Vegetable Gardening
by Jenna Marshall
With the price of everything exploding these days, vegetable gardening may prove to be a rewarding and potentially money-saving hobby. With food prices up 12% since 2007, stretching your food budget with vegetable gardening just makes sense. Not only will you be able to save money, your fruits and veggies will taste better. It is also a great way to teach your children about gardening and where your food comes from. Growing your own food can be extremely warding with a little careful planning and preparation.
PLANNING 1) Choose your location.Vegetable gardens need full sun, so choose a location that gets at least 6 hours of direct sunlight. Be sure that the area is level and is not prone to standing water. Steer clear of any low spots and rain runoff areas. Good drainage is necessary. You may also want to be sure that your location is near a watering source. This will prevent you from having to drag hoses and containers later. 2) Decide what to plant.Decide what vegetables you want to grow. If you are a beginner, start small, but pick vegetables that you love to eat. Do a little research on each and find out what their requirements are, and determine if you have enough room to fit them in, what kind of supports they will need, and so on. 3) Decide on a layout.When planning your vegetable garden, you will need to decide on your layout before you plant. The type of layout will depend on the size of your location, drainage and your personal preferences. Here are a few of the most common layouts for vegetable gardens. Rows These are simple, straight lines of vegetables. Easy enough. They are easy to tend since there is room to walk between the plants. Planting in rows also allows air to circulate well. This helps prevent fungal diseases from forming. However, this is a less-efficient use of space in the garden. Beds Beds are square or rectangular plots, either raised or ground level. These are good for smaller gardens. This is a much more efficient use of space, though it can be a little awkward to tend. You may have to step between plants to tend if your bed is too large. To make it easier on you, try not to make your beds any wider than you can comfortably reach. Another downside with beds is that air doesn't circulate as well as with rows. On the plus side, gardening in beds tend to produce higher yields since you can have more intensive plantings. Containers Growing fruits and vegetables in containers is another option. They are extremely versatile, and are limited only to your ability to find a sunny spot. Some easy to grow options for containers would be strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, herbs, lettuce, and broccoli. Just be sure that you plan for adequate support for heavy-bearing plants.
The soil is the base and foundation of your garden. If your soil isn't good, then your plants will suffer. The pH for Work plenty of good compost into the soil, at least 6-8 inches deep.
Review the guidelines for soil preparation here.
For vegetables, a general vegetable fertilizer will work fine. Preferrably an organic one like compost tea or a fish emulsion.
After your soil is prepared, you are ready to plant! By now you have done your research on what your plants need, so be sure to have your supports ready. Your plants will grow faster than you think. For beginners, you may want to start with plants rather than seeds. Plant your vegetables according to recommendations for the individual plants. Take the spacing recommendations seriously. A common mistake rookie gardeners make is trying to fit too many plants in to a small area, which only leads to unhealthy, weaker plants. Once your plants are in, water them well around the base, avoiding any foliage. If you are a little more advanced, you can start your garden from seed. Either indoors or out, this is a good way to get the best value in your garden. Visit our seed starting page for a how-to guide on getting a jumpstart on the growing season. To sow directly in your garden, mark a straight line with string or a piece of lumber. Follow the line and make a little trench using the corner of a hoe. For larger seeds, you can just place them individually. For smaller seeds, carefully spread them lightly down the row. Small seeds can be a little tricky to spread evenly, so it may be helpful to pour them into a folded white sheet of paper. This makes them easier to see and disperse. For larger and smaller seeds, always be sure to plant extra. The strongest plants will be kept, and the rest will be thinned out. Once you have spread your seeds, cover them with soil, making sure there is good contact. This will help ensure proper moisture and nutrients will get to the seeds. Be sure to keep the soil moist. Each seed packet will have planting instructions and recommendations for planting depth. Follow these guidelines when planting. Some seeds only need to be sown on the surface, while others a couple of inches.
Once your plants are established, the hardest part is done. Now, with regular maintenance, you will have big rewards at harvest time. Here are a few things to remember to keep your garden thriving. Water your plants at the base instead of overhead whenever possible. Your plants will need about an inch of water per week, and more when they are bearing fruit. Mulching them will also help cut down on watering. Keep the weeds out. If you check your plants regularly, weeds shouldn't be a problem. Most weeds pull out easily in well-prepared soils. The key is to catch them when they are young. Remember, weeds compete with your plants for valuable nutrients and attract pests, so the sooner they are out, the better. Simple as that you can have a booming vegetable garden for your whole family to enjoy!
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