GARDENING ON THE GROW

By Linda Linonis | March 24, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

Gardening has a cornucopia of benefits: It’s family activity, a learning experience and a concrete way to fight the recession.

Gardeners know there’s nothing like getting their hands dirty. This growing season, more people will be getting down and dirty as they become first-time gardeners.

The cost of food and the floundering economy have caused gardening interest to grow. Though the reasons pushing first-time gardeners may be grim, Dave Goerig, horticulture educator and director of the Ohio State University Extension office in Canfield, said having a garden has benefits in addition to food production.

“It’s a great family activity, it’s a learning experience, it’s exercise,” Goerig said. “And you end up with something: food.”

He also pointed out that first-time gardeners will probably make some mistakes.

“That’s why I love gardening so much. It’s so forgiving. You can mess up ... but next year, you get to start with a clean slate,” he said.

Goerig said the Mahoning Valley growing season is 140-150 days, and planting can begin May 15.

First, he said, pick a spot that gets six to eight hours of sunlight a day. “Make sure it’s not in the shade or bothered by roots,” he said.

“Take a shovel and work the area. Turn the sod over, and chop it up. You need a shovel and a little ambition,” he said.

A manageable size is 4 feet wide and 6 feet long. “It doesn’t have to be a square,” Goerig said. “It can fit elsewhere into your landscape ... along a fence, for example.”

For both first-time and experienced gardeners, Goering recommends a $9 soil test. “It tells you what nutrients your soil is deficient in and makes good recommendations to amend it for proper fertility,” he said.

He said OSU uses the Pennsylvania State University Extension soil testing facility; contact OSU Extension for forms. Gardeners send a baggie filled with one cup of soil to the testing site and get back vital information. “If you don’t understand it, we’ll help interpret it,” Goerig said.

Goerig noted the soil in this area is clay. Organic matter usually needs to be added to increase its fertility.

The next step, he said, is thinking about what vegetables and herbs you like to eat. “That’s what you should plant,” he said.

Goerig offered some suggestions for first-time gardeners.

“One of the easiest things to grow are potatoes,” he said. “As long as a potato has an eye, it will grow. Plant it in the garden ... not too deep ... close to the top of the soil and mound soil over it,” he said. “You can plant it in April and when you see the vines withering, it’s time to dig up your potatoes,” he said.

It’s best to store potatoes in a cool and dark place. The thing about potatoes is that you can use ones you’ve already bought to eat as the starter, he noted. Dip them in powdered sulfur before you plant to prevent rotting.

For tomatoes, try a Roma (“It’s a classic,” he said) for paste, Delicious and cherry for salads and sandwiches. For these, Goerig said he thought it was best that first-time gardeners buy transplants.

For peppers, bell is a good choice and Hungarian wax are two suggestions. Green and pole beans are other choices, and should be started from seed.

Onions from seeds or sets are another idea, along with lettuce and radishes grown from seed.

In general, he said plants should be placed about 12- to 18-inches apart but check specific requirements.

If you want to garden but lack the room or physical ability to work a garden, Goerig suggested container gardening. “This is really big. You can keep it on your porch or patio,” he said.

He said herbs such as basil, sage, parsley, rosemary, chives and cilantro do well in container gardens and planted in the soil. “Start them from seeds” he said.

Goerig estimated the cost of starting a garden at $9 for the soil test, $10 in seeds and $10 to 20 in plants. Planning what you’ll plant and when is key. And, Goerig said, the Extension office also has materials on how to freeze and can vegetables to extend the harvest.

Ray Mashorda of Mashorda’s County Gardens, 5627 Mahoning Ave., Austintown, predicted that this will be “the biggest year in gardening in 50 years.” He said the economy is the reason.

Mashorda said suppliers and greenhouses are planting more to meet the need.

Mashorda’s offers packaged seeds and its own bulk seed. “If you need it, buy it now,” he said, noting that he has already increased his standing order. “I just think the demand is going to be huge.”

Mashorda, who worked with his father for 24 years in the gardening business and then 14 at his current site, said he and his staff are ready to answer questions and help first-time gardeners. “We’ve already had numerous calls from first-time gardeners. We explain what they need to know,” he said.

Popular choices for tomatoes are Big Boy, beefeater and Roma, he said. Potatoes, corn, onions, broccoli, lettuce and cabbage also are good choices for first-time gardeners. Mashorda said basil, parsley, cilantro and rosemary are popular herbs. “You can grow those in a container and keep snipping them,” he said.

linonis@vindy.com