for immediate release

Tips for a Successful Vegetable Garden

Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden Horticulturist Offers Advice

Media Only:
Julie McCaffrey
(847) 835-8213, direct
jmccaffrey@chicagobotanic.org

GLENCOE, Ill. (April 6, 2009) —With the increased interest in growing vegetables at home this year, the Chicago Botanic Garden offers tips to ensure new gardeners are successful in their efforts. Rick Belding is the horticulturist in the Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden at the Chicago Botanic Garden and he offers some vegetable gardening basics.

* Where should I plant my vegetable garden? Vegetables require at least 6 hours of full sun per day to be productive, healthy and vigorous. The best location would have a south exposure, but west exposure is also acceptable. Be sure the garden is located where you will see it every day, so you can be vigilant about tending to its needs, such as water, pest management and timely harvest. Vegetables require an inch to an inch and a half of water per week, so locate your garden near a water source to increase the chances you will water it regularly. Hand watering gives you the ability to observe what is happening with your plants and allows you to catch problems early. Overhead watering can lead to the foliage getting wet and causing problems with pathogens. After you water, it is best to dig down an inch or two and make sure the soil is wet all the way down, not just wet at the very top. You want your soil to be consistently moist.

* What do I need to do to prepare the soil? Preparing the soil before you plant is the most important element of starting a vegetable garden. If you are starting a new garden and especially in an urban location, you will want to do a soil test. Many urban soils are contaminated with lead, arsenic, mercury and other toxins that can be taken up into the food you plan to eat. If your soil has these contaminants, use pots or raised beds made with untreated lumber. The soil should hold water, but drain well so the plant roots can obtain oxygen. To improve the soil, add organic matter like compost, leaves, weed-free straw or peat moss. Manually incorporate compost in the first three or four inches. If you are planting in containers, it is a good idea to use half soilless mix and half compost, which increase fertility and water-holding capacity. This should be the only fertilizer you need for the year. A top-dressing of compost will help halfway through the growing season.

* What should I plant and when? There are vegetables that grow best in cooler seasons and those that grow best in warmer seasons. Plant your cool-season vegetables once the ground begins warming in the spring, but remember the Chicago's area's average frost-free date is May 15. If a hard freeze or heavy frost is predicted, you should cover cool-season vegetables with a frost blanket. Cool-season vegetables include lettuce, spinach, collard greens, mustard greens, Swiss chard, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, radishes, beets, carrots, turnips, rutabagas, parsnips, onions, potatoes, and cilantro. Warm-season vegetables, which can be planted outside only after May 15, include tomatoes, basil, eggplant, peppers, beans, corn, cucumbers, melons, okra, pumpkins and squash. Some perennial vegetables that you can plant in spring include asparagus and rhubarb, but they take time to establish.

* Should I start with seeds or plants? It depends on how early you plant your garden. In the Chicago area, if you can plant your cool-season crops in April, starting from seed can be very satisfying. Loose-leaf lettuce is especially easy to scatter directly over the top of the soil outside, cover lightly with fine soil and wait for sprouts to appear. Follow the instructions on the seed packet, as each crop will have different requirements. If you are starting later in the season, you'll want to start with plants so there is enough time in the growing season before the heat sets in, causing some cool-season crops to bolt. For warm-season plants, sow tomato seeds indoors around May 1, the plants should have enough time to develop before hardening them off to the outdoors in late May. If not, you can start plants purchased from the Chicago Botanic Garden's A Bloomin' Sale on May 15-17 and plant directly outdoors. A wide selection of vegetables will be available at the sale and more than 95% are certified organic. Each plant has different requirements, so learn how many growing days it takes until harvest and work backwards to see if you have enough time in the growing season. Also look for the distance you should space the seeds or plants when planting.

* How do I choose what to plant? Before going shopping, make a simple scale drawing of your vegetable plot so you know how much space is available. Only buy as many plants as will fit in your garden, crowding can lead to diseases. It's a good idea to grow vegetables that are unavailable in stores or are usually too expensive to buy. There are a number of seed companies that sell heirloom varieties that are generally more flavorful and nutritious than modern hybrids. However, many hybrids have been bred for more vigor and are better able to withstand pests or pathogens. It depends on your objective. The Woman's Board of the Chicago Horticultural Society has partnered with Windy City Harvest to offer organic heirloom tomatoes for sale at A Bloomin Sale.

