How To Plant A Vegetable Garden

Incorporating a lot of vegetables in one’s diet is the easiest way towards good health and a disease free life. However, one question that constantly arises is whether the vegetables sold in the markets and shopping complexes are fresh or not? Whether the vegetables we consume are chemical free? These questions bother almost everyone and are reason enough to discourage people from consuming an adequate amount of vegetables. One way in which you can get rid of all these worries and at the same time enjoy fresh vegetables is by setting up a vegetable garden or small at your very own home. Does that sound tough? If yes, be assured that it is simple to set up a garden that will bring along many health benefits with it. Having a vegetable garden grown by you, under your observation will provide you with better food to eat and will also help you stay fit and tension or worry free. Read on further to go through the tips on planting a vegetable garden which will help you learn how to set up one in and around your dwelling.

• The first step in setting up a vegetable garden is to know what you would like to grow. Talk to neighbours having gardens, talk to experts, put down your preferences and then come to a conclusion as to what you will be growing in the garden.
• The next step in planting a vegetable garden is to plan out a planting calendar. It will be beneficial to have a planting chart which will give you an account of the seasons and lifecycle of the plants. The calendar will also help you be prepared in advance for the challenges which different weather conditions bring along.
• Once the vegetables to be grown and the calendar are ready, it is time to locate the best place to sow the seeds. A yard, community garden, terrace or your balcony can prove to be ideal places for planting vegetables. Make sure that you don’t plant your fruits and vegetables in area which does not get enough sunlight.
• The next step is to make an elevated platform on the location chosen to grow vegetables. A raised bed will help in improving the quality of the soil, will also avoid constricting of the soil and will provide better drainage.
• Once the soil raised bed is prepared, it’s time for you to mix the soil. You can buy or make your organic compost. Use manure to mix with compost to make the soil fertile. Use of chemical fertilizers should be avoided because they can burn and damage the crops.
• It is advisable for beginners to sow the seeds ahead of the actual sowing time in a seed tray from which they can be transplanted later on. You can also buy few plants, this being your first time to save time and keep things under control.
• It is better to grow the same type of vegetables at different times. Planting small number of same fast-growing vegetables throughout the planting season is the best possible way you can use the space available. This technique will provide you harvest all through the growing season, making your first experience a pleasurable one.
• In order to conserve the nutrients in the soil and to avoid diseases in the soil, you should rotate your crops to grow fruits and vegetables more than once in a year. You need to do your homework well and find out the details on all the vegetable and fruit families and the methods of growing them.
• One aspect of growing vegetables you need to keep in mind as a beginner is that there are some plants that don’t grow well together, while there are some that help each other grow. You can make use of plants that help each other grow to speed the growing process and also to protect the plants against pests and diseases. Combinations like carrot, beet, garlic and scallion, and cucumber, corn, beans, sunflower, radish, dill and nasturtium help each other grow.
• Another important aspect to be remembered is that vegetables need constant supply of water for proper growth. Studies have proven the fact than constant supply of water doubles the growing process in vegetables. Mornings happen to be the ideal time to water the plants. Never water them late in the evenings because the leaves should not be wet overnight. There are certain plants that will burn off if the leaves stand under hot sun with droplets of water. You can make use of the drip irrigation method to water your vegetable garden, which will help the water flow directly to the soil where it is needed keeping the top part dry.
• Insect control is another important aspect related to vegetable farming. Many insects attack vegetables, therefore you will have to spray pesticides on the leaves and stems to protect the plants from insect attack. Make sure to read the instructions given on the chemical bottles carefully for proper use. Pesticides should not be used within few days before the harvesting time. Wind and frost are other adversaries. Therefore, to protect your garden from wind and frost you can make use of lightweight garden fabric to cover your garden.