Planting a vegetable garden is a rewarding experience on several levels. Not only do you get healthy vegetables to eat, but you improve your overall health due to the exercise you get planting and caring for your garden. These days it is also ideal if you can plant your own veggies to make sure that they’re pesticide free, but some people feel intimidated by the idea of planting vegetable gardens if they live in the city. With the busy life in the city, lack of space, and many types of pollution you would think that a vegetable garden would have no chance of survival. However many people have successful gardens, even in the center of busy cities. For you to duplicate their success, it is important that you start out with correct information on just how you should create your vegetable garden.
Vegetable gardens are generally easier to maintain than flower gardens because veggies are a lot more resilient, particularly in different kinds weather. Flowers are normally more dependent on consistent weather, and don’t adapt to changes as easily. Vegetable gardens usually take up a lot of space, even though some veggies thrive just using plant boxes. How much space you need depends on what type of veggies you plant, and what you count on from your vegetable garden.
Whether you plan to use a plot of land inside your backyard or begin a vegetable garden in plant boxes, soil preparation plays an essential role in whether your vegetable garden will survive. There are three varieties of soil: sand, clay and silt. Sandy soil will be loose and helps the roots of plants breathe because it lets the air pass via very easily. Clay soil absorbs water faster and keeps it inside longer; a soil composition with more clay particles in it would be perfect for places that are too hot, and also the soil dries up quickly. Silt could be a fine mixture of sand and clay particles.
You need to make sure you have just the right mixture of sand, silt, and clay prior to you begin planting vegetable gardens. In the ideal mix silt and sand will both be 40% and clay makes up the remaining 20%. This mix is important because it will make sure that water drains adequately. Too much water will choke the roots or cause them to rot. The best way to test the composition of your soil is to scoop a handful and form it into a ball. If the soil can not hold the shape, you might have too much silt or sand. If the soil holds the shape but does not crumble easily when you poke it, it might have too much clay. Try this until you are sure you have the right balance between the silt, sand and clay.
When preparing the soil for the vegetable garden, dig up the soil and break up the lumps. Remove any rocks, roots, and weeds while you’re at it. After you finish cultivating the soil, pick the vegetable you want to grow there, but keep in mind that some types do not grow well close to other particular kinds of vegetables. For example, don’t plant potatoes too close to squash or tomatoes because it will stunt their growth. They can all be planted in the same garden, just don’t plant them beside each other.
The normal method of planting veggies is to lay them out in straight, organized row. Some individuals prefer to plant alternating rows of diverse sorts of veggies. When one type of vegetable might be ready for harvest, the rows in between them have vegetables that are not yet ripe. An excellent alternative method is to plant in beds rather than rows. Plan the size of your beds to allow you to easily reach in and pull out weeds. Also, raising the beds slightly allows for better heat retention during cold weather and helps with drainage.
After you decide on the kind of vegetables you want and plant them, you need to learn about how to water them adequately. Vegetables require consistent watering. When planting a vegetable garden in a big space, think about utilizing a soaker hose. A soaker hose has numerous holes along its body and waters your garden by letting the water seep through its holes.
Planting a vegetable garden requires manual labor (yes, actual work), and a lot of patience. However, the rewards are well worth it. Especially for people who worry about their own health. Growing your own vegetables also means you can choose to not use pesticides. Besides contributing to your health, you will find that it is a wonderful feeling knowing that your are eating something that you grew in your own garden.
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