* Tell me more about growing tomatoes. There are two types of tomatoes: determinate, which grow to a certain size and stop, and indeterminate, which continue growing throughout the season, thus producing more tomatoes. Determinate varieties are suitable for growing in a container or a small space. There are many ways to support tomatoes as they grow, from wooden or fiberglass stakes to basket weaving with twine between stakes, depending on the height of tomato.

* Where can I get more information? More information can be found on our website at www.chicagobotanic.org/plantinfo/how-to/vegetable_garden.php. In addition, vegetable gardening experts will be happy to answer your questions in person at the 43rd Annual A Bloomin’ Sale on Friday, May 15, through Sunday, May 17. This year's sale's theme is "Growing Green," focusing on sustainable gardening and tips on how to build cold frames and raised beds will be available. More than 30,000 plants have been hand-selected by staff and members of the Woman’s Board of the Chicago Horticultural Society, who host the sale. Discover hard-to-find plants, tried and true favorites and the Garden’s picks. The sale is open to the public from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, May 15, and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, May 16 and 17. Special members-only sale hours are from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, May 15. The catalog is available online now at www.chicagobotanic.org/bloomin/index.php.

* Are there any classes I can take to learn even more? The Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden offers many classes in vegetable gardening. Rick Belding teaches the following upcoming classes: "Edible Ornamentals and Their Companions" from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 25; "Growing Warm-Season Vegetables in a Small Space" from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 2; "Fundamentals of Sustainable Gardening" from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 10; and "All in the Family: Solanaceae" (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and eggplants) from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 6. Additional vegetable gardening classes include "The Potager: An Ornamental Kitchen Garden" from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, May 21; "Herbal Tea Gardens: Places to Grow, Make and Take Tea" from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 30; "Growing Vegetables and Herbs" on five Tuesdays, June 16 through July 14 and two Saturdays, June 27 and July 11; "Three-Tiered Herb Garden" from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 24; and "Herbs of the Mint Family" from 9 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 27. The symposium, "Urban Agriculture: Feeding the Movement" on Friday, June 5, may also be of interest. Advance registration and a course fee are required for all classes. Visit www.chicagobotanic.org/school or call (847) 835-8261 for more information and to register.

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Editors, please note: The Chicago Botanic Garden's newsroom is online at www.chicagobotanic.org/pr. For digital images, contact Julie McCaffrey at (847) 835-8213 or at jmccaffrey@chicagobotanic.org.

The Chicago Botanic Garden, one of the green treasures of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, is a 385-acre living plant museum featuring 23 distinct display gardens surrounded by lakes, as well as a prairie and woodlands. With events, programs and activities for all ages, the Garden is open every day of the year. Admission is free; select event fees apply. Parking is $20 per car; free for Garden members. The Garden is located at 1000 Lake Cook Road in Glencoe, Ill. Visit www.chicagobotanic.org, or call (847) 835-5440 for seasonal hours, images of the Garden and commuter transportation information.

The Chicago Botanic Garden is managed by the Chicago Horticultural Society. It opened to the public in 1972 and is home to the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden, offering a broad array of adult classes in plant science, landscape design and gardening arts. Through the Division of Plant Science and Conservation, Garden scientists work on plant conservation, research and environmental initiatives that have global impact. The Center for Teaching and Learning brings the wonder of nature and plants to children, teens and teachers. The Garden's Horticultural Therapy and Community Gardening programs provide nationally recognized community outreach and service programs. A program of the Chicago Botanic Garden, Windy City Harvest is an organic vegetable and plant production enterprise that provides instruction in sustainable horticulture and urban agriculture to residents of Chicago’s North Lawndale and West Side neighborhoods.

The Chicago Botanic Garden is accredited by the American Association of Museums and is a member of the American Public Gardens Association (APGA). The Chicago Botanic Garden is also host to Botanic Gardens Conservation International-U.S., and a member of the Center for Plant Conservation. In 2006, the Chicago Botanic Garden received the Award for Garden Excellence, given yearly by the APGA and Horticulture magazine to a public garden that exemplifies the highest standards of horticultural practices and has shown a commitment to supporting and demonstrating best gardening practices.