Planning your vegetable garden
Soil type
Most gardeners have to make
the best of the soil which they
have in their backyards. Heavy
clay soils present many problems.
However, small areas can be
greatly improved by the addition of
organic material, lime and fertil-
isers.
Sandy loams and loam soils are
best ; they allow freedom of root
growth and movement of moisture
through the soil. Loamy soils are
easy to cultivate and do not form
hard surface crusts. Loams are
not sticky when wet like clay soils,
nor do Shey run in free
like sandy soils.
Sandy soils require frequent
watering and fertilisers are rapidly
leached through. However, they
warm up early in the spring and
are ideal for early crops. They
are not as fertile as loam or clay
soils.
Vegetables require a good depth
of soil, so gardeners should try
to build up from 200 to 300 mm
of top soil.
Slope and aspect
It is easier to grow crops on level
land than on a slope, but drain-
age may present some problems.
Try to avoid very low patches. If
land slopes choose a north-east-
erly aspect if possible. Run rows
across the slope, not up and down
it. On level areas rows are best
run north and south.
Shelter
The effect of wind on the growth
of vegetables is often underesti-
mated. In addition to causing
physical damage to the plant, cold
winds cool the plants and soil,
delaying growth and maturity.
Hot winds increase the rate of
water loss from the leaves, causing
the plant to wilt. Hot winds also
dry the surface soil and reduce
the amount of water available for
shallow surface roots.
Flower setting is often affected
by hot winds and gardeners fmd
that beans, in particular, will fail
to set. Winds, hot and cold, loosen
the plant roots in the soil and
may damage the root system.
Young seedlings, such as carrots,
are particularly susceptible to
sandblast in light soils.
Many suburban gardens are
well sheltered by high paling
fences, but country gardens may
not be so fortunate. Hedges, rows
of trees and tall growing crops,
such as sweet corn and ryecorn,
and artificial windbreaks of wood
and metal can be used.
A solid fence or hedge is not
desirable. This type of barrier
will create turbulence on the
downwind side some distance from
the windbreak and may even
cause more damage than direct
wind. Slatted paling fences are
used successfully in metropolitan
market gardens. They have about
a 50% opening. Plastic mesh
wind-break fences are now avail-
able ; these are particularly use-
ful in the large farm garden in ex-
posed areas.
Large trees can cause problems
as wind may be funnelled under
them. They also compete with
the garden fbr moisture >nd plant
nutrients and may cause undesir-
able shading, especially in the
winter months.
Tall growing crops, such as
sweet corn are effective for sum-
mer wind protection. It should
be planted as early as possible to
ensure that the crop is high
enough to provide sufficient pro-
tection early in the season.
Trees and shade
Vegetables need maximum light
for good growth, especially in the
winter months. Pay particular
attention to where shadows fall
during the short winter days, and
do not locate the vegetable patch
where it will be shaded by build-
ings and trees. Trees and shrubs
which are too close will take water
from vegetable beds.
Accessibility and water supply
The vegetable garden should be
conveniently located close to the
kitchen door and not too far from
the tool shed. The water supply,
however, is an important con-
sideration especially on farms and
institutions.
On farms it is often more con-
venient to divide the garden into
two sections. A small garden close
to the house can be planted with
beans, carrots, beet, lettuce, and
other small vegetables which are
easily cultivated with hand tools.
Pumpkins, melons, potatoes,
sweet corn, unstlaked tomatoes,
and other crops requiring much
more room can be planted away
from the house, possibly where
land can be ploughed with a
farm tractor.

