Vegetable Gardening
It’s difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato.
Lewis Grizzard
I have been attracted to vegetable gardens since I was a kid. I was always fascinated to discover how fruits and vegetables grew on plants. Last spring, I brought in peas, beets, carrots, asparagus, onions, lettuces, strawberries, and mint to my daughters third grade class. I decided to bring in the whole plant; stems, roots, leaves, with the edible parts attached. I was amazed and thrilled that these eight year olds were so enthusiastic and adventurous. Their teacher cooked some of the food and left others raw. All was devoured. I joined my daughter for lunch the following week and my heart was warmed when so many of the children came up to me and thanked me for bringing them things from the garden. Believe it or not, the beets were some of their favorites. It had to be the bright richness of the red that appealed to them.
The colors are quite vivid and the shapes all organic that I love to mix vegetables with my plantings. I recently saw an entire bed of Japanese Eggplant massed in a commercial bed in Charleston which greatly impressed me. These gardens do not have to be in a backyard and hidden from view as an eyesore. There is beauty in our food and the freshness and difference in taste is astounding.
I am often asked when is the best time to start and plan a vegetable garden. Vegetable gardening in the southeast is a year round pleasure. There is always something I can find to eat from my garden, even if it’s just a sprig of mint for my iced tea. Planting times are grouped into two distinct seasons, a warm and a cool season.
WARM SEASON VEGETABLES
| Crop | Planting Date | Days to Harvest | Comments | |
| Beans, bush | Mar-Apr
Aug-Sept |
50-60 | Nitrogen fixers. Plant in 2 week intervals. Bush Blue Lake is a favorite. | |
| Beans, pole | Mar-Apr
Aug-Sept |
55-70 | Requires support. Kentucky Wonder and Blue Lake are excellent. | |
| Beans, lima | Mar-Aug | 65-75 | Leave beans on plant until pods swell. | |
| Cantaloupes | Mar-Apr | 75-90 | I have grown these on a trellis and it greatly reduces them from rotting. | |
| Corn, sweet | Feb-Apr
Aug |
60-95 | Try planting pole beans on them. The beans will fix nitrogen into the soil which the corn is a heavy feeder of. | |
| Cucumbers | Feb-Apr
Aug-Sept |
50-65 | Grow on a trellis for space saving. | |
| Eggplant | Feb-July | 90-110 | I love the Japanese variety. These Purple beauties are glorious as an ornamental. | |
| Okra | Mar-July | 50-75 | Hibiscus flowers adorn this tall heat loving plant. | |
| Peas, southern | Mar-Aug | 60-90 | Tough dependable Southern plant, wait until soil temperatures are warm to plant. | |
| Peppers | Feb-Apr
July-Aug |
80-100 | There are so many varieties to choose from. They make lovely plants that will produce well into late fall. | |
| Potatoes, sweet | Mar-June | 120-140 | Prolific and easy to grow. | |
| Pumpkin | Mar-Apr
Aug |
90-120 | Easy to grow, when the vine starts to wither it is time to pick. | |
| Squash, summer | Mar-Apr
Aug-Sept |
40-55 | Abundant and easy to grow. | |
| Squash Winter | Mar
Aug |
80-110 | The vining types require large space. | |
| Tomatoes, | Feb-Apr
Aug |
90-110 | Susceptible to various wilts, try resistant varieties. | |
| Watermelon, large | Mar-Apr
July-Aug |
85-95 | Will benefit from a soil high in organic matter, and black plastic to prevent rot and insects. | |
| Watermelon, small / seedless | Mar-Apr
July-Aug |
85-95 |
COOL SEASON VEGETABLES
| Crop | Days to Harvest | Comments | ||
| Beets | Sept-Mar | 50-65 | There is a red foliage variety that is simply beautiful. I love this plant in winter pots. | |
| Broccoli | Aug-Feb | 75-90 | After picking the center crown, side shoots will continue to harvest. | |
| Brussel Sprouts | Sept-Nov | These little gems develop all along the stem of this cabbage family gem. | ||
| Cabbage | Sept-Feb | 90-110 | Very easy and delicious, will keep long. | |
| Carrots | Sept-Mar | 65-80 | Seed, then thin so roots can develop. | |
| Cauliflower | Jan-Feb
Aug-Oct |
75-90 | Cover the head with the leaves to protect from sunlight. This causes the heads to become bitter. | |
| Celery | Jan-Mar | 115-125 | I find celery somewhat challenging to grow. Prefers a cooler climate. | |
