What You Need to Start a Vegetable Garden

Vegetable gardening is a satisfying hobby.

Growing a vegetable garden is a simple, straight-forward process. Vegetables need fertile well-drained soil, sun, water, and a bit of fertilizer. Gardeners new to vegetable growing should start small, and grow hybrid, disease-resistant varieties.

Types

A vegetable garden may be a large family plot or a small patch. Vegetables can even be grown in containers on the patio or in hanging baskets.

Considerations

To thrive, vegetables need fertile soil, water, and plenty of sunlight. Before starting a garden, 2 to 4 inches of organic material, such as decomposed compost or manure, should be spread on the garden. This practice improves soil texture and fertility. Some plants, such as lettuce, carrots, corn and beans, are grown from seed planted directly in the ground. Slow-growing vegetables, such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplant are grown from transplanted plants. Both can be purchased at nurseries and garden centers. A few tools, such as a hoe, shovel, and trowel, simplify planting and weeding chores.

Time Frame

Cool-season crops, including lettuce, spinach, peas, and carrots, are sown in the garden in early spring and are harvested by mid-summer. Warm-season crops, such as tomatoes, peppers, corn, and beans are sown or planted after the last frost. Depending on the variety, these crops are harvested from late summer to the first hard frost. Gardeners in cold climates should plant fast-maturing crops.

References

• Cornell University Home Gardening: Vegetable Growing Basics
• North Carolina State University: Home Vegetable Gardening