20 Fun Informational Facts About Vegetable Garden

How to Grow a Vegetable Garden





A vegetable garden isn't difficult to grow If you follow the right steps. It does take patience and time.

The majority of vegetables require an entire day of sunshine for good growth. Your vegetable garden should be located in a sunny spot and away from large trees which could shade it during the day.

The process of selecting a site

The success of any vegetable garden is dependent on a variety of factors including field site selection, soil type, water availability and quality. According to experts in horticulture at Iowa State University, a successful vegetable gardener is able to minimize production issues by choosing the right land and planning carefully.

Start by choosing an area with plenty of sunshine for your garden. Vegetables require full sun for at least six hours per day. Think about planting the lettuce or radishes you want to grow in a place which only gets some sunlight.

It is essential to keep your garden situated near an water source that is fresh. It is more likely that you will neglect your garden if you carry the hose over long distances in order to reach it. Ideally, your garden will be close to or near a spigot, or an irrigation pump when you have a well water system. This way, you can easily hook up the garden to the pump for quick irrigation.

You should also choose the location for your vegetable garden where you are able to easily access it and be frequent visitors. If the garden is too far away, you will likely ignore it, and plants will quickly take over. If the garden is in your backyard you are more likely to take the time to look after it. Your vegetables will also benefit.

Another consideration to keep in mind is the possibility of buried utility lines like power, gas and water lines. It could be hazardous to yourself and others if you dig up one of these lines.

If you own pets, you may need to fence in your vegetable garden to keep them out. If you don't, your pets could use it as a private bathroom and you will have to fight off weeds that have grown on top of the vegetables you want to grow.

Soil Preparation

The quality of the soil can make a huge difference in the way your vegetable garden will perform. You need a rich, organic mix with plenty of nutrients. Vegetables are heavy feeders and when your soil is not as good it will require plenty of organic matter to make them grow.

The best way to work the soil of your vegetable garden in the spring (for lighter sandy soils) or in the fall (for clay soils). This will allow the soil to break down and improved by frosts and rain before planting.

If you are planning to cultivate the soil in spring, be sure to allow it to dry completely before you plant. Wet soil can cause problems for vegetables, such as rotting the roots.

Choose gardening ideas that is close to the source of water like your garden sprinkler or hose. Vegetables are extremely dependent on moisture, and a watering system will allow you to keep the soil evenly moistened throughout the growing season, without overwatering.

Before you plant, get rid of all perennial weeds. They will compete for nutrients and water with your crops. This can be done by repeated tillage or cultivation, or by mulching. In the majority of cases, it takes several seasons to kill all perennial weeds on a brand new site.

Vegetables thrive under full sun Look for a location that receives at minimum 8 hours of direct sunlight per day. It should be protected from the wind, especially in areas that are dry and may remain wet after the storm. It is possible to consider an elevated bed if your soil isn't draining well or is more likely to be rocky and compacted.

The soil should be amended with organic matter several months prior to when you intend to plant. This will help to loosen the clay soil and make it easier to dig, work and enrich it with nutrients. A good choice for organic material is compost, which is made from decomposed and/or shredded plant materials like leaves or vegetable scraps. Old manure is also a good option. However, gardening ideas has more salts and must be incorporated into the soil for some time before planting.

Planting

You can begin your garden when it is dry, warm and sunny. You can plant seedlings or seeds that have been cured. Do not overcrowd the garden as plants who are too close compete for nutrients, moisture and space. In this regard, it is a good idea to begin your garden early in spring to ensure that your plants are established before the weather gets too hot and dry.

You should plant your vegetables in rows or beds to allow you to easily walk around the garden to weed, cultivate and harvest. Plant tall vegetables (like beans and corn on a fence) in the north of your garden. This will prevent them from shading smaller plants. Avoid planting your vegetables in areas with lots of shade, as many of them need full sun in order to thrive.

If you don't plant your vegetable garden in a fenced area, be sure to keep it safe from animals and birds by covering the garden with chicken wire or bird netting. gardening ideas vegetables will stop the birds from eating your plants and getting into the garden. Keep your garden watered regularly. New seeds and transplants should be watered regularly until they become established, whereas mature plants should be watered as needed throughout the season, depending on the amount of rainfall and temperature.

Apart from stopping the growth of invasive, unwanted plants, mulches can help maintain the quality and health of your soil. Mulches can also be used to manage the growth of weeds as they block out the sunlight and warmth the weeds require to grow. To reduce the amount chemicals that enter the food chain, it's a good idea also to use non-toxic pest control methods, such as floating row cover handpicking, or Slugtraps.

Make sure your garden is near an accessible water source so that you don't have to be carrying the water hose or heavy buckets of water around the yard. It is important to remember that a lot of gardening work is labor intensive, and having the ability to get the water where it is needed to go without having to lug it across long distances will save time and energy.

Harvesting

A vegetable garden requires regular attention. Contrary to ornamental plants, vegetables do not wait until they are able to be watered or weeded and require constant vigilance for indications of insect damage and disease. Fortunately, even beginner gardeners can achieve a bountiful harvest with the right guidance and the proper timing.

Vegetables are a great way to add fresh flavor and nutrients to your diet. Everyone loves eating a fresh, juicy tomato or snatching up the sweet crunchy cucumbers. Adding these treats to your diet could help decrease your family's dependence on store-bought produce.

While beginning gardening tips are located in the backyard, a few are also planted in containers on porches, decks or balconies. Many popular vegetables can be grown in these containers, including beans, kale, Swiss tomatoes and chard. Pick a container with minimum dimensions of 12 inches for maximum yields.

Find a place that gets at least 6 hours of direct sun each day. If you can, place the container close to the water source so that it is easy to water your plants. This will save the effort of carrying a pipe across the yard. Watering is important, especially during the growing season, when pests are more likely to attack vegetables.

When harvesting vegetables, it's essential to make sure that it's mature. It's not always easy to know when a vegetable is at their peak in terms of eating quality. For instance, okra novice growers often let their crop remain on the plant for too long, hoping for bigger pods. They often end with a squatty, over-mature vegetables that aren't worth the effort.

The good news is that the majority of vegetables offer clues to their state of the ability to be harvested. A glance at seed packets, or the information on transplant tags can help you determine the time when a particular vegetable is ready to harvest. However, these predictions can differ based on the fertility of the soil and the weather conditions. It takes practice to learn how to understand these subtle signals.