The latest from The Ticker blog

• Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries launches Android version of Hunt Fish VA app
• Thompson’s Knoll Groundbreaking Set for March 5
• Examining ads event Feb. 15
• More from The Ticker business blog

Editor's note: In Virginia, May 15-22 are the recommended planting dates for cucumbers, eggplant, lima beans, cantaloupe, peppers, pumpkins, squash, sweet potatoes and watermelon. The date was wrong in the print version of this story. It has been corrected in this online version.

1. Pick a good site. The perfect spot for a garden is flat, has good drainage, gets full sun and is convenient to water. Avoid sites that have been excavated (causing a loss of topsoil) or are right up against the house. It is best to remove the sod from your garden site with a shovel before tilling. Otherwise, the grass may try to make a comeback.

2. Cultivate the soil. Ideally, soil should be tested before planting to determine whether its acidity must be adjusted. Soil sample kits are available free at local libraries. The basic test, done at Virginia Tech, costs $7.

If you don't have a few weeks to wait for the results, be sure to at least take a soil sample before you start your garden. Then enrich the soil with lots of organic material such as manure or compost before planting. When the test result comes back, you can rake in pH adjustors such as lime between rows without hurting the plants.

3. Start with easy, hardy plants. The easiest plants to grow are those that do not produce fruit. That includes leafy greens such as lettuce, spinach or Swiss chard, and root vegetables such as radishes or carrots.

Don't start seeds indoors before St. Patrick's Day. In fact, unless you have grow lights, you are probably better off buying established seedlings from a good nursery.

These are the recommended planting dates for Southwest Virginia:

• March 20-April 1: broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, lettuce, onions, peas, radishes, spinach and turnips.
• April 1-24: beets, carrots, chard, parsnips and potatoes.
• May 8-15: snap beans, sweet corn and tomatoes
• May 15-22: cucumbers, eggplant, lima beans, cantaloupe, peppers, pumpkins, squash, sweet potatoes, watermelon.

4. Don't abandon your garden. Think of your plants as pets. Just as you wouldn't deprive the dog of water, food, regular grooming and medical treatment, you should not fail to provide your garden with water, fertilizer, consistent weeding and treatments for insect and disease infestation.

5. Don't expect instant perfection. It could take a good three years or more to establish a healthy, productive garden. So don't be discouraged if your first attempt isn't a big success.

In the fall, when you are ready to till your plants under, consider planting a cover crop (Barbara Leach, horticulture technician for the Roanoke office of the Virginia Cooperative Extension, recommends crimson clover) that can be tilled under the following February. Cover crops act as fertilizer when they are tilled under, and after a couple of years they can really enrich the soil.

6. Ask for help. For any gardening questions, the Virginia Cooperative Extension is an excellent resource. Some offices even have a help desk staffed by volunteer master gardeners.

Consult the phone book or their Web site at www.ext.vt.edu to find contact information for your local extension office. Answers to basic questions can be found on the site.

Sources: Va. Tech Department of Horticulture, Virginia Cooperative Extension, National Gardening Association.