Plan Your First Vegetable Garden: Part Two

Having your own veggie garden can not only be a fun and enjoyable hobby, but it can also deliver plenty of fresh veggies to add to daily meals. In “Plan Your First Vegetable Garden: Part One” I talked about deciding on the amount of space, where to plant the garden, how to design the garden and, finally, how to test the soil before getting started. Now it’s time to learn the more fun parts of planting, caring and harvesting.

It’s important to loosen the soil in your garden before you plant anything. It’s easy to do, and you can use either a tiller or simply dig by hand. Loosen the entire area before adding amendments such as compost into the soil. Work them into the soil, and try your best to not step on the freshly tilled soil. Stepping on the soil too much will only compact the soil, which is what you worked so hard to undo.

Once you are done adding you amendments, smooth out the surface with a rake and water everything very thoroughly. At this point it’s good to let the bed rest for a few days before you plant anything.

This is probably the most fun of the all the steps, getting to choose the veggies you want to grow. The moment you start choosing, you’ll realize there are so many choices it may seem endless. Make sure when you are choosing what to plant, you are reading the descriptions on the tags, bags or catalog.

Another tip is to try a few varieties of each type of vegetable that way the next season you’ll know which did better than others.

How deep to plant your seeds as well as the spacing is also very crucial to the health of your veggie plants. Read the tags for the same information. As you plant your rows, make sure you mark and label which veggie is going where. This will help you with harvesting.

Water. Veggies like to be moist, not soaked, but at least happily sitting in moisture. An inch of water should be enough. If you see the top soil dry, water your garden. In-ground crops may take an every-week for watering while raised beds may need watering every other day due to the difference in drainage.

Weeds. Why are weeds such a problem? Is it only because they are ugly? Not at all. They compete with your vegetables for their water and nutrients. Use a hoe or a hand fork to move around (stir or cultivate) the top inch of soil. This will help keep weeds at bay.

Fertilize. This is extremely important if you want your garden to grow to its full potential. Don’t fertilize too much or too little. Read the labels and do what is the best for your vegetables.

One thing to know about most vegetables: the more you pick, the more the plant produces. It’s not true for all plants but for most. So when do you know when to pick? Depends on the plant. Leaf lettuce can be picked young and will still continue to grow. Zucchini and cucumber can be picked when a few inches long or at full size. If you think you can eat it, then pick it. You’ll learn as you go.

Your first garden may be a bit trial and error, but it may only take one harvest for you to get it down. Make sure you keep an eye on your plants, keep them watered, keep them healthy, and, of course, eat them happily knowing you grew them by yourself.

About Author:
Miscelleana Rhinehart is a lover of nature and enjoys the taste of fresh vegetables. Aside from enjoying growing veggies, she also writes for NY Mazda dealers and online classifieds.