Spring has arrived, and it’s time to start working on summer vegetable gardens.
To have a successful garden, select a location where plants can receive seven to eight hours of sunlight, according to Bob Westerfield, a horticulturist with UGA’s Cooperative Extension. Make sure the soil is well amended and well drained. The plants will need to be watered regularly using a drip or soaker hose.
Westerfield also recommends visiting your garden frequently to check for disease, insects or water stress. His top vegetable picks are:
• Green beans, which can be planted in the early spring in cooler soils.
• Squash, which are easy to grow. Allow a lot of space between each plant.
•Tomato plants, which can be started indoors from seeds or bought from a local nursery. The plants will need to be staked.
• Sweet corn, which should be grown in rows to help with pollination. Corn requires a good deal of fertilizer and water.
• Eggplant, which is a unique vegetable, but be wary of flea beetles that tend to riddle the plants with holes, making them weak.
• Bell peppers, which grow best as transplants and can be harvested from summer to first frost.
• Cucumbers, which can be grown on a trellis or fence to keep them off the ground.
• Okra, which should b