| Chinese cabbage | Oct-Feb | 70-90 | Bok Choys are my favorite and easy to grow cabbages. Great in soups and stir frys. | |
| Collards | Feb-Apr
Aug-Nov |
70-80 | True southern plant and very easy to grow. | |
| Lettuce: Crisp, Butter-head, Leaf & Romaine | Feb-Mar
Sept-Oct |
50-90 | Sow in 2-3 week intervals and harvest the outer leaves. When plant begins to flower it will turn bitter. | |
| Mustard | Sept-May | 40-60 | These and chards are simple and colorful additions to the winter garden. | |
| Onions, Bulbing | Sept-Dec | 120-160 | Easy to grow from sets. | |
| Peas, English | Jan-Mar | 50-70 | These are wonderful raw in a salad. | |
| Potatoes | Jan-Mar | 85-110 | Keep mounding soil up to leaves to prevent the sunlight from the potatoes. | |
| Radish | Sept-Mar | 20-30 | Sow in 2 -3 week intervals, prefers cold temperatures. | |
| Spinach | Oct-Nov | 45-60 | Sometimes finicky with seeding, but well worth the effort. | |
| Strawberry | Oct-Nov | 90-110 | These make a great ground cover and are quite abundant. | |
| Turnips | Jan-Apr
Aug-Oct |
40-60 | Both the tops and root are used | |
COMPANION PLANTS
Companion planting is a method of combining plants to deter pest, improve soil conditions, and enhance the flavor of neighboring plants. I also find it a pretty way to beautify my garden.
| Crop | Pairings | Uses / Benefits | Comments |
| Anise | Coriander | Repels Aphids.
Use in ointments to protect skin from stings and bites |
Smells like licorice |
| Basil | Tomato | Repels thrips, flies, and mosquitoes | |
| Bay Leaf | Fresh leaf stored with grain or beans will keep weevils and moths away. Dried leaves sprinkles with other herbs in the garden repel insects. | ||
| Bee Balm | Tomato | Attracts bees | |
| Borage | Tomato, Squash, Strawberries, and most plants | Repels tomatoe hornworms and cabbage hornworms. Increase pest and disease resistance to neighbors. Adds minerals when used in compost. | Edible flowers |
| Catnip | Repels flea beetles, aphids, Japanese beetles, squash bugs, ants, weevils, and mice | Smells good and is safe | |
| Chives | Tomato, Carrots, Apple Trees | Repels Japanese beetles and carrot rust fly. Prevents scabs on apple trees. Prevents downy mildew on cucumber when used in a tea. | |
| Chrysanthemums | C.coccineum kill root nematodes. Flowering chrysanthemum repel Japanese beetles. | ||
| Comfrey | Traps slugs. Medicinal plant. Accumulates calcium, phosphorous and potassium. | Prefers moist soil | |
| Dill | Lettuce, Onions, Cucumber | Repels, to some degree, aphids, spider mites, squash bug. Attracts predatory insects. Feeder plant for swallowtail butterfly caterpillars | Plant away from carrot, caraway and tomato |
| Garlic | Roses | Accumulates sulfer which acts as a fungicide. Garlic when taken up by the roots of plants will deter carrot root fly, snails, root maggots, Japanese Beetles, and codling moths. When placed at the base of a tree as a time release capsule it will help keep deer away. Garlic sprays repel whiteflies, aphids, and fungus gnats | |
| Lavender | Repels fleas and moths. Nectar feeds beneficial insects. | ||
| Lemon Balm | Use as herbal powder mix to repel insects. Crush leaves and rub on skin to act as mosquito repellent. Wards off squash bugs. | ||
| Marigolds | Tomato | Fragrant variety repels pests such as nematodes and white flies. | Can attract slugs and spider mites |
| Majoram | Vegetables and Herbs | ||
| Mint | Repels white cabbage moths, ants, rodents, flea beetles, fleas, aphids, and mice. Attracts predatory insects that feed on pest insects. Attracts earthworms. | ||
| Oregano | Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cucumber, Grapes | Repels cabbage butterfly and cucumber beetle | |
| Parsley | Tomato, Asparagus and Roses | Repels asparagus beetles. Attract predatory insects. Increase fragrance of roses. | |
| Peppermint | Repels aphids, flea beetles, and white cabbage moths as well as insects. Attracts bees. | ||
| Rosemary | Beans, Sage, Carrots, and Cabbage | Repels cabbage moths, bean beetles, and carrot flies. | |
| Sage | Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, and Rosemary | Repels cabbage moths and black flea beetles, and carrot flies. Attracts beneficial insects. | Do not plant near cucumber, onions, or rue |
| Thyme | Repels cabbage worms. |