How to Grow a Vegetable GardenIf you follow the correct steps, it's not hard to grow your own vegetable garden. But it does take time and patience.Most vegetables need a full day of sunlight to grow well. Your garden should be located in a sunny area, away from large shrubs that could shade your garden during the day.When choosing a siteThe success of any vegetable garden depends on a variety of factors including field site selection, soil type and the availability of water as well as its quality. According to experts in horticulture at Iowa State University, a successful vegetable gardener is able to minimize production problems by selecting the most suitable land and planning meticulously.Begin by selecting the most sunny spot for your garden. Vegetables require full sunlight for at least six hours per day. If a location only gets partial sun, consider growing vegetables that can withstand low light intensity, such as leaf lettuce and radishes.It is crucial to keep your vegetable garden near a freshwater source. If you have to drag a water hose across a long distance to get to the garden, there's a high risk that you won't tend it regularly enough, and your plants will be affected. Idealy, your vegetable garden will be located near either a spigot, or pumps when you have an underground water system. This way, you can easily connect your garden to the pump for easy irrigation.You should also choose a location for your vegetable garden that is easy to access it and keep frequent visitors. If you plant the garden too far from it is likely that you will ignore it and the weeds will take over. If raised garden beds is in your backyard it is more likely to spend the time to care for it. Your plants will also benefit.Another consideration to consider is the possibility of buried utility lines including gas, power and water lines. It could be hazardous to the person digging it and to others if you dig into one of these lines.You might also have to protect your garden if you have pets. If you don't, your pets will make use of it as a bathroom for themselves and you'll have to fight weeds that grow on top of the veggies you want to grow.Soil PreparationThe quality of the soil can make a huge difference in how your garden will perform. You need a rich organic soil with plenty of nutrients. Vegetable plants are heavy feeders, and if the soil is not well-drained, you must add plenty of organic material before they can flourish.Ideal is to work the soil of your vegetable garden either in the spring (for lighter sandy soils) or in the autumn (for clay soils). This will allow the soil to be broken down and improved by frosts and rain before planting.If you must cultivate the soil in the spring, make sure to allow it to dry completely before planting. It is not a good soil for vegetables, as it can cause root rot and other issues.Choose a spot near the source of water, such as your garden sprinkler or hose. A irrigation system is a great method to ensure that your soil is uniformly moist throughout the growth season.Before planting, eliminate all perennial weeds. They will compete for water and nutrients with your crops. This can be accomplished by repeated tillage, cultivation or mulching. In most cases, it takes a few years to completely eliminate perennial weeds on the new garden.Vegetables grow best in full sunlight. Look for a place that gets 8 hours or more of direct sunlight each day. It must be protected from wind, especially in dry areas that may remain wet after a storm. If your soil is hard or compacted or has poor drainage, you may want to consider the possibility of a raised garden bed.The soil should be amended with organic matter at least a few months prior to when you plan to plant. This will help to loosen the clay soil, making it easier to work, dig and enrich it with nutrients. An excellent organic material is compost, which is made of broken down and/or shredded plant materials such as leaves or vegetable scraps. Manure aged for a while is another great alternative, but it comes with a higher concentration of salts and should be worked into the soil for a few weeks before planting.PlantingIf the temperatures are dry and warm, you can start your vegetable garden by sown seeds directly in the ground or planting seedlings that have been hardened off. Do not overcrowd the garden as plants who are too close be competing for nutrients, moisture and space. In this regard, it is a good idea to begin your garden in the early spring so that your plants are established before the weather gets too hot and dry.Plant your vegetables in beds or rows to make it easier to weed, cultivate and harvest. The taller vegetables (such as beans and corn on a trellis) should be planted in the north of your garden to avoid shading shorter vegetables. It is also recommended to avoid planting your vegetables where there is plenty of shade as many of them require full sunshine to flourish.If you don't want to plant your vegetable garden inside the fence, you can cover it with bird netting or chicken wire to keep birds and animals out. This will prevent them from getting into the garden and eating your plants. Water your garden regularly. New seeds and transplants should be watered daily until established, whereas mature plants must be watered regularly throughout the year, based on the amount of rainfall and temperature.Mulches will not only prevent the growth of unwanted and invasive plants, but they also aid in maintaining the health and quality of your soil. Mulches can also help in the control of weeds as they block their light and warmth, which is necessary for them to grow. It is also a good idea to use non-toxic methods of pest control, such as floating row covers and handpicking or using slug traps, to minimize the quantity of chemicals that are introduced into the food chain.Make sure that your vegetable garden is situated close to a water source so you don't have to carry heavy buckets or hoses around the yard. It is important to remember that much of the work in vegetable gardening is labor intensive, and getting the water where it needs to go without having to lug it over long distances will save time and energy.HarvestingA vegetable garden requires regular attention. Vegetables are not ornamental plants that can be left to awaited for the right time to water or plant weeds. They require constant vigilance and attentiveness to signs of disease and insect damage. With the right direction and patience even the most novice gardeners will reap the benefits of a plentiful crop.Vegetables are an excellent way to add fresh flavor and nutrients to your diet. Almost everyone loves eating a fresh, juicy tomato or snatching up sweet crisp cucumbers. These snacks can help reduce your family's dependence on store-bought fruits and vegetables.Some vegetable gardens in the home are planted in containers, on patios, decks, balconies, or porches. These containers are an excellent option to grow a variety of well-known vegetables, including swiss-chard, tomatoes, and kale. Select a container with minimum dimensions of 12 inches for the highest yield.The majority of vegetables thrive in full sunlight so choose a location with at least 6 hours of direct sunlight each day. If you can, place the container near a faucet so that it's easy to water the plants. This will eliminate the hassle of dragging a water line across the yard. It is essential to water your garden, particularly during the growing season, when pests are more likely attack vegetables.When it's time to harvest a plant the most important thing to do is ensure it's mature. The best tasting vegetables are those that are harvested at their best eating quality, but this isn't always easy to determine. For instance, okra novice growers often let their crop stay on their plant for too long, hoping for bigger pods. They usually end with over-mature, woody vegetables that are useless.The positive side is that a majority of vegetables offer clues to their the ability to be harvested. You can determine the time a particular vegetable is ready to harvest by looking at the seed packet or the transplant tag. These projections can vary based on the fertility of the soil and weather conditions. It takes time to understand these subtle signals.