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Backyard Organic Vegetable Gardening
Max AptonFarm Manager, Amawalk FarmOwner, The Farmer’s Garden
About the Gardener• I am a Westchester native
• I have a background in organic vegetable farming
• Former field manager at Stone Barns Center in Tarrytown
• Current farm manager at Amawalk Farm in Katonah
• Owner of a home edible landscaping business, The Farmer’s Garden
• Weekly garden columnist for The Journal News
Today’s Class
• Picking garden placement in your yard
• Preparing soil for planting
• What and when to plant
• Gardening with kids
Location, Location, Location!
Picking the right spot for your garden.
Garden Placement• There are many things to consider before
turning over your soil:
• Direct sun exposure (southern facing, trees, houses, etc).
• Soil conditions
• Terrain (slope, ponds, rocks, forest)
• Proximity to water source, kitchen
How Much Space Do I Need?
• Well, it depends on what you grow.
• A 15’ x 20’ can offer lots of greens, roots and some fruits (ie. tomatoes and peppers) for a family of four.
• Biting off plenty to chew
Preparing your soil• Pick your sunniest spot
• Collect a soil sample
• Add compost and other organic, mineral amendments
• Till the sod under or cut away the sod
• Work soil deeply
• Create raised beds
Breaking Ground
• Gather your amendments
• Access to machinery
• Sod removal vs. tilling sod
• Spreading compost and amendments, working deeply
• Allowing time for breakdown and settling
Preparing Raised Beds
• Raised beds without all the fuss
• Friable soil, good tilth, clod-free and smooth
• Wide rows, deep soil, paths for foot traffic and wheelbarrows
• Preparing seed beds
Crop Seed or TP Plant outside Harvest
Carrots, spinach and
beetsSeed March-May,
July-AugustJune-October
Lettuce heads
(romaine, butter, etc)
TPMarch-May,
July-September
May-July, Late-August to October
Radishes and peas
SeedMarch-May,
August-October
June, September-November
Onions and potatoes
TP April June-August
Kale, cabbage, broccoli
TP April, May, July May-December
Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant
TP May Late-July to first frost
When to plant and harvest popular garden veggies
Vegetable Sunlight Box Planter Container
Leafy greens At least 4-6 hours
Lettuce, arugula, baby
kale/chardYes
Herbs At least 4 hours
Yes Yes
Tomatoes, eggplant, peppers
At least 8 hours
No Yes
Potatoes, zucchini, squash
At least 8 hours
No Yes, though not preferable
Carrots, beets and
roots
At least 6 hours
No No
Strawberries At least 8 hours
No Yes
Sunlight and Space Needs of Common Garden Plants
Inviting Kids to Garden
• Gardening should be a family activity!
• Kid-friendly activities:
• seeding large-seeded crops like peas and beans
• watering the garden
• tuber treasure hunt!
• root vegetables
• snacking!
Advanced Activities for Kids and Teens
• For the older children:
• Measuring the garden beds and calculating plants and seeds required
• Harvesting greens and fruits
• Cooking with the harvest
• Weeding the garden
Fertility Simplified
• Above all else: Add compost and organic matter
• Ocean products: kelp meal, fish fertilizer, greensand
• Cover cropping, straw mulch. Not leaving soil bare.
Nutrient What It Does Fast-release Sources
Slow-release Sources
Nitrogen
Responsible for plant vigor,
foliage and protein
synthesis
Alfalfa meal, fish fertilizer,
blood/crab/feather meal
Legumes, green manures and compost
Phosphorous
Flower and fruit.
Photosynthesis.
Soft-rock phosphate, bone meal
Animal manure,
compost,
Potassium Roots, plant immunity
Wood ash, Sul-po-mag
Greensand, azomite, granite
CalciumFlavor and
overall strength
Pulverized limestone
Compost, gypsum
MagnesiumPhotosynthesis
and healthy growth
Dolomitic lime, Sul-po-mag
Compost, kelp meal,
greensand
SulfurProtein/enzyme
production
Elemental sulfur, sul-po-
magGypsum
Macronutrients
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