Saturday, March 26, 2022
If you want an earlier harvest of summer these summer veggies, now is the time to start corn, eggplant, peppers and tomatoes indoors. Summer lovers require soil temperatures of upper 60's to germinate. You will transplant after all danger of frost has passed and the garden/pot soil has warmed. Summer lovers do not appreciate cold feet!
You can sow corn, eggplant, pepper and tomato seeds indoors now to transplant outside in mid-April, beginning of May in our Zone 7 garden. All can be grown in the garden bed or in a pot. If sowing seeds outdoors, they should be sown about 2 weeks before your last frost date., giving the soil time to warm up. Starting summer vegetable seeds outdoors too early in cold soil will result in the seeds rotting in the ground.
Seed packets will give indoor and outdoor starting times and planting instructions for that specific variety. Some varieties are developed to be able to start earlier or later in the season to extend the harvest.
Corn
Corn is a large seed that is planted 1-2" deep so I would start it in a 3" peat pot. Seeds emerge in 7-14 days. Transplant after all danger of frost has passed in fertile soil, pH 6-7. Corn is wind pollinated so plant several together 8-12" apart. Fertilize when transplanted, when 8" tall and again when plants are 18" tall. Days to harvest is 70-120 depending on the variety. Worms are the biggest pest issue.
The one drawback of corn is you typically only get 2 ears per plant so plan accordingly. There are even varieties that can be grown in pots these days, too.
Eggplant
There are so many varieties of eggplant you can purchase seeds for these days. My favorites are Turkish Orange, any white variety and AO Daimaru. All stay sweet without getting tough skins in our hot and humid summers. You can now also buy different varieties at the big box stores and local nurseries. The sky is the limit on seed varieties! I love Baker Creek Heirloom for so many unique eggplants.
I have found eggplant seed doesn't always germinate great for me. Soak the seeds for 24 hours in warm water before planting to help germination rates. Eggplants are true heat lovers so I do recommend using a heat mat under them. Sow eggplant seeds 1/4" deep. Seedlings should emerge in 5-17 days.
Eggplants do best in fertile well-drained soil. Add fertilizer to planting hole when transplanting into the garden or pot after all danger of frost has passed and nighttime temperatures are in the 50's. I grow all my eggplant in pots but they do just fine in the garden bed. Plant 2' apart in the garden bed or a single plant in a 18-24" pot.
Days to harvest is 45-90, depending on variety. The only pest issue I see with eggplant are flea beetles. They are more of a nuisance, but if they are eating all your foliage, insecticidal soap works well.
Peppers
Peppers are from the mountains of Mexico so they are more hardy in cooler temperatures than eggplants from India. Sow seeds 1/4" deep. Seedlings emerge in 8-25 days, depending on variety. Peppers grow best in composted well drained soils with a pH of 5.5-6.8. Extra calcium and phosphorous will boost yields.
Transplant after all danger of frost has passed and soil has warmed. This is the end of April, beginning of May in our Zone 7 garden. Mix fertilizer into soil with a side dressing of compost when transplanting. Fertilize again when plant begins to flower. I grow all my peppers in pots. They seem to grow better in pots but do fine in the garden bed, too. I have had no pest issues with peppers. Days to harvest are 53-100 days. Most are ready in June, right before tomatoes.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are Americans favorite vegetable to grow. There is just no comparison between a store bought and fresh off the vine tomato. There are an endless variety of tomatoes you can buy seed for. The first consideration is what you use your tomatoes for. If you like small ones for salads, go for cherry or grape varieties. If you like the slicers for burgers and sandwiches, look for beefsteak types. If you enjoy making sauces and soups, paste tomatoes are the ticket. Then there are storage types that will keep for months indoors.
Tomato seeds are planted 1/4" deep. Seedlings emerge in 6-14 days. Tomatoes grow best in fertile, well drained soil. Transplant seedlings after all danger of frost has passed 4' apart. When you transplant, mix fertilizer and a handful of bone meal into each hole. Fertilize with a liquid fertilizer very couple of weeks or slow release once a month. I transplant into the garden and pots at the end of April, beginning of May.
Tomatoes are susceptible to fungal disease so good spacing between plants and using supports are important to keep disease down. Never plant in same spot or pot back to back. Optimum is rotating so that they are planted back in the same spot every 4 years. Usually, I only have an occasional hornworm snacking on my tomatoes. Last year, I have lots of hornworms and even fruit worms. BT works well on worms.
I grow my tomatoes in pots and in the garden. When growing dwarf varieties, the plant will be smaller and so will the harvest. You get the biggest harvest with traditional tomato plants in the garden bed. Next best thing is a very large, self-watering pot for traditional plants.
My go to every year are Cherokee Purple for slicers, a dwarf cherry in a pot, and Red Pear paste tomato for making sauces and canning.
For all transplants, be sure to harden off before putting into the garden.
I looked back at my gardening notes to see when my garden was the most productive. Those years, I added mycorrhizal, biochar and worm castings to each planting hole when I transplanted out my new starts. I am going to try that again this year. Using a combination of fertilizers can be beneficial. A liquid kelp is a good add after your seedlings have 3 sets of leaves. I like to do kelp and fish emulsion when the plants really get going in the garden as well.
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