Vegetable gardens are a fresh, vibrant and environmentally-friendly way to eat your veggies! By following these basic steps, you’ll have the ability to eat your way through a huge array of vegetables this summer.
Fresh Vegetables
We’re all aware of the importance of eating our veggies, but what about the benefits of eating fresh vegetables? Planting your own is a healthy and cost-effective method to make certain you’re eating your vegetables. Also, it’s worthwhile to create something from scratch–see it grow and change until its ready to be harvested and eaten. What better feeling than knowing exactly where your food comes from? Any gardener will tout the exceptional freshness and taste of homegrown vegetables over store-bought. If you have never gardened before or tried and failed, you can get all of the information you want to turn your thumb green right here.
Note: Wait until after the last frost to start your backyard, otherwise all of your hard work is going to be wiped out in 1 night.
Location
Pick out a small plot of land (not much larger than 8 X 10) that gets full sun as much of the day as you can. Start off with a little plot since this is a learning experiencenevertheless, as soon as you get the hang of it, let your inner-green thumb out and go mad. Remember that the larger the backyard, the more work needed to maintain it.
Natural Fertilizer
It’s important to get fertile, well-drained dirt to work with. If the soil sticks together and doesn’t easily crumble under slight pressure from the finger and thumb, it’s too wet for plowing or functioning and is unsuitable for young plants. When the soil is prepared, it is time to split up and flip it and then add organic matter or fertilizer.
Choosing Veggies
Choose your favorite vegetables. Because your backyard is on the smaller side, you’ll have some limitations on which you can successfully grow. The season in which you’re beginning the garden is also an important element to take into account. For the cool season (spring and fall), you are able to plant beets, carrots, potatoes, radishes and lettuce. For the warm season (summer), consider planting vegetables such as beans, corn, peppers, squash, and tomatoes.
Seeds
You can buy seed packets (the less expensive option; typically less than $2 a packet) or you may buy seedlings sold at nurseries. It’s ideal to buy seeds and seedlings just after the new year since the choice is freshest. If you choose, you can begin some plants inside during the winter and transplant them in the spring or summer.
Sowing
Sow seed or seedlings into the soil according to the instructions on the packet. Pay careful attention to the amount of space needed between seeds or seedlings. The back of the seed packet will supply you with spacing guidelines.
Watch them grow!
Each vegetable will have different standards for when they are ready to be harvested. Enjoy your hard work by discovering new recipes that allow the vegetables you have grown to glow.
