Backyard Gardening in Central Virginia

Spring has arrived here in central Virginia. Spring is a time when the minds of middle aged men turn to thoughts of...gardening! Wait a minute; didn't I used to think of something else now? Ok, maybe that was long ago and went on all year long but, at this point in my life, a vibrant garden is a good use of my energy and can be very satisfying.

I am located in Chesterfield County, Virginia along the US 360/Hull Street Road corridor. I am right on the line between growing zones 7A and 7B, it seems to depend on which source I check as to whether the line runs just to the north, of my place, or just too the south. The majority of The Commonwealth of Virginia is either zones 7 or 8 but there are isolated patches, particularly in the mountains, which encompass other zones. Right here we have a wide variety of gardening options open to us.

One of my personal favorites, for my central Virginia garden, is the tomato. Whether you want to use them to make sauces, paste, slice for burgers, shop up for salads, or use in a recipe, fresh, homegrown tomatoes can't be beat. Nothing says summer better to me than a thick sliced, toasted bread, tomato sandwich.

In Chesterfield you must think three things when planting your tomatoes and anything else; time of the year for planting, available sunlight, and type of tomatoes to plant. Good planning is essential to a good harvest of any garden and tomatoes are no different. The old Army maxim of the five "P's" holds true here, "Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance."

Inevitably, I jump the gun every year and try starting tomatoes too early. That is to say, along about March I plant a few plants and try to cover them up for freezes. In the past, some of these plants have produced tremendous vines but no fruit. The ground must be warm for good tomato planting. The Old Farmers Almanac places the date of last frost, in the Richmond area, at April the 6^th. For the bulk of my tomato planting, I allow another two weeks from this date. This gives the soil time to warm up. However, container planted tomatoes can be started right at the date of last frost.

Tomatoes are a definite sun lover. They do best basking in the warm summer sun and the hotter it gets, the better tomatoes love it around here in Virginia. Pick your tomato plot accordingly and ensure the soil is well drained. Tomatoes are a water intensive crop but they will not grow in marshy ground.

I have had good success with "Early Girl," "Better Boy," "Big Boy," and "Beef Master" (an extra large variety). My 4 year old step son also gobbles all the "Sweet 100" (cherry tomatoes) and "grape" tomatoes I can grow. Fortunately, the "Sweet 100's" are a very heavy producer.

Sweet peppers are my next favorite thing to grow here in Chesterfield. Much like tomatoes they like full sun and warm soil. Around these parts, don't even think of planting sweet peppers before the first of May.

I have had good success with the "Bell Boy" and "California Wonder" varieties. This year I am trying out "Camelot 3XR's." So far they look like the best pepper plants I have ever planted and they have only been in my garden three weeks.

Corn is a traditional Old Dominion home garden crop. Here in central Virginia "Silver Queen" reigns supreme! Sure I can get others to grow but "Silver Queen" does so well here. This year I am also trying "Peaches and Cream" but I do not yet know how it will do.

While I was growing up, about five miles west of where I now live, my father planted only "Silver Queen" and "Seneca." We always had a bumper crop. My mother would can corn and we would eat on it all year long.

Corn is also a sun lover and needs well drained soil. Corn may be planted at the date of last frost but keep in mind that you need a lot of corn plants in order to produce enough corn for a meal. If your garden does not have a large area, you may want to leave corn out in favor of a more productive crop.

If you have poor shady soil, which I have in abundance, you may wish to consider Swiss Chard. I have planted a patch of the "Rainbow" variety and it is taking over a little used bed with lousy soil and which is mostly shaded.

Other favorites of mine include cucumbers, squash, "Buttercrunch" lettuce, "Iceberg" lettuce, "Red Sail" lettuce, several varieties of onions, lots of carrots, and "Muskmelon" cantaloupes. Onions and carrots are both good companion crops for tomatoes while the lettuces grow well in and around my strawberry patch.

Now where to shop for plants, seeds, fertilizers and garden implements.

Along the 360/Hull Street Road corridor in Chesterfield my first choice is Hudgins Landscape and Nursery. Located at 17311 Hull Street Road, at the intersection of Hull Street Rd. and Baldwin Creek Road this down to earth and exceedingly friendly nursery has been in business for a long time. Do not confuse it with the nearby "Hudgins Garden Center" store and nursery which is a different operation and has, as of spring 2010, apparently gone out of business. Hudgins has a large variety of ornamentals, herbs, and vegetables every year and their pricing is quite competitive. Their staff is quite knowledgeable and always helpful. Hudgins does not have a website which I can find but be careful, the old website for the now defunct "Hudgins Garden Center" store is still up. It is just a year out of date.

A few miles to the west, at 20800 Hull Street Road, is the Chesterfield Berry Farm Market. The Berry Farm is actually located a few miles away from their market building and is primarily a strawberry/pumpkin farm which is open to the public. It is a great place to take the kids for a Saturday out of the house. The Market has produce and plants for sale. They are generally competitive in pricing and I have found their fruit and vegetable plants to very hardy with good success rates.

Closer in toward Richmond are three of the big box standbys, Lowes, Home Depot, and the now ubiquitous Wal-Mart.

Lowes of West Chesterfield is located at the intersection of Winterpock Road and Hull Street and tends to have a large selection of plants, fertilizers, garden implements and other related supplies. Their staff is not as well tuned with information but they do tend to have things you cannot find elsewhere and at reasonable prices.

Directly across Winterpock, also along Hull Street Road, is one of two Wal-Marts in this area. The other is located in Chattanooga Plaza at Hull Street and Warboro Roads. Wal-Mart boasts virtually no knowledge among their staff, with a few amazing exceptions, and a limited selection. The big plus with Wal-Mart is their pricing. If they have plants, fertilizers or tools which you are seeking, they will almost always have the lowest price. Their selection varies from year to year.

The Home Depot, also in the Chattanooga Plaza, almost always has a great selection and good prices. Again, I have found few of their staff to be all that "garden informed" but this is definitely a good place to look for plants and seeds.

For most of my information I turn to other sources. Two books which I have found extremely helpful in this area are; "Guide to Virginia Vegetable Gardening" by Walter Reeves and Felder Rushing and the Miracle Gro, "Complete Guide to Vegetables and Herbs." Each of these gives a wealth of information and the first one is region specific. Both are available from Amazon.com.

The website, "Dave's Garden" is also of tremendous help. This website allows gardeners to share a tremendous amount of information and to trade plants, seeds, and cuttings. I have completed several trades on here.

Hopefully this information will help you to get your Virginia garden growing. Good luck and happy gardening.