Search:

Vegetable Gardens

Home gardeners know the many benefits of growing their own fresh produce. It's not only fun and easy, but the pride you'll feel when serving and eating your own vegetables is definitely worth the effort. You'll know whether herbicides or pesticides have been used. Best of all, it costs just a fraction of what you'd pay to shop for produce at a local market.

Vegetable gardening is becoming as popular as shopping at the local market. Backyard vegetable gardens can produce a bounty of crops that are far cheaper than buying at the store, and the produce usually tastes much better. If you've ever grown flowers or herbs, then you will be able to plant and pick healthy vegetables that have been grown with the same degree of care and effort.

In planting a successful vegetable garden, the first step is finding the right space. You'll need to decide how big you want your garden to be, and then choose the best spot on your property. Look for an area that has rich, deep soil, proper air circulation and good drainage. Choose a spot that has maximum exposure to the sun, and shelter wherever possible. Remember, you're not the only one who will want to harvest the tasty treats in your garden; there are also all kinds of animals hungry for a taste. Even if you have a rooftop garden, you need to protect your plants from wildlife. Surround your garden with a fence or set traps for small animals.

Before planting, you need to be sure that the soil is properly prepared. Soil preparation for vegetable gardens includes careful cultivation and the application of organic materials. The soil must be tilled, turned or plowed to help control weeds and mix mulch into the soil. If you have a small garden, spading will certainly do the trick. Mulching is another vital step in soil preparation. In order to thrive, plants need to grow in soil that has been enriched with nitrogen, minerals and other nutrients plants found in organic material. The most popular and beneficial type of mulch you can use is compost. Simple sheep manure is another cost-effective application that will do wonders for your plants.

The type of fertilizer and application depends on the types of plants you'll be growing. Leafy plants like lettuce, cabbage and spinach usually grow best with more nitrogen. Root crops like carrots, beets, turnips and even potatoes with thrive with more potash. Beans and tomatoes require less fertilizer, while celery, onions and potatoes need a larger amount.

The overall success of your garden will also depend on the arrangement of the plants. No one vegetable is guaranteed to thrive in every type of garden, so it's best to plant several different varieties. It's best to arrange your vegetable garden by the amount of space required by the plants. For example, lettuce, spinach, beets and radishes are all compact plants that can easily share a single bed. Varieties such as corn, potatoes, pumpkins and squash need room to spread and thrive. Tall plants like corn and tomatoes should be planted at the back of the garden, providing shelter and allowing sunlight to reach the smaller plants.

Once your preparations are complete, the time and weather must be just right before you can begin planting. Lettuce and peas can be successfully seeded in the cool springtime soil. On the other hand, most tender plants can be killed by frost, so be sure the danger of frost has passed before you plant young tomatoes, peppers and other vegetables. You can always get an early start by planting seeds on a windowsill or hotbed, then transplanting the seedlings when the weather permits.

Once your vegetables have been planted, be sure to water them regularly. All vegetables have individual watering needs, but on average most will need the equivalent of about an inch of water per week.

Weeds can present a real problem in vegetable gardens, and must be dealt with promptly and properly. More than just eyesores, weeds can actually rob your vegetables of precious light, water and soil nutrients. They can also attract insects and disease to your garden. It's not necessary to use herbicides to control weeds. Simply pulling weeds as soon as they emerge will prevent them from spreading. Choosing varieties of seeds that produce disease-resistant plants is another viable option.

It can be a lot of work to grow your own vegetables, but your effort will be worth every penny you saved and every delicious bite of produce that you grew yourself.

Article Source: http://www.inpop.net

Contributor Phillip Blunzon contributes to a variety of popular Internet sites, on home garden ideas and family activity subjects.

Share and Enjoy:

del.icio.us reddit newsvine myweb furl blinklist

netvouz simpy ma.gnolia connotea technorati