Tips for growing a bountiful vegetable garden

Tomatoes, green beans, sweet peppers, hot peppers and all manners of herbs. That's what a survey of Daily Herald Food fans on Facebook.com revealed as the crops people plan to grow in their backyard gardens, porch containers and community plots.

Before you join the effort to turn the earth and harvest its bounty, read this advice from Rick Belding, horticulturist in the Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden at the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe.

Where should I plant my vegetable garden? Vegetables require at least six hours of full sun per day to be productive, healthy and vigorous. The best location would have a southern exposure, but western exposure is also acceptable.

Locate the garden where you will see it every day, so you can be vigilant about tending to its needs, such as water, pest management and timely harvest.

Vegetables require an inch to an inch and a half of water per week, so locate your garden near a water source to increase the chances you will water it regularly. Hand watering gives you the ability to observe what is happening with your plants and allows you to catch problems early. Overhead watering can lead to the foliage getting wet and causing problems with pathogens.

After you water, it is best to dig down an inch or two and make sure the soil is wet all the way down, not just wet at the very top. You want your soil to be consistently moist.

What do I need to do to prepare the soil? Preparing the soil before you plant is the most important element of starting a vegetable garden.

If you are starting a new garden and especially in an urban location, you will want to do a soil test. Many urban soils are contaminated with lead, arsenic, mercury and other toxins that can be taken up into the food you plan to eat. If your soil has these contaminants, use pots or raised beds made with untreated lumber.

The soil should hold water, but drain well so the plant roots can obtain oxygen. To improve the soil, add organic matter like compost, leaves, weed-free straw or peat moss. Manually incorporate compost in the first three or four inches.

If you are planting in containers, it is a good idea to use half soilless mix and half compost, which increase fertility and water-holding capacity. This should be the only fertilizer you need for the year. A top-dressing of compost will help halfway through the growing season.

What should I plant and when? There are vegetables that grow best in cooler seasons and those that grow best in warmer seasons. Plant your cool-season vegetables once the ground begins warming in the spring, but remember the area's average frost-free date is May 15. If a hard freeze or heavy frost is predicted, you should cover cool-season vegetables with a frost blanket.

Cool-season vegetables include lettuce, spinach, collard greens, mustard greens, Swiss chard, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, radishes, beets, carrots, turnips, rutabagas, parsnips, onions, potatoes and cilantro.

Warm-season vegetables, which can be planted outside only after May 15, include tomatoes, basil, eggplant, peppers, beans, corn, cucumbers, melons, okra, pumpkins and squash. Some perennial vegetables that you can plant in spring include asparagus and rhubarb, but they take time to establish.

Should I start with seeds or plants? It depends on how early you plant your garden. In the Chicago area, if you can plant your cool-season crops in April, starting from seed can be very satisfying. Loose-leaf lettuce is especially easy to scatter directly over the top of the soil outside, cover lightly with fine soil and wait for sprouts to appear. Follow the instructions on the seed packet, as each crop will have different requirements.

If you are starting later in the season, you'll want to start with plants so there is enough time in the growing season before the heat sets in, causing some cool-season crops to bolt.

For warm-season plants, sow tomato seeds indoors around May 1. The plants should have enough time to develop before hardening them off to the outdoors in late May.

Each plant has different requirements, so learn how many growing days it takes until harvest and work backward to see if you have enough time in the growing season. Also look for the distance you should space the seeds or plants when planting.

How do I choose what to plant? Before going shopping, make a simple scale drawing of your vegetable plot so you know how much space is available. Only buy as many plants as will fit in your garden. Crowding can lead to diseases.

It's a good idea to grow vegetables that are unavailable in stores or are usually too expensive to buy. There are a number of seed companies that sell heirloom varieties that are generally more flavorful and nutritious than modern hybrids. However, many hybrids have been bred for more vigor and are better able to withstand pests or pathogens. It depends on your objective.