Learn How To Plant A Vegetable Garden

When I decided to plant a home vegetable garden my friends were a little surprised. I’m not known for my green thumb. I’ve managed to kill off every indoor plant I’ve ever been given. But I was determined I could maintain a small garden if I put in the effort and did some research in advance.

First off, let me tell you why I wanted a home garden. Like most people, I’ve become concerned over the last few years about what I’m eating. When I buy vegetables from grocery stores I always wonder what’s been sprayed on them to “enhance” their growth or appearance.

I often buy organic, but that can be costly.

Thus my decision to plant my own garden. I would know exactly what I was eating and how it was grown. Plus, I thought it might be fun. I work at a desk indoors all day and I thought a little sunlight and exercise would do me good.

The first thing I did was learn how to prepare the soil. I found a spot in the backyard that was out of the flow of traffic and claimed it for my garden. It was a spot that gets plenty of sunshine, is level, and doesn’t attract standing water. Since I don’t have pets I didn’t have to worry about fencing the section off, I just marked it with some wooden stakes. The area was about 3′ by 6′.

I read that early fall was the best time to begin preparing the soil. But it was already March so spring would have to do for this year.

After marking off my garden spot I started clearing out all the rocks and debris from the area. From my research I knew not to till the soil when the ground was wet or still cold. The soil will become compact and hard and it will hamper the season’s growth. So I waited until a warm day when the soil was dry. I picked up a handful of dirt and made sure it didn’t stick together.

Because of the small area of my vegetable garden I decided not to rent a tiller. I used a basic spade to break up and turn the soil.

To test the soil I bought a home kit from a garden store. I discovered my soil had more sand than clay so I added some nutrients and organic material they suggested at the garden store.

The next step was purchasing seeds. I decided to do that online where I could shop at my leisure without a lot of driving from store to store. There were a lot of options to choose from but I only wanted to plant a few things the first year.

After some thought, I decided to grow onions, zucchini, and cucumbers. Then I figured I would throw in a few watermelons for fun. I thought about carrots, but had read they do better in cooler climates.

Instead of planting in rows, I chose to use the square foot system. I assigned several squares to each of my three crops. It’s important to read the directions on the seed packages carefully to know how far apart to plant each seed since this varies with different types of vegetables.

Most of the seeds I planted about an inch under the soil. I planted a few extra just in case some didn’t grow. After they started to sprout I pulled out any excess that made the plants too close together.

The first week I watered often to keep the ground moist. After that I watered every few days depending on whether it had rained or not. Since I’m in a warmer climate it was important to keep the vegetable garden watered regularly.

After a few weeks the plants were actually sprouting. I tried to thin out the areas where there were too many plants close together.

I checked the garden almost every evening but only weeded on weekends. I decided not to add mulch the first year but might try it next year to try and cut down on weeding time.

The fun part, of course, was harvesting. Overall, I felt the crop wasn’t bad for my first attempt. Next year I’ll add a few more veggies and maybe some herbs. I’m also going to expand the garden size a few feet.

If you’ve never grown your own vegetable garden I’d suggest giving it a try. You’ll be so proud of yourself when you see those first tiny sprouts breaking through the soil. And when you start eating the fruits of your labor you’ll feel a surge of self-sufficiency.

I can honestly say the vegetables had a much richer flavor than their store bought counter-parts. But I’m sure I was a bit prejudiced