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Plan your work, work your plan. Growing vegetable gardens are no exception. Make sure you have the best veggies on the block! |
Take a Little Time in Planning a Vegetable Garden for Results
A Reason for Vegetable Garden Plans
Mmmmm... Nothing like setting the table with fresh vegetables from the garden. Especially when you grew them yourself! Here is a stoy about horticulture and hobby gardening I know you will enjoy ...
Why Hobby Garden Vegetables?
Garden grown vegetables are superior to grocery store produce by anyone's standard, both in freshness and flavor. But why bother when the supermarket is easier?
One: You can go out to the garden and pick your vegetables just before mealtime, at the peak of ripeness.
Two: You'll save money and your family (and lucky neighbors) will love the results. Here's a quick primer on the basics of planning a vegetable garden.
Three: If you've never grown your own vegetables you are in for a real thrill. Nothing like the feeling of accomplishment when you pick your dinner from a plant you cultivated and watched grow over a period of time. Go ahead; give it a try!
Start small. It's easy to let
your enthusiasm run wild, wanting to plant all of
your favorites. The problem arises when you
find yourself overwhelmed by the time required to
maintain a giant garden. Growing vegetables in a small garden will fulfill your family's needs for side dishes and will give you a good idea of the steps to take and the time you need to nurture your veggies. A good size for the first time gardener is about 5' x 7'. A porch or deck garden is easily managed, even when filled to capacity.
When planning a vegetable garden, your first decisions are location, layout and type of bed. Most vegetables require a southern exposure with at least eight hours of sunlight, so plan accordingly.
Raised beds are easy to work and drain well. Lining the bottom of the frame with wire mesh provides protection from burrowing critters. You have a little more initial expense in constructing the frame and filling the bed, but in the long run, you'll have less work and better results.
If you choose to til the ground directly, double-digging to a depth of 24 inches is recommended for the most friable soil and best drainage. If you're growing in pots, use oak half-barrels or similar sized containers. Consult your nursery worker for veggie varieties that grow well in pots.
Veggie Tip: If you are growing vegetables outside, you need to watch out for bugs, slugs, and other pests. There are even diseases that can get some of your vegetables if you are unlucky. Nonetheless,
Keeping a good record of the planting dates for vegetables is essential. Make sure to tend to them every day, and water everything as needed, it is unlikely that anything serious will go wrong. Even your first time, you will probably get a wonderful supply of fresh vegetables from your hobby garden.
The Garden Soil
Prepare your soil thoroughly. You should be able to gently squeeze a big handful and have it just barely hold its form, then easily crumble as you sift it through your hands. Get a soil test kit and make any adjustments to correct for too acid or alkaline soil.
Planning a vegetable garden for maximum yield includes considering interplanting, a technique that allows you to grow two crops in sequence in the same space. For example, carrots and radishes may be planted with a row of lettuce. The carrots and radishes will be ready by the time the lettuce fills out the space.
Knowledge of companion planting is also useful when planning a vegetable garden. Some vegetables grow more vigorously when planted with another particular plant.
For example, tomatoes and basil are good companions, producing better tomatoes, tastier basil and provide natural protection from pests. You also want to know what not to plant in proximity.
Remember this - Gladiolas should not be planted anywhere near tomatoes! Your tomatoes will not be their best!
Planning a vegetable garden is almost as much fun as growing and harvesting the delectable food. Start small, do your research, apply plenty of TLC and watch your garden grow! Get started today so you'll have a great food supply later!
More
Information about Gardens
You can have an article like this one
about vegetable garden plans by emailing Jean
Pardue.
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Gardening Design Tips Vegetable Gardening |
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