How to Grow Your Own Vegetables
“Grow your own” has become a catchphrase these days with lots of people taking the plunge and starting to create their own vegetable gardens. It can be a very exciting experience to get stuck in and grow your own favorite vegetables for the first time. This is something the whole family can do together, get the kids involved from the start with the whole decision making process through to the building, chosing and planting and they will regard it as their project as well.
You have to follow a sequence of steps to create and grow your own beautiful vegetable garden, especially if you are starting from scratch. If you have the good fortune to have taken over an already established vegetable garden then your task is quite a bit easier. The process of growing a vegetable garden and nurturing the plants from seeds or seedlings to maturity gives you a real sense of fulfillment and provides you with so many benefits as well, such as providing fresh organic chemical free vegetables and reducing the household food costs.
When establishing a garden to grow your own vegetables one thing to keep in mind is that gardening requires quite a lot of water so that your vegetables will grow properly, this means locating the garden in a place where water access is not an issue. The soil should be deep, fertile and well-drained to be ideal for any kind of gardening. If it is heavy clay or very stony it would be a better idea to use raised beds and bring in fresh soil. Adding compost and fertilizers like blood and bone to the soil will definately pay off in the long run when you grow your own vegies.
Select the vegetables you want to grow
Deciding which vegetables to grow is very much a personal preference thing. There are lots of different types of vegetables to choose from, some of the easier ones to start off with are carrots, radishes, tomatoes, zucchini, peas, squash, beets, beans, onions, spinach and tomatoes which are all able to be grown in a small area while others like cantaloupes, watermelons, cucumbers and squash need large spaces to grow. Plantings can be chosen as per the family needs, but try not to over crowd the garden plot.
You will need to research these vegetables first to discover the particular type of soil they are suited to.
Examine the quality of the soil
Once you identify which types of grow your own vegetables you want to plant its a case of checking the soil pH level. The soil acts as the lifeline of the garden. You must make sure that the soil and your vegetables are a good match. The pH level that is needed for your soil is 6.5. The pH level of your soil determines how many nutrients your vegetables will be able to extract from the soil.
Choose a good spot to grow your own vegies
Once you know the soil quality, examine the location to ensure that your garden will have enough sunlight to sucessfully grow your own vegetables, not too many overhanging trees providing a lot of shade. A successful garden requires 8 hours of sunlight a day, half of this can be broken sunlight. Make sure that there is adequate shelter from the wind since too much wind will damage the plants. Also, make sure that you have some form of fenceing available to protect your garden from marauding possums or rabbits or other little critters who will look upon your plants as a very tasty snack.
Tips to help you grow your own vegetable patch
Another useful tip is to provide the plants with enough water at their roots for it to be able to penetrate the soil to a depth of six inches. To get rid of unwanted weeds when you grow your own vegies, use a long handled hoe. Avoid using chemical sprays for weed control, as it is not necessary in smaller areas. Mulching is a very good tip to help you grow your own vegetables, it helps to keep the weeds down as well as reducing evaporation thus keeping the moisture in the ground for your plants to use. This will increase the yield from your home vegetable garden.
