Keys To Success for the Beginning Gardener

August 18, 1997

To the beginning gardener, August seems like a strange time to start a vegetable garden. But, if you want a good garden next spring now is the time to begin planning and preparing your soil. Here are some tips that will insure success and satisfaction for your new gardening endeavors.

• Talk to everyone you can about their gardens. All good gardeners love to "cultivate" a new gardener. Bring your questions to your local gardening experts - neighbors with productive, healthy gardens, garden club members, and your local Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners.

• Plan, plan, plan, and put it on paper. Many experienced gardeners start planning their vegetable gardens this month. They start the garden with frost-tolerant crops (beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, Swiss chard, collards, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, onions, parsley, English peas, radishes, spinach, and turnips); then add warm-season vegetables (beans, cantaloupes, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, pumpkins, squash, sweet corn, tomatoes, and watermelons). As experienced gardeners review seed catalogs and their notes from this year's gardens, they are planning next year's strategies. For later in the season when crops needing very warm soil do best, they will plan to plant crops such as okra and sweet potatoes. They also plan possible succession schemes. Consider the entire gardening year.

• Study old seed catalogs, but keep a cool head - don't order yet, and when you do order, avoid the beginners mistake of over ordering. Seed catalogs are packed with cultural information and new varieties being offered. New ones will be arriving between November and January.

• Prepare your soil - the ultimate key to success. Healthy soil grows healthy plants. Be sure to have a soil test done to determine the pH level of your soil and nutrients you may need to add.

• Use Extension recommended varieties. These varieties are tested locally and should grow well in your area. Select resistant varieties to reduce pests and the reduce the need to use pesticides. Regardless of the variety name and origin, some will perform better than others in your area with its unique soil type and climate. Using the best-adapted varieties for your soil and climate and following recommended cultural practices can help you grow a healthy garden. Check with your local Extension office for a list of recommended garden varieties.

More gardening information is available in the Virginia Gardener Newsletter.

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