How do You Start a Vegetable Garden?

For many people starting their own vegetable garden is a great way to feel a sense of accomplishment. So many people nowadays go to the store to buy all their produce it really is a shame that many do not take advantage of the ground around them. For those of you that are reading this, great!

First Vegetable Garden Ideas – Vegetable Garden Tips

We are going to introduce you to some ideas on how to get your first vegetable garden started along with some tips to keep it going.

  1. Plant what you want to eat. Unless you plan on selling your produce, you will be much happier growing things that you and your family will enjoy.
  2. Make sure you are in the correct season for what you want to grow. Great warm season vegetables are: beans, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, melons, peppers, pumpkins, squash, and tomatoes. Cooler vegetables are: beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, lettuce, peas, potatoes, radishes, spinach, and turnips.
  3. Plan your garden before getting everything ready. Measure your yard and do a little layout on a piece of paper. You will want to be sure that your garden gets plenty of sun, up to 6 hours, and that the soil will drain well after it rains.
  4. Plan to put up a small fence. You will need to protect your garden from dogs, rabbits, deer, your kids, and anything else that may do harm to your hard work. The fence does not have to be pretty, just sturdy.
  5. After your planning is done you will want to layout your garden and prepare to plow the area and add fertilizers. If you are wanting to use an unused area for your garden, then cultivation should begin the previous fall.
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    Before you plant your vegetables, you will want to test your soil for its ph level. The ground will need to be dry and already cultivated and watered. If your ph level is off you can add lime to raise it and sulfur to lower it.
  7. You will want to water the area you plan on planting the night before. It is also a good idea to label the different locations of each vegetable so you know what to expect to grow and where. Make sure nothing is crowded and everything has proper spacing. Tomatoes and pumpkins generally need 2-3 feet of spacing. Stakes can also be planted at this time for beans and peas to grow up.
  8. If you have plants that were started inside, then you will want to dig a hole that is slightly bigger than the root of the plant. Make sure it is firmly in the ground and water it well. If you are using seeds you will want to plant them as deep as the instructions on the packet tell you to and spread them out evenly. Be sure to add a little extra for plants that do not grow.
  9. As your garden grows be sure to water them. You can normally add 1-3 inches of water or so a week.
  10. Be sure to stay on top of weeding your garden. You can also use mulch, black plastic, straw, or hay to try and limit the amount of weeds you get. Weeds can take the nutrients from your vegetables.

And then ENJOY! The most important thing you can do besides weeding is to check your garden daily and see if it needs water or if you have any bugs. Bugs will destroy your garden if not caught in time. And that is a lot of work to put in to feed a bunch of tiny bugs. Once you have harvested for the year you can use the leftover seeds, leaves, and miscellaneous garden scrap for fertilizer next year. And with some experience your next garden adventure can be even bigger. In short we hope that these tips have helped and that you were able to create a wonderful garden for you and your family.

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