How to Start a Vegetable Garden

If you’re looking to beautify your back yard while becoming a healthier person, you should consider planting a vegetable garden. As many people have said, healthy foods like fruits and vegetables really double as medicine. By cultivating organic crops and enjoying them at your dinner table, you’ll be adding crucial vitamins and minerals to your diet. Here’s how you can go about building a vegetable garden outside your home.

Choose The Perfect Location

Not every corner of your back yard is equally apt for a vegetable garden. You need to find a spot that’s flat, gets plenty of sunlight, and is within reach of a hose for watering. If you plant your garden in a shady place, your crops will die as soon as they sprout. A hilly location is also problematic since a certain amount of erosion is inevitable.

Prepare The Soil

You can’t plant seeds in rocky, weedy, or crusty soil. First things first, make sure you remove all the stones from your planned garden. Then, do whatever it takes to hack out any roots you discover. Weeds will compete with your crops for key nutrients, so you need them removed as well. You could also add some fertilizer to make the soil as rich as possible. Once you’ve got your garden just about ready, turn all the soil over so it’s soft and ready for planting.

Choose Vegetables That Are Appropriate To The Setting

While you should always plant vegetables that you actually enjoy eating, your personal tastes aren’t the only factor to take into consideration. Not all vegetables will be suited to your climate. Do some research to make sure you’re planting vegetables that are capable of thriving.

Obtain And Plant Seeds

Once you’ve decided on a few types of vegetables, it’s time to obtain the seeds and get planting. If you have friends who are gardeners, they might be able to give you a few seeds. Otherwise, you’ll have to make a purchase at a local nursery or hardware store. When planting the seeds, be sure to follow the spacing guidelines on the back of the packet. You don’t want to overcrowd your crops.

Water Your Garden Regularly

The seeds will need regular watering in order to sprout. If you’ve got a sprinkler or irrigation system, then this is the easiest step of all. Otherwise, you’ll have to manually water the garden yourself. While a daily task like this might seem annoying, most gardeners come to find the watering process peaceful.

Remove Pesky Weeds

Not only do weeds ruin your garden’s appearance, but they also make it harder for your crops to grow. That’s why you need to be vigilant about removing any weeds as soon as they start sprouting. This is often the hardest and most frustrating part of starting a vegetable garden. All the same, there’s no escaping it. After a while, you’re bound to get the hang of it.

Fertilize

If you really want your crops to thrive, you should consider tossing in some additional fertilizer over the course of the growing process. Just like people, plants need to eat to survive. Even minimal fertilizing will help your vegetables get the nutrients they need.

Be Ready To Harvest

Do some research to learn what your crops should look like when it’s time to harvest them. Then, keep a close eye on their progress. The last thing you want is to put months of effort into your garden only to let the vegetables rot on the vine. If you play close enough attention, you should be able to harvest your crops just when they’re at their most delicious.