My wife and I will be starting our first vegetable garden this spring. We chose to start with corn and beans this year and (if things go well) plan on extending to a few other plants next year. In an effort to acquire knowledge about planting and caring for our veggies, I put together the following quick tips. I thought I might post them here for others to comment or suggest additional info. Happy gardening! ============================ Corn Notes ============================ Sweet corn requires warm soil for germination (above 55°F for standard sweet corn varieties and about 65°F for supersweet varieties). Plant the kernels (seeds) 1/2 inch deep in cool, moist soils and 1 to 1 1/2 inches deep in warm, dry soils. Space the kernels 9 to 12 inches apart in the row. Plant two or more rows of each variety side by side to ensure good pollination and ear development. Allow 30 to 36 inches between rows. All sweet corns should be protected from possible cross-pollination by other types of corn. Cultivate shallowly to control weeds. Chemical herbicides are not recommended for home gardens. Although corn is a warm-weather crop, lack of water at critical periods can seriously reduce quality and yield. If rainfall is deficient, irrigate thoroughly during emergence of the tassels, silking and maturation of the ears. Hot, droughty conditions during pollination result in missing kernels, small ears and poor development of the tips of the ears. Side-dress nitrogen fertilizer when the plants are 12 to 18 inches tall. Some sweet corn varieties produce more side shoots or "suckers" than others. Removing these side shoots is time consuming and does not improve yields. Each cornstalk should produce at least one large ear. Under good growing conditions (correct spacing; freedom from weeds, insects and disease; and adequate moisture and fertility), many varieties produce a second ear. This second ear is usually smaller and develops later than the first ear. Sweet corn ears should be picked during the "milk stage" when the kernels are fully formed but not fully mature. This stage occurs about 20 days after the appearance of the first silk strands. The kernels are smooth and plump and the juice in the kernel appears milky when punctured with a thumbnail. Sweet corn remains in the milk stage less than a week. As harvest time approaches, check frequently to make sure that the kernels do not become too mature and doughy. Other signs that indicate when the corn is ready for harvest are drying and browning of the silks, fullness of the tip kernels and firmness of the unhusked ears. To harvest, snap off the ears by hand with a quick, firm, downward push, twist and pull. The ears should be eaten, processed or refrigerated as soon as possible. At summer temperatures, the sugar in sweet corn quickly decreases and the starch increases. Cut or pull out the cornstalks immediately after harvest and put them in a compost pile. Cut the stalks in one foot lengths or shred them to hasten decay ============================ Bean Notes ============================ Most gardeners prefer growing two types of snap beans. 1.Climbing or pole beans. These varieties require a trellis, a teepee-style pole structure or nylon netting so the bean plant will grow upward. "These varieties are for more experienced gardeners," Ferretti says. "Pole beans let you use garden space more effectively, but it's a lot more work to grow them." 2.Bush Beans. "Weekend gardeners should choose these varieties," Ferretti says. "They're easy to handle, you can harvest them four or five times, and then you can pull them out and put in a late crop, such as cabbage, cauliflower, endive or sweet corn." Beans should not be planted before soil temperatures reach 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit during the day. Also, temperatures should not fall below 60 degrees at night. In most years, that means you'll be planting in mid- or late May Bean plants can be overtaken easily by weeds, so heavily mulch the garden, then clear a six-inch swath to sow the seeds. Plant seeds of all varieties one inch deep. Plant seeds of bush beans 2 to 4 inches apart in rows at least 18 to 24 inches apart. Plant seeds of pole beans 4 to 6 inches apart in rows 30 to 36 inches apart; or in hills (four to six seeds per hill) 30 inches apart, with 30 inches between rows. When the plants have started growing, remove less successful plants. Bean plants don't require much fertilization. Seeds of most varieties tend to crack and germinate poorly if the soil's moisture content is too high. For this reason, never soak bean seed before planting. Instead water just after planting or plant right before a heavy rain. Beans have shallow roots and frequent shallow cultivation and hoeing are necessary to control small weeds and grasses. Because bean plants have fairly weak root systems, deep, close cultivation injures the plant roots, delays harvest and reduces yields. Harvest when the pods are firm, crisp and fully elongated, but before the seed within the pod has developed significantly. Pick beans after the dew is off the plants, and they are thoroughly dry. Picking beans from wet plants can spread bean bacterial blight, a disease that seriously damages the plants. Be careful not to break the stems or branches, which are brittle on most bean varieties. The bean plant continues to form new flowers and produces more beans if pods are continually removed before the seeds mature. It is necessary to plant beans in a different area of the garden each year since beans are subject to diseases that may carry over in the soil to reinfect the following bean crop. Fresh pole beans and bush beans can be stored, unwashed in plastic bags in the vegetable crisper of the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Do not wash them before storing. Wet beans will develop black spots and decay quickly. Wash beans just before preparation.
As these tips are compilations of articles from around the web, I'd feel more comfortable if you could add references to the source material. Thanks.
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/veggies/ The above site has most of the information included above. Everything else is either from friends or family.