How to Make the Best of a Vegetable Garden
A vegetable garden can be a big investment, whether growing plants from seed or purchasing seedlings to drop in the soil. With the potential expense involved up front, it's understandable that both novice gardeners and seasoned pros would want to make the best of their vegetable gardens. With advanced planning, well-amended soil, and careful attention, a vegetable garden can produce for you all season.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
Things You'll Need
- Soil Peat moss Manure Seed packets or seedlings Water Hoe Shovel Gardening gloves
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1
Plan in advance. Make a list of which vegetables you want to try growing. Sketch out a diagram for your garden based on which plants need the most sun or the most air circulation. To start, you may want to choose vegetables that are all planted at the same time so there isn't as much for you to keep track of.
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2
Start small. Choose a handful of plants in which you're interested. Don't try to grow every vegetable you love, no matter how tempting the photo on the seed packet. Giving much attention to a few vegetables will ensure they are stronger specimens and will give you confidence in your gardening skills.
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3
Create rich soil. This might be the most important tip, as most gardeners will affirm that a vegetable is only worth the dirt it's grown in. Try building a raised bed to fill with freshly amended soil. Healthy vegetables start in good soil, and a strong veggie is usually enough to ward off many common pests. Read up on which plants like which kinds of soil and fertilizers (different combinations of phosphorous, nitrogen, and potassium). A common basic mixture is soil + peat moss + manure (store-bought or treated). Although it's more expensive, you can also use a purchased, pre-fertilized soil such as MiracleGro.
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4
Control as many outside factors as possible. Too many weeds compete with vegetables for sun, soil nutrients and water. Too much moisture, especially on leaves resting near the ground, can be enough to begin an infestation of disease in some plants. Pests typically only attack weak, diseased or broken vegetables, but keep a close eye on them. Pick them off by hand if you have to. There are also natural predators, called beneficial insects, that you can attract to your garden to prey on the pests if you find you just can't keep them away. The Grinning Planet Web site has several charts demonstrating which plants will help attract which beneficial insects: http://www.grinningplanet.com/2005/04-26/beneficial-insect-natural-pest-control-article.htm.
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5
Review what worked and what didn't. Take notes for next year. If your squash never took off, either visit a local farmer's market for advice from the "masters," or try a different vegetable from a different family, such as broccoli, the next year. What problems were the most daunting? Bugs? Deer/rabbits? Moisture? The neighbor kid? Decide what you can do about the issues you encountered and then plan, plan, plan all over again.
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Tips & Warnings
Use as few chemicals as possible -- remember, these foods are going in your family's bodies.
