One of the biggest perks of owning a home is the ability to plant your very own vegetable garden out in your backyard. There's nothing quite like being able to cook and eat organic vegetables that you grew on your own property, after all! If you've never planted a vegetable garden before, don't worry. It doesn't take much to get started. The following is a beginner's guide to planning and planting the perfect vegetable garden:
Planning Your Vegetable Garden
One of the most common mistakes inexperienced gardeners make is to try and plant as many vegetables as possible. It can be easy to get overly excited about the possibility of having a garden jam-packed with all of your favorite vegetables, but it may be a little too difficult and overwhelming your first go-around. Instead, plan your vegetable garden carefully using the following tips:
- Pick only a few vegetables to plant - Start out by picking a handful of your favorite vegetables. Choose vegetables that you eat most often and that tend to be more expensive in the store. Keep in mind that some vegetables, like carrots and corn, only produce once. Vegetables like tomatoes and peppers will provide all season long. Be sure to pick vegetables that are appropriate for the season.
- Find the right place to plant - There are three factors that you should consider when choosing a place to plant your vegetable garden. These include access to water, access to sunlight and the quality of the soil. You can invest in long hoses, but the closer you are to a water source, the easier it will be for you to water your plants. You should also make sure that they get plenty of sunlight - so don't plant your garden below the shade of a large tree. Last but not least, choose an area with moist, well-drained soil. It's worth noting that you can always add higher-quality soil to plant your vegetables in.
- Decide on a planting method - There are a number of ways to plant your garden, including in raised beds, in traditional rows and via square foot gardening. Raised beds require you to build small walls to hold the soil, but they tend to be more aesthetically pleasing to the eye (thereby adding to your home's curb appeal) and are more effective at preventing weeds from invading. Whatever type you choose, the garden beds should be no more than four feet wide so that you can easily reach over to tend to your vegetables.
Planting Your Vegetable Garden
Once you've planned out your vegetable garden, it's time to start planting your vegetables. Use the following tips to ensure that your vegetables grow as healthy as possible:
- Prepare the soil - Loosen the soil that you are going to use using either your hands or a tiller. Once you've done this, spread out a soil amendment, such as compost, and work it into the soil. Smooth the surface over and then water it. Give it a few days before you begin planting.
- Planting the seeds - Plant your seeds a little closer than you would want the vegetables to grow. Not all of your seeds are going to sprout, so it's better to be safe than sorry. You can always remove crowding plants. Generally speaking, one to two inches between each seed should do - but be sure to check the directions of the specific vegetables your planting. You typically only need to bury the seeds about 0.5 to one inch into the garden bed before carefully covering them with a thin layer of soil.
- Watering your vegetables - A deep watering a few times a week is better than frequent shallow watering. Some plants require more water than others, and the weather conditions can have an impact on how much water is needed as well. Make sure you keep an eye on the vegetables to ensure that they don't dry out. When you do water your vegetable garden, do so in the mornings or in the evenings. If you water in the afternoons, the sun will be more likely to evaporate some of the water.
- Weeding and trimming - Look out for any weeds and pull them whenever you see them. You may want to trim your vegetable plants as well, especially if they begin crowding one another. Trimming your plants can actually help to foster their growth.
- Harvesting your vegetables - When vegetables look like they are ready to pluck, harvest them. Odds are they will be ready to eat. Also, the more you harvest a plant that will continually produce, the more vegetables it will end up producing.
Growing a vegetable garden on your property can be incredibly rewarding - and delicious! If you're a beginner, then be sure to follow these tips in order to plan and plant your first vegetable garden.