Home Vegetable Gardening

Introduction

Start by choosing a location for your new garden bed, for help see: Planning the home vegetable garden

The next major decision is whether to use raised beds, and if you will, how should you make them? See: Container and raised bed gardening

• For help deciding how much and what to plant see: Virginia’s home garden vegetable guide

• For help mulching your new vegetable garden: mulches for the home vegetable garden

Buying seeds:

• Don’t buy too much! Use our Home vegetable garden planting guide to calculate how much you need to grow
  

• Though this publication is intended for commercial growers, you may find some of these useful: 2020-2021 Mid-Atlantic Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations

When you have planned your garden and selected an appropriate site and you’re ready to dig in and prepare your garden beds, consider the nutrient content of your soil, what kind of mulch you will use on your garden bed (yes, vegetable gardens can get mulch too!), and if you will choose to make your own compost for future gardens.

For soil preparation:

• Building Healthy Soil

Mulching:

• Mulches for the Home Vegetable Garden

• Mulching for a Healthy Landscape

Compost

• Compost: What Is It and What's It To You

• Using Compost in Your Landscape

Staring at an expanse of lawn and wondering how to convert it to beds of vegetables or flowers is intimidating. Here are some tips from our friends in Maryland on removing grass to make way for garden beds.

If you need help starting your garden, please reach out to your local Extension Master Gardeners!

When you’ve prepared your beds, it’s time to plant your vegetables outdoors! 

You can use our vegetable garden planting guide to determine what date to begin your plants depending on your USDA plant hardiness zone:

• Home vegetable garden planting guide

For a full guide to starting vegetables from seed, see: Plant Propagation from Seed

Did you know not all vegetables need to be transplanted? Many garden crops can be grown from seeds you plant directly in your garden. For more information on which plants to start indoors and which to plant directly in your garden, look at the * denoting transplants in our Home vegetable garden planting guide.

Transplants should be hardened off--or gradually acclimated to outdoor weather--before they are planted directly in the garden. For more information on hardening, see “Hardening” in Plant Propagation from Seed.

Herbs: Most herbs can be grown successfully with a minimum of effort. Several are drought-tolerant, some are perennials, and many are resistant to insects and diseases.For information on growing your own herbs:

• Herb culture and use

If you don’t have space for a vegetable garden or if your present site is too small, consider raising fresh, nutritious, homegrown vegetables in containers. A window sill, patio, balcony, or doorstep can provide sufficient space for a productive container garden. 

• Vegetable gardening in containers

• Container and raised bed gardening

Looking to get the most out of a small yard or garden plot? Learn about methods like vertical gardening and which crops to plant in Intensive Gardening Methods.

For an introduction to becoming a plant-problem sleuth, read Diagnosing Plant Problems. You may also find Integrated Pest Management for Vegetable Gardens helpful.

If you are unable to figure out the source of your plant’s problem, reach out to your local Extension Master Gardeners for help. Many EMG units provide “help desks” or call-in hotlines and can help you determine what might be causing your plant’s problem and what you should do. 

Some insects you are likely to encounter in your garden include:

• Aphids

• Mexican Bean Beetle

• Flea Beetles Attacking Eggplant in Virginia

• Cutworms in the Home Garden

• Flea Beetle Control for Home Gardens

Did you know that some insects are actually beneficial? In addition to pollinating certain crops, many beneficial insects will eat bad insects. If you’re interested in learning more about beneficial insects and how you can attract them to your garden, read Improving Pest Management and Pollination with Farmscaping.  

Some diseases you are likely to encounter in your garden include:

• Late Blight of Tomato and Potato (VCE publication)

• Septoria leaf spot on tomato (EMG + VT Plant Disease Clinic video)

• Late blight on tomato (EMG + VT Plant Disease Clinic video)

• Black rot on crucifers (EMG + VT Plant Disease Clinic video)

• Downy mildew on basil (EMG + VT Plant Disease Clinic video

We know that, to many people, the idea of “spraying” anything on their landscape is intimidating; however, when used properly insecticides, fungicides, and other “sprays” can have an important place in the home gardener’s toolbox. Here is some more information on pesticides: 

• Applying Pesticides Safely

• Reducing Pesticide Use in the Home Lawn and Garden

• Glyphosate: Health Controversy, Benefits and Continuing Debate

• Storing Pesticides Safely

• Choosing Pesticides Wisely

• Understanding Pesticide Labels

• Asparagus

• Cucumbers, melons, squash

• Leafy green vegetables

• Onions, garlic, shallots

• Root crops

• Sweet corn

• Tomato

Small fruits offer certain advantages over fruit trees for home culture because small fruits require less space for the amount of fruit produced, and they bear fruit one or two years after planting. Success with small-fruit planting will depend on the attention given to all phases of production, including crop and variety selection, site selection, soil management, fertilization, pruning, and pest management. 

For information on growing your own small fruit, read Small fruits in the home garden. 

For information on growing fruit trees, read Tree fruit in the home garden.

• Winemaking for the home gardener
• Boiling water bath canning 
• Freezing fruits and vegetables
• Using dehydration to preserve fruits, vegetables and meats
• Can it safely (printable one page canning guide)
• Safe handling and storing of raw fruits and vegetables
• Pressure canning
• National Center for Home Food Preservation
• National Center for Home Food Preservation Videos
• So Easy to Preserve (can order the recipe book and DVD set for demonstrations)
• Fresh Preserving
• Interested in learning more about home food perservation? Want to help other's learn? Check out the Extension Master Food Volunteer Program!
  

You can extend your growing season earlier in the spring and later into the fall by sheltering plants from very cold weather. 

• Sprouting seeds for food
• Feeding Wild Birds
• How to Plan for and Plant Streamside Conservation Buffers with Native Fruit and Nut Trees and Woody Floral Shrubs
• Home Landscape Practices to Protect Water Quality
• Landscaping for Less in the Landfill
• Reducing Erosion and Runoff

• Food safety for school and community gardens

• Facilitating Community, Local, and Regional Food Systems