Maryland Grows

If I look back at this summer in the vegetable garden objectively, I’d say it was an average success. My garden produced a fair number of tomatoes, peppers, squash and cucumbers. We ate well. But it felt like a really hard year, and I don’t think I’m alone in that experience. We had some nasty heat waves and dry spells, and the plants and produce seemed extra susceptible to damage. I had more cracking and insect damage on my tomatoes than usual, and the plants gave up early due to all the fungal disease. Squash collapsed from vine borers and cucumbers got all the blights. My peppers were the biggest disappointment, battling bacterial leaf spot both in my own beds and at the Derwood Demo Garden. I think some infected seed was to blame, since a few ‘Big Red’ plants were the first to show symptoms, but the disease spread quickly to all the rest.

I’m very invested in gardening, so I’m not going to give up even though I know the struggles are likely to continue; our climate issues aren’t going to get any better and the bugs and diseases are here to stay. I don’t think you should give up either! But I can see how a beginner might feel very daunted.

Here are a few ideas about making your garden less exhausting and more rewarding. I’m writing them down because I need to read them as much as anyone!

Garden smaller and/or simpler

If you had a hard time keeping up, try cutting back. Some options include:

• Plant fewer of the plants that cause the most trouble. I’ve already decided that next year I will plant half the number of tomatoes in my community garden plot, and take better care of them. I was inspired by how carefully our demo garden tomato team tended to their heirloom plants this year, cutting out all the leaves and branches affected by fungal disease so it wouldn’t spread as fast.

• Use less space. Even if you started with a larger garden, you don’t have to use all of it. Empty beds can be covered with weed block fabric or a thick layer of arborist wood chips (which you can get free from tree companies). You can also plant cover crops, or crops that spread out and cover a lot of space, such as sweet potatoes or winter squash. (You’ll still have to do some weeding in those areas.) I’m thinking about growing corn next year, which my limited space hasn’t allowed before – but there will be fewer tomatoes!
• Don’t feel guilty about not using all the space all the time. Succession planting is great, and I am normally a big advocate for year-round growing, but sometimes there just isn’t the energy for the extra effort of spring and fall crops. It’s true that those are the seasons when it’s more fun to be outside, but if you are going to have a vegetable garden you’ll get the most out of it in the summer, and weeds grow much faster in the hot weather, so you need to be in the garden keeping an eye on them.

Speaking of weeds…

You really have to stay on top of them. I let mine get a bit out of control this year, and I’m sorry for it now, dealing with infestations of mugwort, thistle, and nasty grasses that gobble up the soil. Here are some tips:

• Know what you’re dealing with and how it spreads. Some weeds are perennial and have to be either dug up completely or attacked persistently to starve them into submission. Others are annual, and you just have to keep them from going to seed. Pick your battles.
• Cover the soil. Organic mulches are great and are better for soil health, but if you have to resort to sheets of plastic, then you do.
• Remember that the weeds are stealing water and nutrients from your desirable plants, can harbor insect pests that threaten them, and will completely take over if you give them the chance. That’s why they’re weeds. Respect them, and then kill them.

Be kind to yourself

Gardening is hard work, but don’t make it any harder than it needs to be. These tips might help.

• Put gardening on your calendar, so it doesn’t become a last-minute low-priority source of panic and inefficiency. If you can, schedule garden work for early in the morning when it’s coolest (evening is next best). Daily short sessions are better than trying to work for several hours once a week. Assign yourself a manageable task each time and stick to that (barring emergencies). Make a plan for vacations so you don’t come back to dead plants and carpets of weeds, or miss all the best harvests.
• Dress for success. Whatever you feel comfortable and coolest in, wear that, keeping in mind that you will get dirty and that your feet should be safely covered. Don’t forget sunscreen and water. Lots of water.
• Consider building raised beds. This is a lot of work, but you can do it in the cooler weather (even this winter). Raised beds make your gardening simpler in several ways: they can be built at a height and width that’s easy for you to work in; they tend to need less weeding (but not no weeding); they distinguish planting areas from path areas very clearly and even allow you to create paths that are more permanent (hardscape as opposed to wood chips that break down and have to be replaced). This is all costly, so make sure you’ve made a commitment to this garden.
• Drip irrigation systems are not for everyone, but if your garden is big enough installing one may save you some time and labor.
• Cover the soil. I know, I said that already, but beyond smothering weeds, mulches also help keep soil temperature even and lessen the amount of watering needed. This just means less work for you overall, as well as being better for the plants.
• Make a point of enjoying what you harvest. Stop and savor the taste and make sure everyone knows you grew that beautiful vegetable! If dealing with the harvest gets too much, think about cutting back how much you plant next year, or share your harvest with friends, neighbors, and your greater community.

If this year wasn’t the best, there’s always next year! Make a plan now to garden easier and smarter.

By Erica Smith, Montgomery County Master Gardener. Read more posts by Erica.