Tending a vegetable garden is a great way to clear your mind, get fresh air and soak up the sunshine. Growing your own fruits and veggies may even inspire you to eat healthier — you don’t want all of your hard work to go to waste!
Certified master gardener Mike LaFollette got his green thumb from his father, who Lafollette assisted in the garden as a child. LaFollette’s passion never faded. As an adult, LaFollette is a landscaper who wrote a gardening column for Angie’s List.
The Recorder spoke with LaFollette to learn gardening tips:
Recorder: Which vegetables are good for beginners to get started with?
LaFollette: There are definitely some vegetables that are easier to grow than others. For beginners, I would recommend lettuce, green beans and tomatoes because they don’t require a lot of maintenance, they typically grow pretty easily in Indiana. Also, grow vegetables that you like to eat. You will eat salad more frequently than eggplant.
When is the best time to get started with planting a vegetable garden, and what type of things work best for each month?
The rule of thumb is you want to plant two weeks after the last expected frost date, which usually falls around the beginning of May till the middle of May. This year, with the way spring is going, you might want to wait till the second weekend in May. There are certain vegetables you want to plant at different times, cool season and warm season. That just means they thrive in periods of the spring and summer. An example of cool season would be lettuce, broccoli and a lot of greens and herbs, which do best in May and June, so plant them first. Warm season veggies would be tomatoes, peppers or corn. They don’t produce until it is hot, and you are better off buying transplants from a garden center.
How important is soil quality when growing a garden?
It is very important, and will have the greatest impact on the success of your garden. It’s not about putting fertilizer and chemicals in, it’s about having good soil with organic material. Indiana’s soil is not that great. Even if you scrape off the top layer of grass there is very little organic matter there. You are best off adding potting mix if you are starting a new garden.
If you could offer one final piece of advice to beginners, what would that be?
Go for it! It is a lot easier than you think. It’s easier than raising a child or having a pet. Plants just need light, water and a few minutes of your time each day.
