Growing your own garden is all the rage right now! The statistics show that as much as 42 million households in the United States are now growing their own vegetable garden. There are many reasons to grow your own vegetable garden but the biggest one is to save money. If you are interested in starting your own garden but are not quite sure how to begin, here are some vegetable garden tips that will help you grow the perfect garden.
1. Select A Location With Lots Of Sunlight
The majority of vegetables grow best when they get a lot of sunlight. This means you need to find a spot that gets at least six hours of sunlight daily.
You will need to be strategic about how you place your plants. Place the tallest plants to the north or west of your garden to prevent them from shading other smaller crops.
2. Choose Your Soil Wisely
The soil is the foundation of your garden. If you want to have healthy crops then you should focus not only on the location of your garden but also on the type of soil in your garden.
The best soil you can have is one that is filled with a lot of compost as well as organic matter. You should make sure that you place organic matter such as shredded bark and composted leaves in the soil. This will prevent the soil from being too sandy or compact.
You can test if you have the right mix by picking up some of the soil and squeezing it in your hand. If it binds together when squeezed but crumbles readily when you try to scatter it in your hand then you have the right composition.
3. Plant Good Seeds
Location and soil are very important but so is the quality of seeds that you plant. Always buy the best seeds, to begin with. The best seeds can be bought in spring and are usually the present year's seeds.
They may cost more than last year's seeds but consider the fact that if you plant seeds that don't germinate, your time and money would have been wasted. It's better to spend a few extra dollars and reap the benefits later.
4. Use Space Correctly
Seed packages often contain information on how to correctly space your crops so make sure you pay attention to them. Plants that are placed too closely together will compete with each other for water, sunlight and soil nutrients.
This will make it more likely that they will fail to reach maturity. Plants that will grow extra tall should be placed far from smaller crops so that they don't rob them of proper nutrition.
5. Vegetable Gardening Tips For Watering
As a rule of thumb, you should give your plants at least one inch of water per week. Use soaker hoses or drip lines whenever you can.
The reason why soaker hoses and drip lines are so effective is due to the fact that they water plants slowly. This targeted watering gives the roots of plants enough time to absorb the water. It also allows for adequate hydration of the soil in your garden.
6. Use Some Mulch
Mulch is a must have for your garden. It will help to keep your soil warm in the winter and cool on those hot summer days.
Mulch is a weed suppressor. It also prevents soil diseases from getting near your plants. Additionally, mulch also helps your soil to retain water.
There is no doubt that mulch is a must have in your garden. However, some mulch can contain many harmful chemicals. In order to ensure that your mulch is the best, look for a seal from The Mulch and Soil Council, this certifies that any mulch you buy is free of harmful chemicals.
7. Take It Easy With Insecticides
Nobody likes to see those annoying pests in their garden. However, you should exercise caution if you decide to use insecticides to get rid of pests.
Apply these insecticides sparing during the latter part of the day. You should never use them early in the morning.
Early morning is the time when bees pollinate plants. Using insecticides at this time may kill them. You should also try using natural insecticides whenever possible since this will have less of a negative impact on your plants.
8. Fertilise Wisely
While it may seem like using lots of fertilizer is the way to make sure you have healthy crops, you should actually use it sparingly. Using a lot of fertilizer may give you lush green growth but it can also cause you to have fewer vegetables when it is harvest time.
Nurture your soil with organic compost instead. This will naturally provide your plants with healthy nutrients so that you reap a nice harvest.
9. Plant In Season
Every crop has an ideal time to be planted. Fortunately, if you are new to this and don't have a clue as to the best times to plant each crop there are books that can help you.
Invest in books and almanacs that show you the right planting times for your crops. These planting times will be shown by location. This ensures that you have a greater chance of getting healthy crops.
10. Be Patient
The final tip is to be patient. All the other tips have given you all you need to grow a healthy garden but if you don't exercise patience and consistency when caring for your garden then your efforts will be in vain.
Lovingly take care of your crops. Nurture them as much as possible and tend to their needs regularly and they will bear healthy vegetables.
Final Thoughts
All you need to do is carefully follow each of the vegetable garden tips given and you will reap healthy crops. Planting a garden for the first time requires dedication and patience. Once you have mastered the art of tending your soil and planting your crops in the right way and at the right time you will be well on your way to having a successful vegetable garden.
If you would like more vegetable gardening tips, please contact us. We are always available to help you become the best gardener possible.