FAQ

76
DR. EARTH® GARDENING GUIDE DR. EARTH® GARDENING GUIDE
Plants that produce fruits require plenty of sun. Allow at least
six hours daily for tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, peppers,
beans, corn, eggplant, summer squash and cabbage. In
general, the bigger the fruit, the more sunlight it must have.
On the other hand, many vegetables and herbs do well in
shaded areas, needing only about four hours of sun per day.
Try carrots, beets, chard, cauliflower, chives, lettuce, chicories,
radicchio, arugula, basil, mint, parsley, spinach or winter
squash in these shadier areas. For leafy green vegetables,
less sunlight is fine.
Your garden is likely to have small yet important microclimates. Shadows can
cause a cold pocket, and a hard surface facing the sun can reflect too much heat.
These areas will not only change daily but also with the seasons. Summer might
be too hot for lettuce but great for tomatoes. Anticipate these changes when
you decide where to grow your garden.
You may have at least four dierent microclimates around your home:
1. A hot side facing south
2. A shadowed, cool side on the north
3. A warm western side with afternoon sun
4. An ever-changing eastern side that may be warm or cool depending
on trees, high fencing or the time of year
Carefully observe heat and light to know where to create your garden. Position
your raised beds, rows or plots to run north and south so plants will receive more
sunlight in winter and not shade each other. In winter, keep tall trellised plants
against the north wall and the shorter plants to the south. In the summer, do the
opposite. These are the basics of microclimates.
To succeed at gardening, you must understand your natural
surroundings. Learn the usual dates of the first hard frost and the
springtime thaw in your area. What you can plant and harvest depends
on when your specific planting and growing season begins and ends
and how long it lasts. Also, you must know where the sun rises and sets
in relation to your planting beds. For example, you need to know how
many hours of direct sunlight your plants can receive and where the
shadows, if any, fall in the afternoon.
Next, you must attune yourself to the annual and seasonal weather
patterns in your area. Gardeners love a comprehensive weather report
(rain, wind, high and low pressure and temperature extremes) because
it helps them plan their activities. Note when seeds germinate and when
insects (and which ones) begin to appear. Invest in good quality soil and
air thermometers to give yourself an edge in living with the elements.
We all dream about the things we would like to have, including healthy and beautiful gardens. Growing
a bountiful organic vegetable garden that nourishes a healthy lifestyle, or a gorgeous ower garden that
nourishes the soul; are goals almost anyone can reach with some basic education in what is required.
Healthy and beautiful gardens
Know your own local environment
Sun and Shade – a dening factor
Microclimates
the pure and natural way!
TIPS, BASICS
& ALL AROUND
INFORMATION
Your geographic climate zone will determine
which plants can thrive in your garden. The USDA
publishes the most commonly used hardiness
zone map, which divides the continental U.S.
into 11 zones derived from the average annual
minimum temperatures. You can find a copy of
this map online, at a local library or university, or
in gardening books.
Another good zone map comes from the editors
of Sunset Magazine. They divided the United
States and southern Canada into 45 climate
zones, considering many variables such as area
temperature extremes, humidity, rainfall, local
topography, elevation, and even proximity to
large bodies of water.
You can also just visit your neighborhood nursery.
Nurseries want to offer plants that will thrive for
their customers, not those that might fail. Your
success is also their success, so they are unlikely to
even carry plants that won’t do well in your zone.
1
THE KEY TO
SUCCESS
Plant Zones – What To Grow Where
2
3
4
The key to a healthy garden lies in the soil. The more you
can do to keep your soil healthy, the more productive your
garden will be and the higher the quality of your crops.
AVERAGE ANNUAL EXTREME
MINIMUM TEMPERATURE
1976-2005
Zone
1a
1b
2a
2b
3a
3b
4a
4b
5a
5b
6a
6b
7a
7b
8a
8b
9a
9b
10a
10b
11a
11b
12a
12b
13a
13b
Temp (F)
-60 to -55
-55 to -50
-50 to -45
-45 to -40
-40 to -35
-35 to -30
-30 to -25
-25 to -20
-20 to -15
-15 to -10
-10 to -5
-5 to 0
0 to 5
5 to 10
10 to 15
15 to 20
20 to 25
25 to 30
30 to 35
35 to 40
40 to 45
45 to 50
50 to 55
55 to 60
60 to 65
65 to 70
Temp (C)
-51.1 to -48.3
-48.3 to -45.6
-45.6 to -42.8
-42.8 to -40
-40 to -37.2
-37.2 to -34.4
-34.4 to -31.7
-31.7 to -28.9
-28.9 to -26.1
-26.1 to -23.3
-23.3 to -20.6
-20.6 to -17.8
-17.8 to -15
-15 to -12.2
-12.2 to -9.4
-9.4 to -6.7
-6.7 to -3.9
-3.9 to -1.1
-1.1 to 1.7
1.7 to 4.4
4.4 to 7.2
7.2 to 10
10 to 12.8
12.8 to 15.6
15.6 to 18.3
18.3 to 21.1
9 GARDEN BASICS
GETTING STARTED