How to Grow a Vegetable Garden

Growing a vegetable garden is not limited to expert gardeners. With a bit of planning you can set one up too.

Where to Plant a Vegetable Garden

Don’t plant your veggies in an area that is directly in the yard pathway. Instead choose the one that is close to the fence. The area must also get plenty of sunshine. If you’re going to plant a whole bunch, the garden should be within reach of the garden hose so you can water them with ease.

Readying the Soil

Use a rotary tiller to get the soil ready for planting. These tillers are available in many garden stores. Next, put some fertilizer on the soil. When growing a vegetable garden, you might need to use different fertilizers. But for now, the general all purpose type will be sufficient. Mix the fertilizers in the soil with a rake.

What Vegetables to Grow

This is a matter of personal preference of course. But onions, lemons and tomatoes are very easy to grow, so they are good choices for those just starting out. To grow vegetable from seeds, you should begin indoors around springtime. You can also purchase onion bulbs in a nursery.

The plants should be spaced out by at least 12 inches in rows. When growing a vegetable garden, put one plant type per row. Spacing is crucial so make sure you have plenty of room to go around. You’ll need the space to take out the weeds.

Watering and Maintenance

Vegetables need to be watered everyday only if there’s no rain. There’s no need to water them if it rains. Take out the weeds as they emerge. Don’t wait for it to spread before removing them.

If the tomato plants get too big, use stakes to keep them in place. Fertilizer is usually added every 2 weeks. This may differ with some vegetables, so add them as needed.

Planting Vegetables in Containers

If you don’t have a garden, you can plant them in containers instead. You can use flower pots, buckets or wood boxes. You can also use window planters, washtubs and nursery flats. Just like when growing a vegetable garden, drainage is important.

There needs to be holes at the base. If not, there should be one at the bottom. Color is also important. As much as possible avoid using those with dark hues.

These end up absorbing the heat and could affect the roots’ growth. Paint them with a lighter color. The size will depend on the vegetable you’re planting. Plants like eggplants and tomatoes need a five gallon container. For the soil, you can use synthetic mixes.

Also recommended are peat based mixes including vermiculite and peat. You should also mix two parts of planting mix with a part of compost. The watering needs of container plants are heavier than those of vegetables planted in the ground.

Growing a vegetable garden can be an exciting and fulfilling hobby. Not only that, you could make money selling your harvests. Of course you also get to use them in your meals.