n During dry periods, vegetable gardens need extra watering. Most vegetables benefit from an inch or more of water each week, especially when fruiting.
- Mulching between rows will help control weeds, conserve moisture in the soil and provide you with pathways to access your plants. Black plastic can be used, as well as grass clippings, straw, wood chips or garden debris.
- Be vigilante against insect pests. Discovering a bug problem early will make it easier to take appropriate action and eliminate the pests. Do not use pesticides once the plants are fruiting unless absolutely necessary.
- Weeds rob your vegetables of water, light and root space. Pull them early and be sure to get the root. Do not allow them to go to seed.
- Once you harvest your crop, put the spent plant and other vegetable matter into a compost pile to recycle for next year.
- Source: The Garden Helper.com
From a few seeds, a passion grows.
At least it does for Jim Wermes of Granite Bay, who has been watching things grow since his early years in Southern California - and it's been one of his hobbies ever since.
"I was 7 years old when I started (planting a vegetable garden)," Wermes said recently. "My grandfather used to send me little packages of seeds."
Wermes has a well-rounded variety of vegetables planted on the 5 acres at his home, growing yellow squash, zucchini, watermelon, cabbage, cucumber, cantaloupe and corn. Still to be planted is a small pumpkin patch.
But he really specializes in tomatoes. This year he has planted big beef tomatoes - his favorite - as well as Roma and cherry tomatoes.
"It's important, for this area, to have your plants in the ground by around April 15," Wermes said. "You want to make sure there won't be any frost," he said.
Time of planting will vary with the weather conditions and also the altitude. Areas in the cooler foothills climes are anywhere from one to two weeks later than lower in the valley.
Wermes waters his garden daily, around 8:30 a.m. when the plot is still shaded by tall oak trees and just before it's exposed to the sun's rays.
Master gardener Fred Tirocchi of Loomis said good gardening "starts with the soil."
"If you don't have good soil, you don't have anything," he said.
Tirocchi advises vegetable growers "test the soil before you start throwing chemicals around."
Waiting until the frost season is over and proper watering and fertilizing are key to growing vegetables. Tirocchi plants his vegetables in 4-by-8-foot beds and close enough to shade each other from the hot summer sun in the valley.
He deep waters every three days during the hottest periods and spreads mulch about 3 to 4 inches deep, keeping the materials away from the plant stems so as not to cause dry rot.
"Most of the time, people water too much," Tirocchi said.
He advises liberal use of moistening materials and also a moisture meter to measure the water content of the soil.
And he also advises to buy good vegetable plants, examining the roots of at least one plant from each flat to be purchased.
"Make sure the plants are healthy and free of disease," he said.
This spring, Tirocchi is growing tomatoes, peppers, a variety of herbs, eggplant, zucchini squash, watermelon, cantaloupe and Italian string beans.
Tirocchi began vegetable gardening at the side of his father, but "I didn't learn the finer points of gardening until I attended the Master Gardeners' school three years ago," he said
Former Placer County Supervisor Alex Ferreira of Lincoln, who represented the Second District for 24 years, has been gardening "his whole life."
"It's a Portuguese thing," Ferreira said.
A former dairy farmer and winery owner, Ferreira spent many years on a ranch along Wise Road. He has yet to plant most of his garden for this year, with only onions and potatoes in the ground.
"I've got the (other) plants," he said, "but just haven't gotten around to planting them yet."
Now in his third term on the Placer County Water Agency board, Ferreira will, in the near future, plant tomatoes and peppers.
He was instrumental in getting the Placer Grown farmers' markets started, but doesn't sell his vegetables there. He, like Wermes, gives much of his harvested products away.
Some of the basics in planning a garden include deciding on a choice of vegetables, properly locating the garden plot where it will get plenty of sunlight and preparing the soil. It's better to have a well-maintained garden than a large one that is neglected and full of weeds.
Fertile soil that drains well is important to any garden. The soil should be reasonably free of stones, well supplied with organic matter and moisture retentive. Subsoil that is hard shale, rock ledges, gravel, deep sand or hardpan under the surface will make gardening difficult, if not impossible.
Infertile soil can be improved by using organic matter, lime, commercial fertilizer and other materials that are available.
Soil should not be worked while very wet. If the soil sticks together in a ball and does not readily crumble under slight pressure, it will cake as it dries, making it unsuitable for young plants.
If the garden plot has been used in past years, all that's left is to plow in additional organic materials and fertilizers. Care should be taken not to add too much fertilizer because of the danger of fertilizer burn.
Before planting, a garden layout map should be drawn up and followed, using stakes to mark out the different rows. Build trellises or set strong stakes for climbing plants. Create mounds for the vining plants. Establish pathways early so as not to compact the planting areas.
Planting depth and spacing is critical. Plants that are crowded will probably turn out spindly and bearing little or no fruit.
Ask questions, plant and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
