Vegetables

CORE COMPETENCIES

At the end of these sessions you will be able to articulate and explain:

• Factors to consider when selecting a garden site

• Factors to consider when planning a vegetable garden

  • Variety selection to match conditions

  • Comparison of raised beds, in ground beds and conventional rows

  • Reasons for crop rotation and how to develop a simple rotation plan

  • Concepts and practices for intensive vegetable production

  • Basic garden record keeping

• Key aspects of vegetable garden maintenance

  • Watering

  • Weed management

  • Fertilization

• Techniques for extending the garden season

• How and when to harvest and properly store common vegetable crops

• Food safety and Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) for a safe harvest

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SELECTED READINGS AND CONTENT

UMaine Extension Bulletins

• Gardening Methods
  • Growing Vegetables in Container Gardens, Bulletin #2762
  • Common Problems in Container Gardens, Bulletin #2765
  • Extending the Gardening Season, Bulletin #2752
  • Garden Equipment and Items to Make for the Maine Garden, Bulletin #2763
  • Gardening in Small Spaces, Bulletin #2761
  • Guidelines for Using Manure on Vegetable Gardens, Bulletin #2510
  • Trickle Irrigation: Using & Conserving Water in the Home Garden, Bulletin #2160

• Maine Crops
  • Growing Asparagus in Maine, Bulletin #2071
  • Growing Hardneck Garlic in Your Maine Garden, Bulletin #2063
  • Vegetable Varieties for Maine Gardens, Bulletin #2190

• Handling the Harvest
  • Choosing, Storing and Using Fresh Produce
  • Storing Fresh Garden Produce (Word)
  • Storage Conditions: Fruits & Vegetables, Bulletin #4135

UMaine Extension Videos

• Asparagus
  • Caring for Asparagus
  • Planting Asparagus
• Extending the Gardening Season Using Raised Beds
  • Part 1
  • Part 2
  • Part 3
  • Part 4
  • Plans for building a raised bed: diagram and materials list [Word; PDF]
• Gardening in Limited Space Using Container Gardens
  • Part 1
  • Part 2
• Garlic
  • Garlic in the Home Garden: Removing Scapes
  • Harvesting and Drying Hardneck Garlic
  • How Do I Grow Garlic in Maine
  • Storing Garlic
• Onions: How to Harvest and Store Onions in Maine
• Pumpkins: How to Harvest and Store Pumpkins
• Tomatoes
  • Caging Individual Tomato Plants
  • How to Grow Tomatoes: Basket Weave
  • How to Grow Tomatoes: Differences Between Bush and Vining
  • How to Grow Tomatoes: Staking
  • How to Grow Tomatoes: Trellis

MOFGA fact sheets — Look for

• Basics of Organic Vegetable Gardening
• Storing Garden Vegetables

Additional Resources

• Asparagus FAQs |Planting Asparagus Check List | Growing Asparagus Record Sheet
• Establishment of Vegetable Gardens on Septic System Disposal Fields
• Find Your Freeze/Frost Dates
• Cornell Growing Guides: Each profile contains detailed description, growing  methods, varieties and other information
• New England Vegetable Management Guide, University of Massachusetts
• Planting Chart for the Home Vegetable Garden
• University of Minnesota Crop Specific Guides
• Articles from MOFGA

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PRACTICAL SKILLS GAINED AND STRENGTHENED

Identify, prevent, and manage common weeds How to plan, plant, and maintain a vegetable and/or herb garden How to implement succession planting How and when to harvest and properly store common vegetable crops Food safety practices used in preparing fresh foods for consumption