Vegetable Gardening Tips

Growing vegetables at home has always been popular, but has had a large resurgence in the last few years. This is partly due to rising food prices, but mainly in the pursuit of fresh organic produce. Knowing exactly what has gone into growing your vegetables is very reassuring. Growing your own vegetables also is a very satisfying and relaxing hobby. Starting your own vegetable garden can be quite daunting especially vegetable gardening for beginners. Here I have suggested some vegetable gardening tips that can be applied to small or large gardens or even to allotment gardening.

Before you start it is a good idea to plan your vegetable garden using a vegetable garden planner. There are several ways you can do this. You can use one of the many online garden web vegetable design planners. Some garden design online sites offer free planning software to help you plan your vegetable garden.

If you prefer to do it yourself, drawing it out on graph paper first or on the computer will help you design the right size and style vegetable patch for your garden. You may decide on a raised vegetable garden bed. These can be made from a variety of materials such as, wooden sleepers, bricks or rocks. Or you might decide to buy a raised vegetable garden bed kit, making the job very simple.

Next you need to choose the right location for your vegetable garden. To enable vegetables to grow their best, they need at least 6 hours of sunshine a day. The best location should not be shaded by over-hanging trees or shrubs As the position of the sun changes according to the time of year, it is important to bear this in mind when choosing your spot.

Once having chosen your location for your vegetable plot you need to prepare the soil. If your soil is very stony, vegetables such as carrots will not have the room to grow down. Investing in a good garden sieve or rotary sieve will help you to remove the stones. A garden hoe and garden rake are both good investments in tending your vegetable garden.

Making sure your vegetable garden has enough nutrients for a good harvest is important too. Digging in a good compost that is either ready bought or your own homemade compost will not only provide the correct nourishment for your vegetables, but improve the soil structure. Digging in garden compost to soil that is mainly clay will help to lighten it and aerate it. Soil which is very sandy and dry can be improved with compost by helping it to retain moisture.

Using a mulch on your vegetable garden will help to control any weeds and those that do come through will be easier to pull out. Not only does this cut down on the number of weeds, but helps prevent many common fungal disease spores from reaching young plants. A one to two inch layer of mulch is recommended.

Once having planned and prepared your vegetable patch you need to decide on what you are going to grow. One simple gardening vegetable tip is to only grow the vegetables you actually like. For beginners it is best to start with easy to grow vegetables such as beetroot, carrots, lettuce or runner beans. Start by making a list of the vegetables you would usually eat to make the best possible use of the space you have. Only plant enough of each plant that you are likely to need.

If space for your vegetables is at a premium, think vertical gardening. Many vegetables can be planted on canes vertically such as runner beans or tomatoes. These can not only be a  practical way to grow your plants, but add another dimension to the overall design of your garden.

To keep your vegetable plot in order, mark out rows using string to plant your seeds along. The general rule is the bigger the plant the deeper they need to be planted. Make sure you leave space between seeds for plants to mature. Always follow the planting instructions on the back of the packet of seeds. It often suggests growing and watering advice too. Vegetable seeds or plants can be bought at your local garden nursery or garden supply store. There are now many garden catalogue companies that supply a vast selection of garden supplies as well as information and gardening help and advice.

Growing some flowers in amongst your vegetables can be beneficial to the vegetables. Not only do they attract bees and butterflies into the garden to pollinate, flowers such as marigolds will also deter some unwanted insects from your vegetables.

Of course watering your vegetable garden is vital. The use of soaker hoses or timed sprinkler systems will ensure your plot is never short of water. This is particularly important if you go away on holiday and have no-one to water your vegetables.

Once having planted your seeds you may need to consider protecting your crop from unwanted visitors to the garden such as  cats or your seeds being eaten by birds. The use of garden mess or garden netting is useful for this problem. And if you need to protect your young plants from the frost, garden fleece or the use of garden cloches will give some protection.

Vegetable gardening can be great not only for the satisfaction of growing your own vegetables but it can be beneficial in relieving stress and very good exercise too. A vegetable plot can be designed to suit any size of garden on any budget.

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