Vegetable gardening is what the cool crowd does in summer! Nothing shouts “Summertime” more than growing fresh vegetables! Picking newly ripened red tomatoes right off the vine, gathering potent garlic cloves to spice up meals, watching zealous zucchinis grow and grow, dreaming of steaming bunches of broccoli and making salads soar with rocket are the best ways to while away the summer. Oh sure, you can loll about in a hammock in the shade enthralled in a good book or you can hop on the vegetable gardening bandwagon and reap a heap of health and tasty goodness at harvest time! Be practical- preserve. By preserving your vegetable gardening efforts, you’ll be swimming in summertime bounty for months to come.
Vegetable Gardening + Tomatoes = Tasty Happiness
When you think about vegetable gardening, what do you imagine? That’s easy-tomatoes. Tasty tomatoes are a vegetable gardening staple. Everybody grows tomatoes. These ruby gems are even at home in pots on your patio or near your outdoor table.
By scattering your tomato planting during vegetable gardening you can assure that ripening tomatoes will be at the ready all season long. Once harvested, have a second go-pop in another set of plants. And, if perchance you have more fresh tomatoes than you can eat, cook them into a superb sauce, can them, create a batch of spicy salsa or add some beautiful baked tomatoes to your dinner menu. Ah, the joys of vegetable gardening!
Spring into action by planting seeds in spring! Plant seedlings in the garden when 4-6 weeks old, spacing them 40-60 cm apart in soil that’s 16-35 degrees C.
When to plant in your region:
Temperate Zone: Plant seeds in covered trays in August- September. Transplant seedlings outdoors in October- December
Tropical Zone: Plant seeds in covered trays in May. Transplant seedlings outdoors in June-July.
Sub-Tropical Zone: Plant seeds in covered trays during August-September. Transplant seedlings outdoors from October-January.
Cool Mountain Zone: Plant seeds in covered trays in October. Transplant seedlings outdoors in December.
Arid Zone: Plant seeds in covered trays in August and September. Transplant seedlings outdoors from October-March.
Garlic- a Vegetable Gardening Great!
Garlic is another vegetable garden rock star! Not only does garlic add zip and spice to vegetable dishes and meals, but vegetable gardening isn’t the only place that garlic shines - garlic is a tip top health booster that’ll add a little spring to your step. Vegetable gardening with garlic is a breeze, literally, as garlic is typically planted in cooler weather.
Plant garlic cloves directly in soil, spaced 10-12 cm apart, when soil temperatures are between 10-35 degrees C. Some neighbourly garlic lovin’ neighbours are beets, carrots, cucumbers, dill, tomatoes and parsnips.
When to plant in your region:
Temperate Zone: Plant directly in garden during April- June
Tropical Zone: Plant directly in garden in April-July.
Sub-Tropical Zone: Plant directly in garden during the months of May-July
Cool Mountain Zone: Plant directly in garden in April - May.
Arid Zone: Plant directly in garden in April - July.
Vegetable Gardening with Zealous Zucchini
Most folks that grow zucchini typically end up with a surplus once harvest begins. Zucchini is the overachiever of vegetable gardening! No worries, zucchini can be made into delicious sweet breads or added to baked goods for texture and moisture.
Zucchini just goes hand in hand with vegetable gardening. Super easy to grow and a superb grower to boot, zucchini is a great addition to any garden.
Plant seedlings outdoors in 4-6 weeks or sow at a depth of about three times the diameter of the seed, according to your region. Space plants about 50-90 cm apart. Zucchini enjoys a soil temperature of 21-35 degrees C and gets along swimmingly with corn, beans, tomatoes and parsley.
When to plant in your region:
Temperate Zone: Plant in covered trays in September. Transplant seedlings outdoors in November- December. Or, plant directly in the garden in January.
Tropical Zone: Plant plants directly into the garden during April- August
Sub-Tropical Zone: Plant seeds in covered trays in August. Transplant seedlings outdoors during October- December. Plant zucchini plants directly in the garden in January-February.
Cool Mountain Zone: Plant seeds in covered trays in October. Transplant seedlings outdoors in December- January.
Arid Zone: Plant seeds in covered trays in September. Transplant seedlings outdoors in November- December. Plant plants directly into the garden in January -March.
Beautiful Bunches of Broccoli-Vegetable Gardening at its Best
Broccoli packs a whole lot of health in a single bunch. Growing broccoli is so worth any avid gardener’s time when contemplating vegetable gardening. A good source of several essential vitamins and minerals and an unbelievably great source of Vitamin C, broccoli is a must grow dynamo!
Sow this beauty as seeds sown at a depth of three times the diameter of the seed then transplant seedlings to the garden in about 4-6 weeks. Plant 35-50 cm apart. Broccoli will thrive in soil temperatures between 7 and 30 degrees C. Please, keep broccoli plants well hydrated.
A very agreeable vegetable gardening social butterfly, broccoli is happy to share soil space next to beans, beets, celery, cucumbers, onions, rhubarb, and herbs such as sage, dill and oregano.
When to plant in your region:
Temperate Zone: Plant seeds in covered trays in February then transplant seedlings outdoors in March- April. Or, plant seeds in covered trays in September, then transplant seedlings outdoors in October and November.
Tropical Zone: Plant seeds in covered trays in April. Transplant seedlings outdoors from May- July.
Sub-Tropical Zone: Plant seeds in covered trays in February. Transplant seedlings outdoors in April - May.
Cool Mountain Zone: Plant seeds in covered trays in February, then transplant seedlings outdoors in March. Or, plant seeds in covered trays in October, then transplant seedlings outdoors in November- December.
Arid Zone: Plant broccoli plants directly into the garden from February - July.
Vegetable Gardening Rocket Power
Are vegetable gardening timetables, watering and pruning schedules making you feel a little nutty? Then reach for a little rocket with its spicy nutty flavour and spice up your salads and stir fry dishes. A vitamin and mineral powerhouse, growing luscious leafy green rocket is a wise choice when vegetable gardening.
Rocket is another easy as pie plant to grow when vegetable gardening. Sow right in the garden at a depth of about three times the diameter of the seed, spaced about 15-20 cm apart and in soil temperatures of 10-20 degrees C. Plant alongside lettuce.
When to plant in your region:
Temperate Zone: Plant rocket directly into the garden from March - May and from August- November.
Tropical Zone: Rocket is not recommended for vegetable gardening in this region
Sub-Tropical Zone: Plant rocket directly into the garden from March - October.
Cool Mountain Zone: Plant rocket directly into the garden from March - May and from September-November.
Arid Zone: Plant rocket directly into the garden from March- May and from August-November.
Vegetable Gardening is Cool
So be cool and give these cool vegetable gardening tips a go, so you can enjoy the fruits (and vegetables) of your labour! Or visit our learning center for other helpful gardening advice.
