When And What Veggies Should I Plant To Keep My…
Pamela Asked
When and what veggies should I plant to keep my garden going all year long?
The Gardener’s Answer
Hello, Pamela: Growing vegetables in your home garden is a lot of fun and very rewarding. Living in Kentucky we have a couple of different growing seasons separated into warm-season and cool-season crops. The only perennial vegetable we can grow is asparagus; all other crops have to be planted annually. Cool-season crops should be planted late winter/early spring and again later in the fall. Warm-season crops should only be planted in the garden after the frost-free date for your area passes. Each crop has its own planting season, so depending on what you and your family want to grow you can start thinking about your fall planting now. Broccoli, cauliflower, green onions, Brussels sprouts, and lettuce/greens are all cool-season crops. You will need to wait until next May to plant tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, beans, and other warm-season crops. You can always get a head start and start your seeds indoors and then transplant them into the garden later. Preparing the soil is an important first step in any successful vegetable garden. If you have not already chosen a space for the veggies to grow, now is the time to do so. Ideally this space would be south-facing so it will receive plenty of sunshine. The soil should be fertile and well-drained. The pH should be between 6.2 and 6.8. If you have not had your soil tested, you can do this through your County Cooperative Extension Service. The results will indicate if you need to amend your soil with any fertilizer or lime. The following publication is available to home gardeners from the Extension Service. It has detailed planting information on home vegetable gardening in Kentucky: www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/id/id128/id128.pdf
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