Growing a Veggie Garden

The 10 x 8-yard vegetable allotment is located at the rear of the Palace's 40-acre garden known as the Yard Bed. So, what's growing? Beans, sweetcorn, onions, leeks, carrots, beetroot and a variety of endangered seed species, including climbing French beans known as "Blue Queen", according to reports.

We say kudos to the Queen for her commendable efforts in aiding the survival of threatened seed types and for perpetuating a sustainable lifestyle. According to Claire Midgeley, Deputy Gardens Manager, the garden veggies have already made their way up to the Queen's dinner table. No word yet on her approval rating.

Are you looking to follow the leaders and start your own veggie garden? It's easier than you think. We went to the experts at Charley's Vegetables. They produce wholesale fresh veggies grown and distributed by Parks Bros. Farm in Van Buren, Arkansas. By the looks of his produce (check out this lettuce!), we think Charley knows what he's doing when it comes to veggies. After all, he's a life-long farmer. We got the scoop from his team on the easiest veggies to grow.

Pepper
Sweet or smokin' hot peppers are a tasty addition to a new garden. Bell peppers, Sweet Banana peppers and Jalapeno peppers are some of the more popular varieties of peppers. Peppers produce the best crops when daytime temperatures are less than 95 degrees F and the soil is well supplied with moisture. Avoid soggy, waterlogged soil conditions when growing peppers.

Plant young pepper plants 18"apart in full sun when the night temperatures are consistently above 60 degrees F. Water frequently after planting for two weeks then gradually reduce frequency to once a week and increase duration to a good soaking with a soaker hose or slow trickle for 6-8 hours. Apply a complete granular fertilizer (10-20-10 ratio nitrogen/phosphorous/potassium) when planting by working the granules into the soil 12" around the plant at a rate of 4 tablespoons per plant. Fertilize again at the same rate when peppers develop.

Charley's Veggies

Okra
Okra is a heat loving plant that is easy to grow from either seed or young transplants and has large, attractive, yellow flowers that produce delicious fruit called pods. Okra planted too late in the spring may keep growing but not produce fruit until late summer or early fall. Clemson Spineless Okra is one of the better varieties available. Harvest okra pods when they are 2-4" long and pick pods every other day to keep the plant producing. When the stem is difficult to cut, the pod is too old to use. Remove and discard over grown pods.

Plant Okra seed or young okra plants 6"apart in full sun when the night temperatures are consistently above 60 degrees F. Water frequently after planting for two weeks then gradually reduce frequency to once a week and increase duration to a good soaking with a soaker hose or slow trickle for 6-8 hours. Apply a complete granular fertilizer (10-20-10) when planting by working the granules into the soil 12" around the plant at a rate of 4 tablespoons per plant. Excess fertilization will result in poor okra yields.

Charley's Veggies

Squash
Squash is another easy vegetable for beginning gardeners to grow. Whether it's a straight neck, crookneck or zucchini, all squash grows the same and is interchangeable in recipes. Harvest squash when they are about 7" long for best flavor and pick on a daily basis to keep the plant producing longer.

Plant Squash seed or young squash plants 36"apart in full sun when the night temperatures are consistently above 60 degrees F. Water frequently after planting for two weeks then gradually reduce frequency to once a week and increase duration to a good soaking with a soaker hose or slow trickle for 6-8 hours. Apply a complete granular fertilizer (10-20-10) when planting by working the granules into the soil 12" around the plant at a rate of 4 tablespoons per plant.

Charley's Veggies

Eggplant
The most common Eggplants are glossy, elongated and oval shaped with a black-purple color, but other types are available like Long Green, which produce slim, 6-9" long eggplants, and Rosa Bianca, an heirloom variety, that has rosy-pink, oval eggplants. Harvest eggplants when they are large, shiny and uniform in color. You can test the eggplants for ripeness by pressing them slightly with your thumbnail, and if an indentation remains on the skin, they are ripe.

Plant young eggplant plants 24"apart in full sun when the night temperatures are consistently above 60 degrees F. Water frequently after planting for two weeks then gradually reduce frequency to once a week and increase duration to a good soaking with a soaker hose or slow trickle for 6-8 hours. Eggplants require more fertilizer than other vegetables. Fertilize with 2-3 tablespoons of a nitrate fertilizer per every 10 feet of row at planting and every 3-4 weeks after that.

