The Fayetteville Pavilion Home Depot store was pleased to hold a recent class on Vegetable Gardening in Fayette County. Master Gardeners George Patton and Ed Pyron shared their knowledge and expertise in growing vegetables with the large group of interested persons who attended. Some of the excellent tips included:

Start small gardening is hard work. You want to get joy from your garden so begin small and add to the space as you gain experience.

Have your soil tested. Take samples of soil from ten locations in the garden area and mix them together. Take the sample to the County Extension Service with information on what you will be planting in the areas. The cost of the test is $5.00 Cash. Within ten days you will receive the results from the University of Georgia, College of Agriculture with results showing results which include the recommendations for adding minerals to the soil in order to accomplish the results you desire. The vegetable garden test will also list recommendations for each type of vegetable you may wish to grow.

Prepare the soil by also tilling in fertilizers, line and compost. Till the soil down eight to ten inches. Wait to plant the garden after the last freeze in April. If you are interested in a crop of cold weather vegetables, you can plant those items in February and March. These would include cabbage, broccoli, peas, lettuce, potatoes. All purpose 10-10-10 fertilizer can be used. The first number signifies nitrogen which causes green and growth - the top part of the plant will respond. The second number is phosphorus - this effects the lower part of the plant - the phosphorus feeds the entire plant. The third number is potassium which effects the root growth. Once the plants are established a product which is water soluble can be used during the growing season. The fertilizers can even be used to wet the leaves.

If someone is interested in starting tomato plants early, a Wall of Water can be used to start the transplants outside. This provides an enclosure around the young plants.

After planting, use water and fertilizers to feed the young plants. Dr. patton told about his friend Lester Bray who has raised vegetables over many years. "A plant has no teeth, stated Patton, the only thing they can do is drink and get food through their roots." To begin the process Dr. Patton recommended using large 5 gallon bucket to mix one cup of 5-10-15 or -6-12-12 fertilizers with a bucket of water. After diluting, add one to two cups of the mix around the stem of each of the plants.

Most vegetables need one to two inches of water each week. Water needs to be applied directly to the ground - soaker hoses are one of the best ways to apply the water. When sprinklers are used the water hits the soil and bounces up onto the plant - when water is applied in this manner the plants are prone to getting disease from the soil. A battery timer can be used to set the water to come on. Patton stressed that during periods of intense heat and drought if a plant looks wilted in late afternoon - check it again in the early morning to see if it is still wilted. If so, then it would be okay to water. Also, it is critical to water deeply in order to get the roots to grow deeply. Watering shallow is really bad for plants because the roots will grow shallow.

Using mulch will help to keep weeds down and will also help hold in moisture. Grass clippings can be placed around plants or products such as Natures Helper or a leaf compost also works well as a mulch. Make sure however, if using mulch from your own compost pile that the materials are well decomposed.

It is important to watch for pests in your garden area. However, don't just spray without identifying the pests to make sure that they are not beneficial bugs which you don't want to harm. Dr. Patton suggested bringing a leaf or a dead bug to Home Depot or to other nurseries to identify the pest or disease. You need to be careful not to kill bees or butterflies or other bugs which are beneficial to your garden.