1. Choose a location in full sun, which means six or more hours of direct sun in summer. Producing vegetables takes the sun's energy — especially for fruiting vegetables such as eggplants and tomatoes.
2. Your gardening site needs soil that is well-drained. Roots have to breathe, which they cannot do if water sits in or on the soil for too long after rains. If grass or most weeds grow well, the soil is probably well drained. If not well drained, choose another site or build raised beds.
3. Grow your garden as close as possible to your door. The closer to your door, the more frequently you'll enjoy and work in the garden.
4. Start small. Too much garden may begin to feel like work. You can raise plenty of vegetables in even a 10-by-4 foot plot of land. Increase the size of your garden as your enthusiasm and experience grows.
5. Fence your garden. A fence keeps out rabbits and other hungry animals and helps define your garden visually. Unless deer are a threat — in which case you need a fence 5 or more feet high — a 2- or 3-foot-high fence should be adequate.
6. Make your garden pretty. Yes, it's just a vegetable garden, but even vegetable gardens can be attractive. An arbor, with climbing cucumbers or roses, can dress up your garden gate. Soften the fence line with an outside border planting of perennials or perhaps something decorative and edible such as grapes or herbs. Beauty will draw you into your garden.
7. Planning your garden to grow out of the box is a way to harvest more from limited space. Rather than single, widely spaced rows, plant in wide (3-4 feet) beds. Rather than keeping everything at ground level, plant vertically — those that can — grow up. Pole beans and tomatoes can be trained up bamboo or metal poles, and peas and cucumbers can be trained up fences — even that fence that encloses your garden. Plant shorter-season vegetables to follow those that finish early or start late, such as spinach following lettuce.
8. Pay attention to fertilizing and watering. Use manure and other organic fertilizers to enrich the soil. Apply an inch depth of compost. Collect water in rain barrels to save money and have the benefit of chemical free hydration.
9. Weed regularly and frequently. Weeds are much easier to kill — and haven't had time to spread many seeds — when they are small.
10. Grow vegetables that you like to eat, choose the best-tasting varieties, and don't take up valuable garden space with inexpensive veggies such as squash unless you have the space.
The newest trends in gardening are chemical free, cheap and heirloom varieties. This new back to the land movement is gaining momentum to fight back the industrialized food conglomerates so get a tiller or shovel, and dig up your new garden area, or build some raised beds, or use the newer method of lasagna gardening, but get to it!
And don't forget to read gardening books from your local library to keep up on the latest trends in gardening.
Framed
4 years ago