Charley's Veggies

Sweet Corn
There is nothing better than that first, juicy bite of fresh sweet corn in the summer. Sweet corn can be easily grown in any garden and tastes best when harvested fresh. Bodacious and Peaches and Cream are a couple of the more popular varieties of sweet corn. Each corn stalk will produce one large ear of corn. Harvest sweet corn during the "milk stage" which occurs about 20 days after the first silk strands appear. During the milk stage, the juice of the kernels appears milky when punctured by a thumbnail. Other signs for harvest are drying and browning of the silk, fullness of tip kernels and firmness of the ears.

Plant sweet corn kernels (seeds) about 1" deep and 9-12" apart when night temperatures are consistently above 60 degrees F. Allow 36" between rows. For a continuous supply of sweet corn, plant early, mid and late varieties and make successive plantings when the previous crop has 3-4 leaves. Regular watering is not necessary, but may be needed if rainfall is low during the emergence of the tassels, silking and maturation of the ears. Fertilize with a nitrogen fertilizer worked into the soil before planting at a rate of .1 pounds per 10 feet of row.

Charley's Veggies

Watermelon
Watermelons are long-standing, favorite summertime treats that are well known for their juicy, mouth-watering taste. A couple of favorite varieties are Crimson Sweet and Black Diamond, both of which have red meat. For something different, yellow meat varieties offer a novel change in color. Watermelons mature in 80-100 days from seed (Crimson Sweet-85 days) and run 15-25 pounds at harvest. The best indication that the watermelons are ripe is the yellow color on the underside of the melon where it sat on the ground. You can also thump the melon and listen for a hollow sound, but the technique takes a little practice.

Plant several seeds (about 1" deep) or two young watermelon plants 48"apart in full sun when the night temperatures are consistently above 65 degrees F. Water frequently after planting for two weeks then gradually reduce frequency to once a week and increase duration to a good soaking with a soaker hose or slow trickle for 6-8 hours. Prior to planting, fertilize your soil with a complete granular fertilizer (10-20-10) by working the granules into the soil at a rate of .4 pounds per 10 feet of row. When the vines begin to run, side-dress (sprinkle granules about 18" from the plant on one side) with an additional 2 tablespoons per plant.

Charley's Veggies

Cantaloupe
Being known for its rich flavor, delicious aroma, and minimal number of calories has made Cantaloupes, also called muskmelons, one of the most popular types of melon in the United States. Tack on the fact that they are loaded with Vitamin C and you know you have found a winning combination. Cantaloupes can range in color from orange to yellow to salmon and have a soft, juicy texture. When ripe the rinds change color from green to tan or yellow between the skin netting. Pick Cantaloupes when the stem separates easily near the point of attachment.

Plant several seeds (about 1" deep) or two young cantaloupe plants 18"apart in full sun when the night temperatures are consistently above 65 degrees F. Water frequently after planting for two weeks then gradually reduce frequency to once a week and increase duration to a good soaking with a soaker hose or slow trickle for 6-8 hours. Prior to planting, fertilize your soil with a complete granular fertilizer (10-20-10) by working the granules into the soil at a rate of .4 pounds per 10 feet of row. When the vines begin to run, side-dress (sprinkle granules about 18" from the plant on one side) with an additional 2 tablespoons per plant.

Charley's Veggies

Beans and Peas
Snap beans, lima beans, black-eye peas and purple hull peas, neither of which are peas but actually belong in the bean family, rank second only to tomatoes in garden popularity. Beans and peas do best in hot summer weather. For a prolonged harvest, successive plantings are recommended with a fall planting scheduled at least 75 days before the average last frost date. Harvest when the pods are firm and crisp, but before the seeds in the pods develop significantly, and pick when the plants are thoroughly dry.

Plant seeds about 1" deep and 2-3" apart in rows 18-24" apart when night temperatures are consistently above 65 degrees F. Do not water after planting and water sparingly after sprouting. Fertilize with a nitrogen fertilizer worked into the soil before planting at a rate of 4 tablespoons per 10 feet of row.


Charley's Veggies