, sweet (set plants)	Apr. 1 July 1		Apr. 10 July 1		Apr. 15 July 1		Apr. 20 July 1		Apr. 25 July 1
Radish	Jan. 1 Mar. 15	Sept. 15 Dec. 1	Jan. 1 Mar. 15	Sept. 15 Dec. 1	Jan. 15 Apr. 1	Sept. 1 Nov. 1	Feb. 1 Apr. 15	Sept. 1 Oct. 25	Feb. 15 Apr. 25	Sept. 1 Oct. 15
Rutabaga	Jan. 1 Feb. 1	Aug. 15 Sept. 15	Jan. 1 Feb. 1	Aug. 1 Sept. 15	Jan. 10 Feb. 1	July 15 Sept. 1		July 15 Aug. 20		July 15 Aug. 15
Salsify	Jan. 1 Mar. 1		Feb. 1 Apr. 1		Feb. 10 Apr. 15		Feb. 15 Apr. 15		Feb. 20 Apr. 20
Spinach	Jan. 1 Feb. 15	Oct. 1 Nov. 15	Jan. 1 Mar. 1	Sept. 15 Nov. 15	Jan. 1 Mar. 15	Sept. 1 Nov. 1	Jan. 1 Mar. 15	Sept. 1 Nov. 1	Jan. 15 Mar. 15	Sept. 1 Nov. 1
Squash	Feb. 15 Apr. 20	Aug. 20 Sept. 14	Mar. 15 May 1	Aug. 14 Aug. 20	Apr. 1 May 10	Aug. 7 Aug. 21	Apr. 5 May 10	Aug. 1 Aug. 14	Apr. 10 May 15	July 25 Aug. 10
Tomato (set plants)	Feb. 20 to Aug. 6		Mar. 15 to Aug. 10		Mar. 20 to Aug. 1		Mar. 25 to Aug. 1		April 1 to July 20
Turnips	Jan. 1 Apr. 1	Sept. 1 Nov. 1	Jan. 1 Apr. 1	Sept. 1 Nov. 1	Jan. 1 Apr. 1	Aug. 20 Nov. 1	Feb. 1 Apr. 15	Aug. 20 Oct. 15	Feb. 10 Apr. 20	Aug. 20 Oct. 10
Watermelons	Feb. 15 Apr. 20		Mar. 15 May 1		Apr. 1 May 10		Apr. 5 May 10		Apr. 10 May 15

Distance Between Plants in Row

	Inches
Asparagus	18
Beans bush, snap	3 to 6
Pole, snap	4 to12
Bush, lima	3 to 6
Pole, lima	4 to12
Beets	2
Chinese cabbage	12
Cabbage	18
Carrots	2 to 3
Collards	8 to 18
Corn	12
Cucumbers	12 to 18
Lettuce, leaf	4 to 8
Lettuce, head	12
Mustard	2
Okra	12 to 18
Onions	3 to 4
Parsley	4 to 6
Peas, English	2
Peas, field	4 to 6
Pepper	24
Potato, Irish	12
Potato, sweet	12
Radish	2
Spinach	4
Squash	36
Tendergreens	2
Tomatoes	18 to 36
Watermelon	4 feet to 6 feet

Planting Zones of Mississippi

Zone 1- The coastal counties - Hancock, Harrison, and Jackson counties

Zone 2 - Northern boundary of Zone 1 to Natchez, McComb, Hattiesburg line

Zone 3 - Northern boundary of Zone 2 to Vicksburg, Jackson, Meridian line

Zone 4 - Northern boundary of Zone 3 to Greenville, Greenwood, Columbus line

Zone 5 - Northern boundary of Zone 4 to Tennessee line

Planting, Yield, and Harvest Table

Vegetable

Days to maturity*

Seeds per 100-foot row

Yield per 100-foot row

Mar.

Apr.

May.

June

July

Aug.

