Anyone can grow a vegetable garden. Paying close attention to plants is essential. The other thing that you need to ensure as a successful vegetable gardener is that there’s nothing to over-think. It might appear to be slightly messy, but you can manage it.
Do you want to know how to go about growing a vegetable garden? If yes, you can follow the steps listed below:
- Select the perfect location
A successful garden requires ample sunshine and a bit of afternoon shade. You also need to be there in the yard, watching the sunlight at various times of the day. You also need to watch the trees closely. You also need to take a look at the way the sun shades the space close to the tree. One of the best sunny winter areas is beneath a deciduous tree which gets fully shaded while the leaves are out.
- Choose the bed types you prefer
You need to decide on this right at the start. There are many kinds of beds that are good for your gardens. Some of the popular choices include square or raised footbeds and pots. Alternatively, you can also plant the vegetable directly within the soil.
- Decide on seeds or starter plants
It is something most people have done before. You might come across a set of seeds at a garden center and buy it. Most feel that these seeds will pop-up right after it gets planted. Few seeds such as lettuce perform better at this process as compared to broccoli. Are you a new gardener? If yes, then it’s a smart call to buy the small starter plants instead of planting the seeds. If you want, you can buy seedlings for plants such as peppers and tomatoes. Select the plants that come with good color and strong stems. You must plant a few seeds directly in the soil, such as chard, radish, beans, carrots, spinach, and lettuce.
- Fix your watering plan
Do you stay at a place where there’s a small rain shower on a daily basis? If not, then chances are you need to water the garden regularly. It’s better to water your garden with your hand. This way you have the opportunity to check for bugs and pull out the weeds. On second thoughts, when you hand water your garden, you feel good as it acts as a relaxation therapy as well. You will need to devote around 15 to 20 minutes every day, and you can reap the benefits of it gradually.
Regardless of which process you wish to water the plants; the fact is you will require a fixed watering plan. Try and arrange for watering nozzles and hoses and spend a couple of minutes daily in your garden.
- Take care of the pests
Pests are a concern for most gardeners. It’s natural for birds to peck at tomatoes. Also if you have squirrels around, they will snatch almost anything they get a chance to grab. You also have insects to deal with. Hence, you need to have a proper plan to keep the pests away from the gardening space to avert any havoc that might occur.
- Decide on the fertilizer
Do you want to grow plants that produce healthy fruit? If yes, you will have to fertilize the plants. For this, you need to make use of organic and natural products. There are several choices here that you can opt-in. There are primarily two aspects to keep in mind about fertilizing a vegetable garden. They are:
- Healthy soil condition produces healthy plans. Also, healthy plants are not in need of excess fertilizer
- When you use excess fertilizer, it can result in infections.
- Deciding when and what to plant
Your vegetable garden is entirely Do It Yourself! Hence, after you are clear on the pre-requisites mentioned above, it is essential to decide what you want to plant in your vegetable garden and when. Do you want only the leafy greens in your garden? Or do you intend to include a wide range of vegetables that looks colorful and presents a healthy bunch? Once you decide that, you must get clear when do you want to start the process?
There can be several other ways of starting your vegetable garden! If you want a basic, easy plan, you can refer to this and add your specifications as you go ahead with the plan.