By Wayne McLaurin
Georgia Extension Service
Volume XXVII
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For newcomers, gardening in Georgia can be challenging.
High humidity, fluctuating temperatures, heavy clay soils and
uncertain frost
dates complicate gardening in north Georgia.
South Georgia has many of the same problems. The high
humidity lasts longer,
though, and south Georgia has, for the most part, sandy soils
that require more
fertilizer and water than you’re used to providing.
Gardening zones
Georgia is split into two major gardening zones by the fall
line, which runs
from Columbus through Macon to Augusta. North of the fall
line, soils tend to
be predominately clay, while south of it they’re more sandy.
Some of the sandy
areas will have an underlying clay base, while others are deep
sands.
Still, Georgia gardeners grow great lawns, stunning flowers
and excellent vegetables.
Those who are patient, select the right plants and manipulate
the soil and microclimate
are amply rewarded.
More often than not, newcomers previously gardened where “you
stick a plant
in the ground and it grows.” Those from Northern states are
often puzzled why
certain plants that did well for them there do poorly here.
Many of Georgia’s major growth areas are on heavy, clay soil.
These soils have
poor aeration that limits root growth and plants’ ability to
replenish water
losses when rainfall is low and the temperature high. On this
soil, use organic
matter to help break up the heavy clay and hold more water.
Big state, big differences
Georgia is a big state — the largest east of the
Mississippi. Frost dates
vary widely. South Georgia’s growing season can be four months
longer than north
Georgia’s.
In extreme south Georgia, the last spring frost is around
March 5, while the
mountains may see frost as late as May 15. The first fall
frost can be in mid-October
in the mountains and Dec. 10 near the Florida line.
With this in mind, put your garden in the best place you can.
The best plot
is sunny, away from trees and close to water, with good air
circulation and
drainage.
Raised beds will help move air and reduce some of the
humidity-spawned diseases.
Low places are likely to get killing frosts much quicker than
places with good
air drainage.
Gardens where cold air is trapped may have earlier frost
kills than even nearby
gardens. So don’t put hedges, fences or walls downslope from
your garden, where
they can trap cold air and cause early cold injury.
Our long growing season brings problems. Insects. Diseases.
Weeds. But don’t
despair. You can cope with them as we have for 250-plus
years.
Don’t try to kill them all. You can’t. They’ll outsmart you.
But don’t just
do nothing, either, or they’ll take you over. Plant more and
share might seem
the solution. No, seriously, there are organic and inorganic
ways to deal with
pest problems.
Going against popular belief, weeds will likely be the worst
problem, diseases
second and insects the least of your worries.
But it isn’t all bad. There is a brighter side.
The brighter side
Georgia’s long growing season and abundant sunshine enable
gardeners to grow
some of the best vegetables and flowers anywhere.
Vegetables, with some care in selecting varieties, grow
luxuriantly in most
places. Without snow and numbing temperatures, Georgians can
grow something
almost year-round.
Fall and winter are prime gardening times for cool-season
crops. Cool nights
and warm days let gardeners grow excellent potatoes, cabbage,
lettuce, broccoli,
cauliflower and other cool-season vegetables.
And gardening information is close by. The University of
Georgia Extension
Service is on-line with the latest gardening information (www.ces.uga.edu
and click on “Publications”). County agents can answer
specific questions (look
in the blue pages under county government). And your neighbor
has been gardening
here a long time and likely knows most of the tricks.
Many great friendships have begun over the garden fence.
