Top 10 Mistakes Made in the Vegetable Garden

 Gardening is fun, but it is work. Here are some common errors made when planning and planting a garden. Do not dismay; they are easy to fix and there is a lot of help available from our own staff. 

 

A friend's raised bed garden

 1.   Planting too Early or too Late

Tomatoes, peppers, squash, eggplant, basil, snap and lima beans, cantaloupe, and watermelon should be planted after all danger of frost is gone and when the soil has warmed a bit. Planting later (mid-May to mid-June) takes advantage of longer days and warmer nights.

Planted in early April; began harvesting in mid-May

On the flip side, plants like broccoli, most greens, peas, onions, lettuces, cauliflower, and other cole crops, should be planted from mid-March to about the first of May. These plants can handle a frost and do much better with the cooler spring temperatures. They can be planted again in late summer to be harvested in fall.

 2.   Planting in too Much Shade

Lettuce can handle some shade

The summer vegetables do best with lots of sunshine. The cole crops and lettuces will do ok with as few as 4 hours of sun.

3. Not Rotating Plants

Jen's diagram allows her to plan annual crop rotation

Farmers know it. Rotating the planting of different plant families to a location each year reduces pest and disease problems, increases soil fertility, and increases both soil and plant health. We hear customers who have had problems with plants say “We plant the tomatoes in the same place every year, but they just aren’t doing well.” And, our answer is to move the plants around. Tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant are all in the same family. Cucumbers, squash, and melons are in another. Broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and cabbage are different families of plants, as are beans. Take the time to plot out a bed that can be rotated each year and consider planting a cover crop over the winter. This increases soil microbial activity, increases the fertility of the soil, disrupts insect and disease activity, and builds up the overall health of the garden.

 4.    Not Using the Right Soil in Pots

A determinate (bush) tomato happy in a pot

Vegetable plants do great in pots! I personally use Earthboxes and larger pots for most of my vegetable gardening. Do use potting soil, not garden soil to allow for good drainage and airspaces. Do change the soil as it compacts over the year. Sometimes we can get away with just changing ½ of the soil, but, to decrease the chance for disease, change it all every year.

 

 5.   Not Leaving Room for Perennials and Assuming that They Need Less Care

Perennial strawberries will need their own space

Perennials like asparagus, horseradish, rhubarb, and strawberries, will continue

to spread out and take up a good amount of space. And, while they don’t need to be

replanted, they do need to be harvested, have insects monitored, and weeded all season.  

6.   Failure to Manage Weeds

Weeds can reduce the harvest of vegetables by competing for nutrients and water. They may also host problem insects. Control them by:

Straw keeps down weeds and hides the soaker hose

·        Adding organic mulch, including straw, dried grass clippings, or shredded bark. Place the mulch on newspaper, cardboard, or directly on the soil between rows.

·        Hand pulling weeds. 

·        Using synthetic mulch, like landscape fabric or black plastic can reduce weeds and heat the soil at the same time, shortening the time to harvest for warm weather crops.

·        Using a hoe or cultivator in between rows. Be careful to not disrupt the roots of the vegetable plants.

·        Keep the perimeter of the garden mowed.

 

7.   Not Keeping an Eye Out for Insects

Aphids and other insects are easily controlled if spotted early

Monitoring the garden for both damaging and beneficial insects is important. Using IPM (Integrated Pest Management) is an ideal way to use fewer insecticides in the garden. Sometimes, a spray of water can disrupt the insects. Managing by walking around is a gardener's best practice. 

 

8.   Planting too Close Together

Tomato plants spaced 4 feet apart...

fill in quickly

It’s hard to imagine that the little tomato transplant will grow to 4 feet wide and 6-8 feet high, but, it could. Give them space. Cucumbers are another plant that may need to have 3-4 feet between them. Good air circulation, water evaporating from the leaves, and plants getting the nutrients they need can be solved, in part, by giving plants room to grow.

 

9.   Improper Watering

Many watering devices for the garden

Notice the soaker hoses under the straw

This is a tough one. In the ground, most vegetable plants can go a relatively long time between watering. In pots, they may need to be checked daily in mid-summer. Drip irrigation and soaker hoses provide water at the root zone, leaving leaves dry, great for disease prevention. Water plants thoroughly in the morning. Most vegetables need about an inch of water a week. Rain gauges are nice to have on hand to measure.

 

10.    Not Taking Advantage of Resources

Well-signed tomato selection at Valley View Farms

We are so lucky to have some terrific resources for gardeners. Here at Valley View Farms, we have terrific signs and handouts that address many of the aforementioned issues, including choosing the best varieties for the garden. The AAS (All-America Selections) and NGB (National Gardening Bureau) offer tons of information as well. And, our own  Maryland Home and Garden Information Center has incredible videos and guides to help us out.

 

The challenges make us better gardeners in the end. Enjoy the garden and the fruits of your labor this summer.