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Bean, bush snap

1/2 lb

75 lb

A --------------------------

---------------

Pole snap

1/2 lb

100 lb

B --------------------------------------------------------

Bush, lima

1/2 lb

70 lb

B ----------------------------------------------

Pole, lima

1/2 lb

100 lb

------------------------------------------------------

Beets

1 oz

75 lb

A -------------------------------

---------------------------

Cabbage

100 plants

200

A-------------------------------------

-----------------------

Carrots

1/8 oz

100 lb

A------------------

---------------------------

Collards

1/4 oz

150 lb

A---------------------------------------------------------------

Corn

1/4 oz

10 dz ears

B----------------------------------------------------

Cucumbers

1/2 oz

100 lb

B--------------------------------------

Cantaloupe

1/4 oz

100

---------------

Eggplant

50 plants

100 lb

----------------------------------

Leaf Lettuce

1/4 oz

50 lb

A----------------------

---------------------------

Head Lettuce

1/4 oz

75 head

A----------------------

-------------------------

Mustard

1/4 oz

100 lb

A---------------------------

-------------------------------

Okra

1 oz

70 lb

-----------------------------------------------------

Onions

400 plants

100 lb

A------------------------------------

----------------------

Peas, English

1 lb

40 lb

---------------------

Peas, Southern

1/2 oz

80 lb

B-----------------------------------------------

Pepper

50 plants

50 lb

-----------------------------

Potato, Irish

100

10 lb

100 lb

B--------------------------

--------------

Radishes

1 oz

40 lb

A+B--------------------------

--------------------------------

Spinach

1/2 oz

40 lb

A+B----------------

------------------

Squash

1/2 oz

150 lb

A------------------------

---------------

Tomato

50 plants

125 lb

B---------------------------------------------------

Turnip

1/4 oz

50-100 lb

A+B-----------------------

--------------------------------

*Days to maturity will vary according to the season and variety.

Harvest table - (A) Spring and fall plantings. (B) Two or more plantings.

Fall Gardening

Good fall gardens can be grown in Mississippi. Garden plots that were too wet for the spring garden may be just right for a fall garden. The fall garden should be located on soil that is loose, holds some moisture, and contains some organic matter or plant food.

Besides having the fall garden, you can grow lots of vegetables in the cold frame when the weather is too bad to plant outside.

Fall Planting List

Beans, bush snap Mustard

Beans, bush lima Onion sets

Beans, pole snap Parsley

Beans, pole lima Potato, Irish

Broccoli Radish

Carrots Rutabaga

Chard, Swiss Spinach

Chinese cabbage Tendergreens

Kale Tomatoes

Lettuce, leaf Turnips

Lettuce, head Rape

Tomatoes and beans will bear until frost as will okra, pepper, and eggplant (carry-overs from the summer garden). You can have fresh leafy vegetables from the garden until January.

Planting the Fall Garden

Moisture is most important in fall gardening. To get a quick stand of plants during a droughty period, practice these points:

Cultivate the row thoroughly and open deep- seed drill, 4 to 5 inches deep.

Fill drill with water.

Sow seeds twice as thick as for spring planting.

Cover seeds with dry soil and do not water again until plants are up, unless you can use some covering, such as straw, on top of the row to prevent baking of the soil.

Use hoe or rake to press soil over seeds.

Irrigation

There is no set time to water the garden. Just be sure the leaves are dry when the sun goes down. If you row water, drip irrigate, or flood the garden, it can be watered at any time. If you sprinkle, be sure to turn off the water at least 2 hours before sundown. Apply at least 1 inch of water per week when it doesn't rain.

A Garden Under Cover

Planting in the garden will usually be over in October, due to weather conditions. The cold frame offers an excellent opportunity for growing tender, crisp lettuce, carrots, beets, mustard, radish, and onions in November, December, January, and February. The soil in the frame should be pulverized, fertilized, and made into rows 10 to 12 inches apart. Plant vegetables in late October and November. Cover your frame with cloth on cold nights and water vegetables when needed.

See your county Extension agent for plans for building a cold frame to use in growing plants in the spring and a garden under cover during the winter.

Fruits for 4-H Club Members

Figs - Caleste, Brown Turkey. Easily started from cuttings of 1- to 2-year-old wood. Plant trees 20 feet apart in rich soil near fence line or some building. Mulching ground with leaves or straw is better for figs than cultivation, since they are shallow rooted and very susceptible to root-knot (nematode).

Strawberries- Chandler, Cardinal for North Mississippi; Sweet Charlie, Chandler, for South Mississippi. Plant on loamy soil, rich in organic matter, setting 12 to 24 inches apart on mulched 3-foot rows, from September to February.

Blackberries - Plant on loamy rich soil 6 feet apart in 8-foot rows. Let vines grow over ground first season. Fruiting season usually follows that of the strawberry, thus prolonging the season of fresh berries.

Exhibits

You may have an opportunity to exhibit vegetables, fruits, potted plants, and flowers of good quality at club meetings or community or county exhibit days.

Vegetables and fruits should be of uniform size, shape, and color; free from insects and disease damage, and clean. Potted plants and flowers should be healthy, vigorous, and of true variety.

