How to Grow the perfect garden this spring

Growing a garden? Things to consider are growing location/ what grows best/ how big your garden should be - and how to care for my garden.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Picking a site for your garden is the first step. You don't need a large space to begin a vegetable garden. You do need three critical elements to grow good vegetables: Sunshine. Choose a spot that gets at least 6 hours per day. Good soil and Water. The closer your garden is to a source of water, the better. Wherever you decide to put your garden, start small.
2. A well cared for 10-x-10-foot garden will produce much more than a weed-infested 25-x-50-foot bed. A 10-x-10-foot space is a good size for a first garden. Allow at least 18 inches between rows or beds for easy access. place taller vegetables at the north side of the garden, like standard size tomatoes -- and plants that can be grown on vertical supports -- like snap peas, cucumbers, and pole beans.
3. Leave some areas of the garden unplanted at first. This allows you to plant a second crop to harvest later in the season. Lettuce, radishes, carrots, and bush beans are commonly planted several times during the season.
   Test the soil Before you begin digging up your garden. Most vegetables need loose, crumbly soil that drains water well but still holds moisture. Sandy and clay soils can be improved by adding organic matter such as peat moss or compost.
4. If your soil doesn't drain well, install raised beds. Raised beds can be simply areas of earth mounded 6 inches or more above the general soil level. If you choose to plant in the ground rather than in raised beds, you'll need to loosen or till the top 6 to 12 inches of soil. Avoid stepping on freshly tilled soil as much as possible. Otherwise, you'll be compacting the soil and undoing all your hard work.
   Smooth the surface with an iron rake and water thoroughly.
5. Before you begin planting, Allow the bed to "rest" for several days. Many vegetables can be started early indoors or purchased already started from a garden center. Some vegetables can be grown only by putting seeds into the garden soil. Carrots and beans are two vegetables that require "directed seeding." With direct seeding, you place the seeds at the recommended depth, water thoroughly, then wait for the plants to emerge.
6. Tomato Planting method: Transplant at last spring frost date, spacing 24-48 inches in rows; 1 caged plant per 4 square feet for intensive beds. Days to harvest: 50-85 - Yield per 5 feet of row: 8 pounds.
   The surest way to increase the yield from a vegetable garden is to reduce the space between plants. Vining crops such as peas and pole beans grow nicely on wire-covered A-frame structures. Support individual tomatoes or other tall plants by driving 8-foot stakes at least 12 inches into the ground.
7. Most vegetables like a steady supply of moisture, but not so much that they are standing in water. An inch of water per week is usually sufficient if Mother Nature fails to come through. Water when the top inch of soil is dry. For in-ground crops, that may mean watering once or twice a week; raised beds drain faster and may require watering every other day. Use a hoe or hand fork to lightly stir the top inch of soil regularly to discourage weed seedlings.

Tips & Warnings

• Collecting rainwater for your garden is a great idea.
• If a plant does fall prey to a disease, remove it promptly and throw it in the trash; don't add sick plants to your compost pile.