Gardening : Rounding Out the Vegetable Plot, Plate

Here’s some more good eating from our garden plot:

Beans, snap or lima.

* Plant in full sun or partial shade, March-August for snap, May-June for lima.

* Sow seed in ground, thinning to 8” apart in rows 30” apart.

* Harvest snap in 60 days, lima in 75 days.

If you want the maximum amount in the minimum space, grow pole-type beans on 8’ poles or a trellis. The popular bush types are for people with a lot of room. Lima beans are picky about planting times, snap beans more versatile, but you actually have time for both. Plant a quarter of the 15-foot row to snap beans in early March, another quarter in April, another quarter to limas in early May and the last quarter to limas in early June. As these wear out, replace with fresh plantings of snap beans. Limas don’t like hot weather. Both are susceptible to smog (causes blotchy leaves) and the later planting dates run into the season in inland areas. Pick frequently to keep beans coming, just before pods begin to bulge.

Eggplant

* Plant in full sun, April-May.

* Plant transplants 18” apart in rows 3’ apart.

* Ready in 60 or so days.

Two go in this row, along with peppers. Each full-sized plant will yield about five or six fruit if they are thinned to one on each main branch. Smaller fruited “oriental” varieties produce more fruit that doesn’t need thinning. They like a rich soil. Look for the beautiful new Purple Blush hybrid, a delicious lavender color. Pick when glossy and firm.

Peppers

* Plant in full sun, April-May.

* Plant transplants 24” apart in rows 3’ apart.

* Start harvesting in 70 days.

Five plants fit in our row and there are hundreds of kinds to choose from, so try several. Culture is the same for all kinds and very similar to that of tomatoes or eggplant (they’re all cousins). Cook, use fresh or cut with an inch of stem attached and hang out in the sun to dry.

Summer squash

* Plant in full sun or partial shade, April-June.

* Thin seeds to 24” apart, in rows 4’ apart.

* Ready in 50-60 days.

Six squash are squished into this row, plus two cucumbers and a bush-type pumpkin. For most people, one zucchini is enough, so grow several kinds, such as yellow crookneck or straightneck, scallop types, or try one of the entirely new types such as kuta or Sun Drops with its tiny 3” fruit. Most kinds sold are bush varieties. Pick fruits when young for best taste, when they are six or less inches long. Plants keep producing for several weeks.

Cucumbers

* Plant in full sun or part shade, April-June.

* Thin seeds to 2’ apart in rows 4’ apart.

* Start harvesting after 50-70 days.

Two plants fit in this row and you’ll want to grow slicing cucumbers for summer salads, but, if there’s room or you want to grow less squash in the row, try a pickling kind to make pickles in a crock under the kitchen sink. Harvest lasts several weeks. Pick when slicers are 6-8” long. Cucumbers planted late in inland areas will probably need a little shade so some experts grow them beside corn.

Leaf lettuce

* Plant in full sun or partial shade, year round.

* Sow seed in ground, thinning to 6” apart, in rows 2’ apart; in beds, 8” apart.

* Eat thinnings, start cutting in 30 days, finished in 50-70 days.

Forget head lettuce in summer (except right along coast). Leaf lettuces, tastier and better for you, also prefer fall, winter and spring, but with a little luck, or a little shade, you can have plenty to go with the tomatoes. Plant several feet of row at a time to spread out the harvest. Inland, try between rows of corn or between tomatoes and beans, where they are shaded from the hot summer sun. Harvest as it grows, beginning with thinnings and then the outer leaves.

Carrots

* Plant in full sun, year round.

* Thin seedlings to 2” apart in rows 24” apart; in beds, 3” apart.

* Ready in 60-70 days.

Plant short sections of row every few weeks for a nearly continuous supply, though seed gets a little hard to germinate in late summer (try shading the seeds or cover with newspaper). Seeds need cool, constantly moist soil to sprout. Gourmets say the young carrots are the best but you won’t get much bang for your buck, so let some grow large and slice them up. Don’t leave them in the ground too long or they become tough and crack. In heavy or rocky soils, try the shorter kinds to avoid deformed roots.

Beets

* Full sun or part shade, year round (January-September inland).

* Thin seedlings to 2” apart in rows 18-24 inches apart; in beds, 4” apart.

* Ready in 60 days or less.

Another crop to plant every few weeks for nearly continuous harvest, though curly top virus can be a problem on mid-summer crops. If so, plant in spring and again in fall. Beets are best when about 2” around, but can be left in the ground a long time, becoming only a little more bitter and tough.

Chard

* Plant full sun or part shade, February-May.

* Thin seedlings to 12” apart in rows 2’ apart; in beds, 8” apart.

* Ready in 50-60 days.

Like beets this is a year-round crop near coast, but susceptible to curly top inland in summer. Ruby chard helps add a little color to the garden. Pick outer leaves first or they become tough and stringy.

Food and Water

Summer vegetables need lots of water, especially tomatoes and lettuce. As long as the soil is well-aerated, fluffed with organic matter and not compacted, it is difficult to over-water vegetables. Don’t drown them, but don’t let any vegetable dry out. Fruit and blossom drop, or a bitter taste, often result.

It’s usually enough if you add fertilizer when preparing the soil. Some may need more, especially in sandy soils, and especially crops being grown for their greens. Others, including tomatoes, actually produce less fruit if given too much fertilizer.