Visual Presentation

You may want to enter the 4-H Horticultural Visual Presentation contest in one of the areas listed. (Examples of topics are given for each area.)

Horticulture Production and Marketing

Practices dealing with growing or marketing vegetables, fruits and nuts, flowers, ornamental plants, and turf.

Artistic Arrangements

Using horticulture crops, dried or live, in an artistic arrangement. Flower arrangements, corsages, and plaques are examples.

Landscaping

Arrangement, establishment, and maintenance of flowers, ornamental plants, and turf around or within the home, business, or public.

Fruit and Vegetable Use

Preparing vegetables or fruits for table use, cooking, raw, or for canning, freezing, or dehydration.

Judging, Identification, and Knowledge Contest

The Horticultural Judging, Identification, and Knowledge Contest is an educational program concerned with teaching 4-H'ers how to recognize and identify horticultural crops, to learn quality characteristics, to answer questions, and solve problems on horticultural subjects.

For information on participating in 4-H Contest, consult the 4-H Contest Handbook.

Useful Garden Tables

Measuring Table for Fertilizer

	1 pint or 2 cupfuls weigh approximately
Superphosphate	pound
Muriate of potash	1 pound
Limestone	1 1/4 pounds
Mixed fertilizer (e.g.,13-13-13)	1 pound
Cottonseed meal	3/4 pound
Nitrate of soda	1 3/4 pounds
Ammonium nitrate	3/4 pound
Sulphate of ammonia	3/4 pound
One bushel of moist manure (loose) weighs about	30 pounds
One bushel of leaves or straw (packed) weighs about	12-15 pounds

Example: If you want to weigh out 5 pounds of 13-13-13 fertilizer, by looking in the label you will find 1 pint (2 cupfuls) weighs approximately 1 pound, so you would measure out 10 level cupfuls. For 5 pounds of nitrate of soda, you would measure out 8 cupfuls.

Vegetable Seeds

The average life in years for vegetable seeds is Asparagus 3, Bush lima beans 3, Pole lima beans 3, Snap beans 3, Beets 4, Broccoli 5, Cabbage 4, Chinese cabbage 3, Carrots 3, Cauliflower 4, Cucumber 5, Collards 3, Eggplant 4, Endive 5, Kale 4, Kohl-rabi 3, Lettuce 6, Leek 2, Muskmelon 5, Mustard 3, New Zealand spinach 3, Okra 1, Parsley 1, Onion 1, Parsnips 1, Peas 3, Pepper 2, Pumpkin 4, Radish 4, Rutabaga 4, Salsify 1, Spinach 3, Squash (summer) 4, Squash (winter) 4, Sweet corn 3, Swiss chard 4, Tomato 3, Turnip 4, and Watermelon 5.

Fresh Vegetables Needed To Can One Quart

Beans, lima in pod	4 -5 lb
Beans, snap	1 1/2 lb
Beets, without tops	2 1/2-3 lb
Carrots, without tops	2 1/2-3 lb
Corn, sweet, in husks	6-16 ears
Okra	1 1/2 lb
Peas, green, in pod	2-2 1/2 lb
Spinach or greens	2-3 lb
Squash, summer	2-2 1/2 lb

Example: It would take 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of green snap beans to can one quart.

Vegetables and Varieties

Asparagus- Mary Washington

Bean

Lima bush - Thaxter, Henderson's Bush, Butterpea, Nemagreen, Jackson Wonder
Lima pole - Carolina, WillowLeaf, Florida Speckle
Bean, Snap bush - Astro, Highlander, Contender, Slender-white, Cherokee (wax), Blue Lake
Pole snap - Kentucky Wonder 191, Blue Lake, Dade

Beet - Detroit Dark Red, Burpee Red Ball, Ruby Queen

Broccoli - Green Comet, Green Duke, Premium Crop

Cabbage- Early Round Dutch, Red Acre, Stonehead, Market Prize, Gourmet, Rio Verde, Red Head

Cantaloupe - Edisto 47, Hale's Best No. 36

Carrot - Red Core Chantenay, Commander, Imperator

Cauliflower- Snow King, White Contessa, Snow Crown

Chard, Swiss - Fordhook, Lucullus, Rhubarb Chard

Chinese Cabbage - Michihli

Collard - Vates, Georgia LS, Champion

Corn, Sweet - Funk's Sweet G90, Merit, Golden Security, Seneca Chief, Silver Queen

Cucumber

Pickling - Carolina, Liberty, Green Spear
Slicing - Ashley, Gemini, Victory

Eggplant - Black Beauty, Florida Market, Dusky

Kale- Dwarf Siberian, Vates

Lettuce

Head - Great Lakes
Leaf- Grand Rapids, Salad Bowl, Slobolt,
Bibb - Black Seeded Simpson

