With the prices of fresh vegetables seeming to rise every season and their availability sometimes interrupted by weather conditions in other parts of the country, it may be time to learn how to plant a vegetable garden. The convenience of being able to head to the local grocery store or a nearby farmer's market to buy vegetables may have taken some of the need from knowing how to plant a vegetable garden, but for those who want the freshest taste possible at a price paid through sweat equity, having their own garden may be the answer.

It all starts with the dirt and if a person wants to learn how to plant a vegetable garden, they also need to understand it is going to require some physical labor. Granted, there are many types of power equipment that can take some of the strain off the muscles, but making the ground is plowed and tilled to about 12-inches is just the beginning of the process.

A plant can only grow as large as the root system is allowed to flourish and unless the ground is loosely compacted around the plant, it will be similar to having the plant in a container, which will stunt its growth. Additionally, in learning how to plant a vegetable garden, how to space the plants and position them to allow for the full benefits of nature is also important.

Making The Best Use Of Nature's Tools

One of the key requirements of most vegetable plants is an abundance of sunshine. In the northern hemisphere the sun's rays come from the south and knowing how to plant a vegetable garden with the rows running from north to south will help the plants grow. The new gardener will also have to know that taller plants at maturity should be in the northern end of the garden and the shorter ones on the south end so as not to block the sun in subsequent rows of plants.

While it would be nice to plug the plants into the ground and walk away for the approximate three months most take to reach maturity, that is not going to happen. There is much more to knowing how to plant a vegetable garden, including when to apply what types of fertilizers or organic material to insure proper growth. Many insects are actually beneficial to help plant pollination and spur growth and some are not. Knowing the difference and how to control to right ones is all part of learning how to plant a vegetable garden to insure a successful bounty.