[I:http://www.125west.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/AmyMaher0.jpg] Lately, vegetable gardening has become as popular as going to the grocery for your produce. You can easily grow your own vegetables. Growing your own vegetables is far cheaper than buying them at your local grocery. They also will taste much better. Growing your own vegetables is no different than growing flowers or even herbs. If the proper steps are taken and the the plants are given proper care, they will flourish and produce extremely tasty vegetables.
The first step is to choose where you would like your garden, and what size. You want to pick a location that has plenty of sunlight, and has good drainage and air flow. Also, always keep in mind that what is tasty for you will also be a prime target for many animals such as dogs, rabbits, deer, etc. Building a fence around your new garden may save you a lot of grief. there is nothing worse than growing beautiful vegetables and having them disappear while you are sleeping.
Properly prepare your soil before you start planting. By cultivating and applying organic materials you can achieve good soil for vegetable gardening. Your soil will need to be tilled (plowed) in order to control weeds and to mix mulch into your soil. If your have a small garden, spading will give you better results than plowing. Mulching is a must in soil preparation. By adding organic matter to your soil it will release the necessary nitrogen, minerals and other nutrients that your plants need to grow like crazy. Compost is the best and most popular mulch you can use. While it is true that the kind and amount of fertilizer used depends on the soil type and types of plants that you grow, there are some plants that have specific needs. Leafy plants such as cabbage, spinach, and lettuce flourish with more nitrogen. Likewise, root crops such as potatoes, beets, turnips, and carrots require more potash. Vegetables like tomatoes and beans don’t need as much fertilizing, while plants like onions, celery, and potatoes need greater amounts.
Garden arrangement is vitally important in vegetable gardening. Because of varying conditions, there is no single plan that will work for every garden. A good way to organize your vegetable garden is to plant similar vegetables that only need limited space together. Vegetables that require a small space would include radishes, lettuce, beats, and spinach to name a few. Then plant vegetables such as corn, pumpkins, and potatoes together, as all these require more space. You should also plant all tall growing plants towards the back of your garden, and shorter ones in the front. This will enable your entire garden to receive enough sunlight. Not doing this will block the needed sunlight from your smaller plants.
Depending on where you live, you need to make sure you begin planting your vegetable garden at the right time of year. If you are wanting to get an early start, you might consider starting your garden inside in a hotbed. When weather permits, you simply transplant your plants outside. This is also a very handy way to grow year round in colder climates. When you are finished planting, make sure your plants receive the proper amount of water. This is determined by the type of plant, and growing conditions. Using the equivalent of an inch of water per week will be best for most plants.
Weed control is another vital part of vegetable gardening. Weeds will use water, light, and nutrients that are needed for your vegetables. They also will often bring disease and insects to your garden. You can rid your garden of weeds by mulching. To protect against disease and insects, you can buy seeds that are disease resistant, and also consider organic ways instead of chemicals. This will actually make your vegetable garden more maintenance free.
Vegetable gardening is many people’s favorite form of gardening because you can actually taste the fruits of your labor. Vegetable gardening is not that expensive to start and the taste of home grown veggies definitely beat out that of supermarket vegetables. Your vegetable gardening days will be full of produce if you take the proper precautions when planting and continue maintenance of your garden.
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