It's easy and fun to grow your own vegetables, and there are many other benefits to being a home gardener. The initial cost of planting a garden is a fraction of what you'll pay for produce at the market. You always know whether or not pesticides have been used. The biggest payoff, however, is the pride you'll feel when you enjoy vegetables you've grown yourself.
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.
Proper soil preparation is necessary for a successful garden. A healthy vegetable garden must be carefully cultivated, and you should apply organic materials. Till, turn or plow the area to help control weeds and mix mulch into the soil. Spading a small garden is usually enough to do the trick. Mulching is also required. Plants will only thrive in soil that has been enriched with the nitrogen, minerals and other nutrients that are present in organic material. Compost is the most popular and beneficial type of mulch that you can use. Simple sheep manure is another inexpensive application that will do wonders for your plants.
The types of fertilizer and application that you choose depends on the types of plants you'll be growing. Nitrogen is required for leafy plants like lettuce, cabbage and spinach. Root crops like carrots, turnips, beets and potatoes do best when enriched with potash. Celery, onions and potatoes need larger amounts of fertilizer, while beans and tomatoes require less.
The arrangement of your garden is a big factor in the overall success. Depending on your specific garden conditions, you can't always guarantee that any one particular type of vegetable will thrive. For this reason, it's a great idea to plant several varieties. One popular method of arranging vegetable gardens is to plant varieties needing limited space in one area. Radishes, beets, lettuce and spinach grow on compact plants that can easily share a single bed. Other varieties, such as pumpkins, squash, corn and potatoes, need more elbow room. Tall plants, such as tomatoes and corn, should be planted at the back of the garden, providing shelter and sunlight for smaller plants.
After you've fully prepared your garden beds, you'll need to be sure that the weather is just right before you begin planting. Most tender plants, like peppers and tomatoes, can be killed by frost. However, peas, lettuce and other seeds will do quite well when sown in the cool springtime soil. If you'd like to get a head start on your garden before the danger of frost has passed, you can always start the plants on a windowsill or hotbed. Then, simply transplant the young plants when it's safe to do so.
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.
