Starting a Vegetable Garden

Written by Lovelyn on March 11, 2009 – 12:21 pm -

Organic produce is healthy and good for you, but it’s even better when you grow it yourself. I’ve always wanted my own garden. In our current living conditions we don’t have the space. We don’t have a yard to plant in, just a badly graveled driveway–not that I’m complaining or anything.

It’s great to be outside working in the soil and a vegetable garden gives you that opportunity. The food you’ll get from that garden will be fresher than anything you get in the store and better for you.

Here are some steps to starting your own vegetable garden.

Research–Do some research. Start out by checking out he produce section in your supermarket. What vegetables are your favorites. Then research how well those vegetables grow in your area. Once you’ve decided what you’re going to grow buy the seeds, seedlings or full grown plants from your local garden center. I believe in asking for help so if your now sure about the best way to start your garden (seeds, seedlings or plants) ask someone who works in the garden center for advice.

Don’t plant too many zucchini (courgette) plants. They tend to have a high yield so when they start producing they really start producing. If you don’t want to be drowning in zucchinis just plant one or two.

Prepare the plot–Make sure you choose an area that gets plenty of sun. It should get about 8 to 10 hours of sun at the peak of summer.

If this is your first garden it’s best to start small. This way you can get a feel of how much you like it. You can always make a bigger garden next year. A 4×8 plot is a good starting size. This way you can weed the garden from the outer edges without walking on the soil. Once you till the ground you don’t want to walk on it.

You can use stakes and string to mark off the area for your garden. Use a sharp spade shovel to remove the top layer of sod. Then use a pitchfork to turn the soil over. The soil needs to be nice and loose for planting. Once you’ve got your plot prepared your ready to plant.

Weed control–Because your growing an organic garden you don’t want to use weed killer. Pulling weeds up all the time can be back breaking work. You can cut down on the number of weeds in your garden by using mulch. You can use grass clipping, dead leaves or straw to mulch your garden. Just put the mulch around your vegetable plants. The mulch also helps fertilize your garden as it breaks down naturally.

Pest control–Controlling pests can be difficult if you’re growing an organic garden. Look for beneficial insects like ladybugs, lacewing flies, and praying mantises. These bugs eat the pests in your garden. You want to keep them around. You can rid your garden of snails and slugs by leaving jar lids filled with beer out. Keep plants tied to stakes so they don’t droop on the ground inviting pests. Rotate your crop. Don’t grow the same vegetables in the same spot every year. This will increase the chance of pests infesting your garden. My mother used to plant a border of marigolds around the border of the garden to keep rabbits out. I don’t know if this really worked. She was never very good with plants and tended not to have a very productive garden.

If you don’t have space to plant a garden you might want to plant an
Earthbox® Growing System

. I found this video about how plant one. If uses fertilizer, but maybe there’s another alternative to that. It looks like a good idea thought.

Photo by StrangrThanCandy