Mustard - Floridas Broadleaf, Southern Giant Curled, Tendergreen

Okra- Clemson Spineless, Emerald

Onion - Crystal Wax, New Mexico White Grano, Granex, Burgundy

Parsley - Moss Curled

Peas

English- Little Marvel, Laxton, Creolle, Green Arrow, Sugarsnap
Southern - Mississippi Silver, Mississippi Purple, Pinkeye Purple Hull, Magnolia Blackeye, Mississippi Cream

Pepper

Sweet - Keystone Resistant Giant, Yolo Wonder L, Emerald Giant, Sweet Banana
Hot - Long Cayenne, Hungarian Wax, Jalapeno

Potato

Irish - Red LaSoda, LaChipper, Superior, Norchip
Sweet - Centennial, Jewel, Unit 1 Porto Rico

Pumpkin - Jack-O-Lantern, Connecticut Field, Spirit

Radish - Cherry Belle, Scarlet Globe, White Icicle

Rape - Dwarf Essex

Rutabaga - American Purple Top

Salsify - Mammoth Sandwich Island

Spinach - Early Hybrid No. 7, Bloomsdale, Longstanding, Dixie Market, Chesapeake Hybrid, Melody, New Zealand (summer)

Squash

Summer - Early Yellow Summer Crookneck, Early Prolific Straightneck, Aristocrat (zucchini), Patty Pan (white scallop)
Winter- Table Queen (acorn), Table King (acorn bush), Butternut, Buttercup, Cushaw, Sweet Mama

Tomato - Marion, Floradel, Traveler 76, Better Boy, Bonus (early), Spring Giant (early), Walter, Small Fry

Turnip - Purple Top White Globe, Tokyo Cross, Just Right, Greens, Seven Top, Shogoin

Watermelon - Charleston Gray, Jubilee, Crimson Sweet

You may want to freeze or can vegetables produced in your garden for winter meals. Contact your Extension 4-H youth agent or Extension home economist for bulletins describing how to blanch, freeze, can, and preserve vegetables from the 4-H garden.

Know Your Bugs

Bean leaf beetle - Small beetle, reddish to yellowish in color; 1/5 to 1/4 of an inch long; attacks beans, peas, and cowpeas.

Blister beetle - Gray or black or yellow-striped beetle, 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch long; resembles large lightning bug. Feeds in colonies and attacks most vegetables; very destructive.

Colorado potato beetle - Hard shell, yellow and black-striped beetle; 3/8 of an inch long. Potato is favorite food but may attack tomato, pepper, and eggplant.

Cabbage worm - Green caterpillars, 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches long; attacks cabbage and related crops; eats holes in leaves.

Cutworm - Dull-colored caterpillar; stays hidden during the day in soil around base of plant and cuts stems of many plants such as cabbage and tomato at night.

Harlequin cabbage bug - Red and black spotted, hard-shelled beetle about 3/8 of an inch long; Often called "fire bug" or "collard bug," and attacks cabbage, mustard, turnips, radish, and others.

Mexican bean beetle - Small, yellow to copper-brown in color, 1/3 to 1/4 of an inch long, 16 black dots on back. Attacks beans and cowpeas; most destructive in east Mississippi.

Plant lice (aphids) - Small, green, or grey, soft-bodied sucking insect; sucks sap from most vegetables such as English peas, cabbage, turnips, and mustard; watch for these in cool, damp weather.

Squash bug - Brownish-black, flat-backed bug, 1/2 of an inch long; attacks cucumbers, squash, and other vine crops.

Striped cucumber beetle - Small black and yellow-striped beetle; feeds on cucumber and melon leaves.

Tomato fruit worm - Green or brown caterpillar, 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches long. Feeds on tomato fruit in all stages of growth; same worm that attacks corn ears.

Tomato hornworm - Large green caterpillar, 3 to 4 inches long with white stripes on sides; eats tomato leaves and fruit.

Revised by Dr. David Nagel, Extension Horticulturist Prepared originally by the late K.H. Buckley, Extension Horticulturist

Publication 205
Extension Service of Mississippi State University, cooperating with U.S. Department of Agriculture. Published in furtherance of Acts of Congress, May 8 and June 30, 1914. Ronald A. Brown, Director

Copyright by Mississippi State University. All rights reserved.

This document may be copied and distributed for nonprofit educational purposes provided that credit is given to the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

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