Vegetable gardening Seeds or plants?
By BARB DELISIO
OSU Extension master gardener volunteer
The serious gardener has many choices when putting in a vegetable garden.
When planting time arrives, a very common question we get at our clinic is, “Should I plant seeds, or am I just going to buy plants and put them in the ground?”
Well, it’s too late for some seeds and just right for others. For crops such as tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and many more, the seeds must be started in March or early April for the plants to be mature enough to produce a fruit before the frost in the fall.
For example, tomatoes, eggplant and peppers need a growing time of 60 to 90 days after transplanting to produce edible fruit.
Cabbage takes 70 to 90 days after transplanting. So, it’s really too late to try to plant seeds for these various plants. You can go to your local nursery and purchase varieties of these plants for your garden.
Remember, if you buy your plants from an inside greenhouse, harden them off before planting. Do this by setting the transplants in a shady, protected, outside location for five to seven days before setting them in the garden.
Gradually expose the plants to longer periods of sunlight. Allow plants to dry slightly between watering during this hardening period.
For best growth, give each plant a watering of liquid fertilizer diluted as to package directions, immediately after setting it in the ground. This is one time when “more” is not better.
The delicate new roots and plants can suffer fertilizer burn if too much fertilizer is used. Make sure you follow the directions on your fertilizer container.
Now is the perfect time to sow seeds such as lettuce, pole beans, sweet corn, cucumbers, zucchini, muskmelon, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, winter squash and watermelon.
Don’t open the seed packets and dump all the seeds in a small area. For plants to grow properly, they must have adequate sunlight and air circulation. If not, your plants will become spindly and be prone to disease.
Seeds must be spaced in the garden according to the package directions. For example, if you are planting bush beans, the seeds should be placed 2 to 3 inches apart in a row and at least 18 inches between rows. Cucumbers should be planted in hills, at least 4 feet apart. Put three or four seeds about a half-inch deep into the hill.
For zucchini, plant five seeds spaced evenly over a hill 12 inches high and about 2 feet across. After the plants are about 3 inches tall, thin by cutting at ground level all but the three strongest plants. This will ensure enough sunlight and air circulation for your plants to grow and produce to their best.
Follow package directions for growing vegetables. Too much of certain fertilizers will produce a lot of green growth and no flowers, which produce the fruit.
To learn more, go to: http://go.osu.edu/seedsorplants.