How To Start A Vegetable Garden

How To Start A Vegetable Garden?

In these days when our economy is in shambles, with no hope in site of improving any time soon, we need to think of cutting our grocery bills, and at the same time to eat healthier and better.

Just think about having your own vegetable garden where you can pluck them out with your own hand, fresh and full of vitamins and minerals, there is nothing really, to compare or even come close to it. They taste better and they are much more nutritious than the produce that is shipped and travels long distance.

For convenience, you probably shop at the supermarket to buy your fruits and vegetables, but honestly, they just cannot compare with what you can grow and eat raw or cooked from your own garden.

If you never had the experience to make your garden yet, and all you have eaten was the produce from your local supermarket, or from the roadside fruit stand, than you are missing out and you owe it to yourself, to think very seriously to start your own garden, if you really want to eat fresh and healthy, and at the same time save some mullah. It is not really that hard, and it sure is not complicated at all. And once you have it, you'll be glad you did.

Just think of the benefits to be outdoors, in nature to enjoy the fresh air, and work in the tranquility of your little paradise. Not withstanding the free exercise you are getting in the process. That's good for your body, mind, and soul. Work with your family, have your children involved, they are going to love it.

And you want to do it right. So it is a good idea to make a little plan, and stick to it.
First, choose a good sunny spot, where you don't get too much shade or no shade at all if possible, and the plot should be free of rocks or debris. The vegetable plants take full sun. But it should be close enough to the house to be able to water with a hose hooked to a spigot, when you need to water if and when it's not raining.

Preparing the soil:

The preparation of the soil is very important, and your success will very much depend on how you prepare the site. If the soil is clay or sandy and lacks nutrients, it must be amended and enriched with composted material, like cow manure, organic fertilizer and minerals if needed. The darker the soil the better. for a garden to strive, the soil needs to have humus. To make it even cheaper for next season, collect the leaves and other vegetation, kitchen leftovers, and make your own compost. The soil will need nutrients to replace those used and depleted by the vegetables as they feed from the soil.

Now think of what vegetables would you like to grow, something you enjoy eating the most. So, buy the seeds for the vegetables you choose, and go from there. This list would be endless, but a few examples would be; tomatoes, bell peppers, hot peppers, squash, radish, cucumbers, lettuce, cabbage, carrots, spinach, onions (sets). Maybe a few herbs to spice up your cooking with, like, dill, parsley, oregano, basil, arugula, rosemary, cilantro, etc. It all depends on how much space you have, and how large a garden you want to have. Herb plants don't take too much room, and they are fun to grow. Just think of that nice aroma they so freely give, in exchange of just a little LTC. Loving Tender Care.

To have a good and early start with your garden, start your seeds indoors, and plant the transplants after the danger of late frost is past. It depends on where you live. One of the best methods would be to start the seeds in little peat pots, like the Jiffy-pots, so that when you plant the little plants outside you plant them with the Jiffy pot, thus not disturbing the tender roots of the transplants. If you prefer, you can plant the seeds directly in rows, according to the instructions on the seed packets.

Plant the plants according to their size, and group them together. The low growing ones, should be separate from the tall growing ones, as to not block the sun light from reaching evenly on all the plants.
Water well and keep the soil moist. Don't let the soil dry completely out between watering, nor keep it too soggy either.

Once they started to grow, you can water them good, and then leave them alone and give them a chance to drink and feed. Water again before the soil dries out completely.

Now it is time to sit back and relax on a bench, somewhere in the shade, or on your porch, and watch how the little seeds sprout out of the soil. It is very rewarding to see, as the hard part of gardening is pretty much over, except that now and then watch for them pesky weeds to pluck them out, and don't let them invade your little paradise. Wait patiently for the time when you take out of your garden, with your own hand, and enjoy those healthy, juicy vegetables. Eat them raw, in salads, or in cooking and enjoy the good old fashion living. It is good for you! And it is simply, wonderful.

A lot more information is coming periodically, through related Gardening Articles. So please, leave a comment and help me improve the quality of service I'm providing to you, my fellow gardeners, freely. Your following me on this blog, as well as linking to it, is highly appreciated.

Mike Borlovan