Fresh leaf lettuce, shallots, onions, spinach, asparagus and herbs—these are the things we’re harvesting in May despite the dismal weather we had during April. The growing season is young and there’s plenty of time to get seeds or plants ready for your own harvest.

From Left: Carrot Thumbelina, Swiss Chard Bright Lights and Cucumber Diva.
Photos Courtesy of All-America Selections

Location: Choose a spot with at least 6 hours (preferably 8-10 hours) of full summer sun per day in an area away from tree and shrub roots. Vegetables and herbs ideally would be near the kitchen door and near a hose. Our vegetable garden is a whopping 150 feet from the house because that’s where there’s full sun and good soil. Closer to the house (and the kitchen) we grow herbs and leafy greens, which makes the harvest a snap. Vegetables need 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week. Buy a rain gauge to monitor water needs.

Soil: When starting a new garden, especially in an urban setting, a soil test gets plants off to a good start. Buy an easy-to-use soil test kit at the local garden center or online or send a soil sample to a laboratory.  The soil should have good tilth—loose and crumbly and rich with organic matter. It should be fertile and well-drained. Improve your soil by adding organic matter (compost, composted manure, chopped up leaves, weed-free straw) and work it into the top 3-4 inches of soil before planting. In pots, use half soil-less potting mix and half compost, which increases the fertility and water-holding capacity of the mix.

Succession planting: Successive sowings or plantings through late spring and summer will provide a fresh supply of vegetables. Do small plantings of leaf lettuce and radishes 7-10 days apart in spring and then again in late summer. These are cool-season plants and don’t grow well in the summer. Onion sets (the small bags available in spring) can be planted every 2 weeks for green onions (scallions). Replace the cool-season veggies with warm-season plants. Beans, basil and cilantro can be planted every two weeks to prolong the harvest.

Intercropping: This allows you to plant intensely in a small space. For example, radishes and carrots can be planted together. The radishes are fast-growing and are ready before the carrots and this makes the most use of the space. Green onions, spinach and lettuce can be planted between rows where tomatoes, peppers, cabbage and corn grow.

Learn more about soil preparation, the three phases of vegetable gardening and much more when Chicagoland Gardening writer Nina Koziol presents The American Kitchen Garden at the Chicago Botanic Garden on Saturday, May 14 from  1 p.m. to  3 p.m. For more information call 847-835-0972. 

— Nina A. Koziol 

www.thisgardencooks.com