Submitted by Brandy Brabham,
WVU Extension Agent
Lack of yard space is no excuse for not growing a vegetable garden. Regardless of whether you live in an apartment, condominium or mobile home, some space us available for growing a few of your favorite vegetables. However, the area you choose to grow your garden must receive five hours or more of sunlight daily. As a general rule, leafy vegetables such as cabbage and mustard greens can tolerate more shade than root vegetables like radishes and beets. Vegetables that bear fruit such as peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers will need the most sun.
Apartment dwellers will probably be limited to using containers or window boxes for vegetable growing. Always make sure the containers used are large enough to hold the vegetable plants when they reach maturity. All containers should have sufficient number of drainage holes in the bottom for proper drainage.
You have many more alternatives if you live in a duplex, a single unit or house and have access to an open yard. You may still use window boxes, but now you have access to borders along walkways and foundation plantings. You will be pleasantly surprised to see how attractive a walkway can be when edged with such plants as carrots in full foliage. There is also ample opportunity to position large containers such as baskets with pepper or tomato plants.
Fences are ideal for growing many vegetables, especially vining types such as cucumbers and melons. Six to 8 ft of fence space could provide enough cucumbers for fresh consumption and ample supplies for pickling. Pole beans (lima and snaps) also do well here. When cantaloupe fruits begin to enlarge, tie to the fence in a sling made from nylon hose to avoid self-picking.
The soil mixture you use will have a great influence on your success. It should be free of disease, insect and weed pests and have a pH of about 6.0 to 6.5. Your WVU County Extension Office can provide you with a soil testing kit to test the pH of your soil. To obtain a soil test kit, contact the Roane County office at 927-0975 and Calhoun County at 354-6332.
You may purchase commercially prepared soil mixtures from garden centers or you can make your own mix by using equal parts of sand, loamy garden soil, and peat moss or composted leaves. Sterilization may be done by baking it in an oven for about one hour at 210°F to kill any bacteria, fungi, insects, or weed seeds.
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