Dirty little secrets to raising fresh vegetables

By Heather Warlick

Published: March 17, 2008

So, are you thinking about raising your own veggies? Planting and maintaining a vegetable garden is simpler than you might think, said Samantha Snyder, Oklahoma County Extension Center horticulture educator.

Not only can you get quite a bit of production out of a small area, you can grow a great variety of vegetables in Oklahoma's temperate climate. You can expect good results from asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, lettuce, onions, peas, potatoes, spinach, cucumbers, peppers and pumpkins. Many vegetables thrive in Oklahoma gardens.

Snyder has a vegetable garden that is about 130 square feet and produces more vegetables than she and her husband can eat. And she tends her garden for only a few hours each week. Compared to the money she saves not having to buy vegetables at the grocery store, the amount of time she invests in her garden pays off.

"I think it's almost like therapy to get out there and clear your thoughts and know you've accomplishing something,” Snyder said. "Plus, it's good exercise to get out there. There are a lot of benefits from gardening aside from fresh vegetables.”

The first step in planning a vegetable garden is choosing the site. The extension center advises choosing a site that is exposed to full or near full sunlight with deep, well-drained soil. But many urban gardeners who have a small, less-than-optimal area for planting vegetables can still have success if they take into consideration the amount of sunlight the site receives and plant the right vegetables. For sites with only a couple of hours of direct sun per day, some good choices are beans, beets, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, peas, potatoes, spinach and turnips.

The next step is to have your soil tested. Snyder recommends taking small samples from 12 to 15 areas of the garden and combining those in a clean bucket to get a good representation of your soil's composition. Take two cups of the combined soil to your county extension office for a $10 soil test. The test measures mineral and nutrient content as well as the soil's pH level. If the dirt's pH isn't correct, your plants will have trouble pulling nutrients from the soil.

Next, plan your garden. The extension service offers an "Oklahoma Garden Planning Guide” that details the exact timing, location, method of planting and quantity per person you should consider when planting your vegetables.

For example, tomatoes should be planted between April 10 and April 30. You should plant four to five plants for each person in your family and consider that the harvest time for tomatoes is 70 to 90 days.

The "Oklahoma Garden Planning Guide” is also available online at http://pods.dasnr.okstate. edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-1092/HLA-6004web.pdf.

"It's really easy for people to get into it and start doing it on their own,” Snyder said.

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