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Our
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Many of
us were hooked on gardening when our parents gave us a tiny plot of
ground in our backyard for our first little garden. What did you
grow to ignite the spark? Given our preference, most of us would
prefer a vegetable garden layout that utilizes three-foot-wide raised
beds. Experts say this is the key to beautiful and productive
gardens. Here are the essentials of a vegetable garden.
If possible, locate the garden so that access to and from the kitchen is easy and convenient. It's best if you can view the garden from a window. When the garden is easy to see and reach, you are more apt to notice what needs to be tended and to take full advantage of the harvest. The
ideal garden location has loose soil that drains well. If your
soil isn't perfect, you can improve it over time by adding organic
matter such as compost. A 20- by 20-foot garden
gives you room to grow a wide range of crops, including some tasty
"space hogs" such as corn and winter squash. A 12- by 16-foot
plot is sufficient for a garden sampler with a variety of greens, some
herbs, a few tomatoes and peppers, beans, cucumbers and even edible
flowers such as nasturtiums for garnishes. By growing plants in
succession and using three-foot-wide beds with 18-inch paths, you should
have plenty of luscious vegetables for fresh eating and extras for
friends. You can go smaller yet and get a bountiful harvest
by gardening intensively. See out friends over at Square Foot
Gardening for the whole dirt on this! Create a Garden from a Plan If you are designing your
veggie garden from scratch, plot it on graph paper. Use paper with a
grid of 1/4-inch squares, with each square representing one foot in the
garden. Outline the beds in pencil, then fill in the plant
names. In spring, stake the garden according to your plan.
You'll need a tape measure, plenty of string, 12- to 18-inch stakes and a
hammer to drive the stakes into the ground. Mark it off as per your
plan. For best sun exposure, orient the garden so the rows run east
to west, with the tallest plants on the north end. Following your
plan, drive a stake in each of the four corners of the garden. You
may need to rototill your garden, then dig by hand, adding amendments, and
remove existing weeds.
If you want to make your bed permanent, edge with wood, logs, bricks, rocks, or anything else that will keep your soil in place. This will be required if your land is sloped. You can even create raised beds inside an old tractor tire. Fertilizer and Soil Amendments Gardening organically is
ideal, to address the soil's long-term needs by supplying plant nutrients
with natural fertilizers and compost. Building soil takes time, and
nutrients from most organic products are released into the soil
slowly. As you build each bed, broadcast several inches of compost
or natural fertilizers like decomposed chicken manure over the surface and
work it into the soil with a rake. Many vegetables are best
started from seeds sown directly in the ground (direct-sown); others go in
as seedlings. You can grow your own seedlings indoors or buy
them. As you plant, you'll need to keep in mind which vegetables are
frost-tolerant and which are not (like the tomatoes shown). In early spring, a week or
two before the last frost, sow beets, carrots, parsnips, peas, radishes,
Swiss chard and turnips, as well as the many delectable salad greens such
as arugula, Asian mustards, cress and leaf lettuce directly in the
garden. These greens grow particularly fast from seed. After
the last frost, direct-sow beans, corn and squash. Among herbs, dill
and cilantro are sure bets from direct-sown seed.
There are several vegetables, such as summer squash, lettuce and fall-planted broccoli, that grow and produce equally well from either seeds or transplants. Base your choice with these crops on convenience and timing more than anything else. Easiest to Grow Among the easiest vegetable
crops to grow are arugula, beets, Swiss chard, green beans, leaf lettuce,
parsley, peppers, radish, summer squash and tomatoes. All adapt well
to various regions if planted at the right time for your region. The average date of last
frost in spring is the key date to use in garden planning. If you
don't know the date for your region, check with your local extension
service or a local nursery. Like
anything else, once you go through the process once or twice, you'll make
refinements. For instance, you'll discover various ways to use your
space more efficiently. A favorite method is planting a warm-season
crop such as zucchini after harvesting a cool-season crop such as
peas.
Anytime you
grow a lot of one type of vegetable - tomatoes and peppers, for instance -
plant several different varieties. This increases your chances of success,
since some varieties will perform and taste better than others.
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There's
no better way to start than by choosing a sunny spot for your
garden. Most vegetables need six to eight hours of direct sun a
day for best results. Leafy greens like spinach and lettuce can thrive
with a bit less. As you assess your yard this winter, remember
that the deciduous trees that are leafless now will cast shadows as the
seasons progress.
Next,
measure and stake each garden bed, and outline the beds with string.
To raise a bed, first loosen the soil in the bed using a shovel or a
garden fork, then shovel soil from an adjacent path onto the bed.
You can also stand in a pathway and use a rake to bring up soil from the
next pathway.
What
to Grow and When
Better
results are achieved if you buy or start some vegetables indoors - weeks
to months before you last frost date. Transplants of broccoli,
Brussels sprouts, heading cabbage and cauliflower, as well as, eggplant,
parsley (shown), peppers and tomatoes work best for zones 7 and
colder. We can help with that too - check out