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Size and layout
Plan the layout of the garden to
suit your own requirements, re-
membering the following:
1. Tailor the size of your garden
to suit the family requirements. An
area 12 metres by 9 metres should
provide for the needs of a family
of four if two crops are grown in
most beds each year. A small
garden which can easily be cared
for is much better than a large
one which may be neglected.
2. Plant vegetables which the
family like best, and where space
is limited, grow vegetables with
the highest yield. Salad vege-
tables, which deteriorate rapidly
after picking, are a must for the
home garden. Vegetables which
should not be considered in small
gardens are pumpkins and other
vine crops and peas as they
require much more room. Sug-
gested priorities are given in the
table on page 64.
3. Perennials grow in the same
area for many years, so locate
these beds to one side of the garden
where they will not be disturbed.
4. Sweet corn, climbing beans and
staked tomatoes should be grown
on the south side of the garden
area where they will not shade
low-growing crops.
5 . It is easier to handle crops in
long rows, especially if motorised
garden equipment is to be used.
Mixed crops can be grown in the
same long row or bed if necessary.
6. Group the crops which mature
during the same season so that
after they are harvested the land
can be prepared for another crop,
or a green manure crop.
7. Fence farm gardens with wire-
netting to keep out stock and
rabbits and allow wide headlands
between the fence and the garden
area for the movement of imple-
ments.
8. Early crops should be planted
in higher and drier areas while
celery and onions can be planted
in lower areas with reasonable
safety. Beans, especially peren-
nial climbing types such as Scarlet
Runner, should be protected from
hot drying winds.
Crop rotation
Different crops require different
levels of nutrition. Carrots and
parsnips produce better quality
crops with smaller quantities of
fertiliser and become forked and
out of shape if the roots are grown
in soil containing excessive quan-
tities of organic matter. It is best
to grow these root crops in soil
that has been heavily manured for
the previous crop, and to which a
small quantity of fertiliser has
been added for the root crop.
Celery, beans, peas, cabbage,
cauliflower and Brussels sprouts
all require a fairly high level of
fertility. Leguminous crops add
nitrogen to the soil.
It is important to maintain the
balance of plant nutrients in the
soil by rotating crops. Of equal
importance is the prevention of
disease and pest build-up in a plot
of ground. By rotating different
types of crops in the same plot
the chance of disease build-up is
reduced.
Vegetables can be considered in
the following groups for the pur-
poses of planning a rotation, and,
keeping in mind the previous res-
ervations, any vegetable within a
group can be followed by one in
any other group :
Winter greens : Broccoli, Brus-
sels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower,
silver beet, spinach.
Salad greens : Endive, cress,
lettuce, celery.
Legumes : Beans, peas.
Root and tubers : Beetroot, car-
rot, parsnip, onion, turnip, swede
turnip, potatoes and Jerusalem
artichokes.
Cucurbits : Cucumber, marrow,
pumpkin, squash, cantaloup,
melon.
Other vegetables: Tomatoes, egg
plant, capsicums, sween corn.
There are also perennial veg-
etables which remain in the same
place for several years and cannot
be rotated. These include aspa-
Cnrefrrl rotorion of crops enahles yorr t o make the hesr rrse of rhe garden and 11c.lps
prevent the brcild-lrp of pests nnd diseases.
ragus, globe artichokes, rhubarb,
and herbs, and are best grown in
an area to one side of the garden.
Herbs provide attractive edgings
to beds.
Cool and warm
season crops
Vegetables may be separated into
cool and warm season crops. Cool
season vegetables generally are
adapted to average temperatures
below 20°C while warm season
crops grow best when the average
is above 20°C. Cool season crops
will withstand slight freezing
although some, such as potato, will
be damaged by frost. Warm
season crops are all damaged by
frost.
Cool season crops include those
where the edible portion is either
a root, stem, leaf or immature
flower part. Warm season crops
are those which the edible part is
a mature or immature fruit. Peas
and broad beans (fruit) are ex-
ceptions being cool season crops
and sweet potato (root) is a warm
season crop.
These two large groups can be
further divided :
Cool season crops
Tolerant to freezing. Intolerant
to average temperatures above
24OC. Optimum monthly tem-
peratures average from 16OC t o
18OC.
Cabbage, beetroot, broad
beans, broccoli, Brussels
sprouts, horseradish, pars-
nip, radish, salsify, spinach,
turnip.
Intolerant to frost near maturity.
Intolerant to average tempera-
tures above 24OC. Optimum
monthly temperature average
from 16OC to 18OC.
Cauliflower, celery, celeriac,
carrot, endive, fennel, lettuce,
mustard, parsley, pea, potato,
silverbeet.
Tolerant to frost and adapted
to average monthly tempera-
tures from 13OC to 24OC.
Asparagus, chives, garlic,
leek, onion, shallot.
W m season crops
Intolerant to frost. Adapted to
an average monthly temperature
of 18OC to 27OC.
Bean, cantaloup, choko,
cucumber, capsicum, pump-
kin, sweet corn, squash,
tomato.
e Intolerant to frost. Thrive at
temperatures above 21 OC. Long
season crops.
Egg plant, okra, sweet potato,
watermelon.
Remember this classification
when planning sowing schedules
for your particular location.
]Planting guide Australia and the Tablelands of
New South Wales. Zone 2,
south in the same district. Crops
that are shaded for part of the day
plantings to Your own (Northern and Wimmera) can be also take a longer time to mature.
requirements. The following generally related to coastal areas
help You in deciding in South Australia other than the Planting tables
what to plant and when to plant Lower South East and West Aus- By looking at the monthly columns
it. not plant out of seas0n? tralia and the western slopes of of the planting guide for your zone,
Or grow more than You can New South Wales. Zone 3 on pages 11, 12 or 13, you will
(Mallee), relates to most inland see at a glance which crops can
Climatic zones areas. be planted during any given month
The in Victoria has no district equiv- in each zone.
broad the three main alent to ,the tropics and sub- A large proportion of failures
'limatic 'Ones within which the tropical areas. In general the of vegetable crops in the home
planting times are growing season in tropical and sub- garden can be attributed to sowing
There of areas tropical areas is much longer in too early or too late, or planting
in each 'One, due local these areas but sowing dates must the wrong variety for the season.
conditions such as rain- be planned so that cool season In many cases several varieties are
Or p
roximit y the crops do not mature during the given as alternatives but no
which may differ from the genera' hottest months. Warm season attempt has been made to rank
conditions that 'One, and local crops. can-generally be grown year them in any order of preference.
experience will indicate any round. The h a 1 choice is yours.
variation in planting times Or For detailed information on Planting tables showing some
varieties for such areas. sowing times and crop recorn- suitable home garden varieties of
Growers in other parts Of mendations in other parts of Aus- every vegetable grown in Victoria ;
tralia can adapt this information tralia consult the local State De- the time they should be planted ;
to their own district. In general partment of Agriculture. the spacing and method of plant-
the planting schedules for the cool ing, are on pages 114 to 119. The
zone also apply to Tasmania, the ~~~~~t planting distances shown are the
Lower East district of South Aspect is an important factor in minimum which will give the best
determining planting dates. results under home garden condi-
Easterly and northerly slopes in dons. These are usually a little
hill country will be a week or two less than for commercial crops.
earlier than sites facing west or Don't overcrowd the plants.

A guide to planling vegetables in Victoria. The map slzows the state divided into
three main growing zones.
10
What can I sow this month?
Zone 1

For details of varieties and planting distances see pages 114 to 119.

11
 What can I sow this month?
Zone 2

For details of varieties and planting distances see pages 114 tc 119.

4 2
What can I sow this month?
Zone 3

For details of varieties and planting distances see pages 114 to 119.

638/76.-3.