Vegetable gardening has traditionally been done in long straight rows which made for easy cultivating and harvesting. Now, with the abundance of houses and apartments in the urban areas of the country other designs are becoming more prevalent. Three to four foot beds have become more common. These beds can be flat, raised or sunken. Of course, vegetables can be grown in containers and in hydroponics setups.

Vegetable Gardening - Grow What You Like

By Larry Gildea

Vegetable gardening is becoming more popular all of the time. It is estimated that one out of every three people in the United States does some kind of gardening. A large percentage of gardening is done in urban areas. Growing great vegetables does not have to be difficult. All you have to do is follow a few simple rules. In order to experience this wonderful hobby you only have to start. As time goes by you will become more proficient.

There are several basic steps you need to follow to be a successful vegetable gardener. Here are the steps:

Pick a site
Decide what to plant
Layout the site
Test soil
Dig beds
Seeds or seedlings

You don't need a large site to grow a garden. If you use containers you don't need a particular piece of land. No matter a plot of land or containers there are three important things to consider; place the garden a short distance form the house so vegetables can be freshly gathered , makes certain your garden space gets plenty of sunshine, six hours or better, have water source close, and good soil is paramount. Soil however can be fixed. A small garden plot say 10 feet by 15 feet will probably suffice to start. Remember you will have to weed and cultivate your garden to be successful.

When you sit down to decide what to grow in your vegetable garden, don't get carried away. Get a seed catalog and go through it and pick the vegetables you like. Limit it to a few vegetables. Limiting your choices allows you to spend your time on your choices and give them the best possible care. Green onions, summer squash, cucumbers, peas, and green beans are easy to grow. It makes sense to pick more than one variety of a vegetable to provide a backup and to determine which variety grows best in your environment.

Row cropping and intensive cropping are the two choices available for garden layout. Row cropping is one long line of plants. The advantage of row cropping is ease of cultivation. Hoes and tillers are easier to use on long straight rows. The disadvantage is poor utilization of the space. Row crops tend to waste land on footpaths. Garden design software is also available as an alternative for laying out a garden.

Intensive cropping utilizes several techniques of close planting in a given area. Plants can be planted in bands from one to four feet across. Another way is to divide the space in to square sections with space in between the sections. Intensive cropping generally conserves space by placing more plants in a given square footage of space; however, close cropping requires hand weeding.

Test your soil before you do anything else. Vegetables prefer loose soil which breaks up in your hands. The soil should drain well. If the soil packs together in a hard clump when you squeeze it in you hands and will not break apart easily, it has too much clay. If the soil will not form together at all it is too sandy. Soils can be repaired. Adding peat moss and compost (organic matter) will aid in creating good gardening soil out of both sandy and clay soils. Holding moisture is another thing. Organic matter can help the soil retain moisture.

Another approach is building a raised bed. Raised beds are simply mounds of garden soil formed into a flat bed. Raised beds are constructed with wood, bricks or concrete blocks and soil. Create a square or rectangular frame with the wood, bricks or concrete blocks and fill it with garden soil. The garden soil must be the proper mix of soil and organic material.

If you have decided to plant your garden in the soil rather than containers or raised beds, the soil must be broken up (loosened). Tilling can be done by hand with a shovel (garden spade) or with a motorized tiller. Using a tiller will allow you to work the sod into the soil. The sod must be removed before spading the soil. Either way the soil should be loosened to a depth of 8 to 12 inches. The soils must be smooth and free of clods. Do not pack down the soil after tilling. Finally, the soil should be thoroughly watered and left idle for a few days before planting.

Now it is time to decide on planting with seed or plants which have been started from seed earlier or purchased started from a nursery. Using pre-started plants assures earlier harvesting of your crop. Some vegetables must be planted with seed. Beans and peas are examples.

Home gardening is a popular past time for approximately one-third of the population. Vegetable gardening is one type of home gardening which not only provides great satisfaction; it also helps put a dent in your food bill. A home vegetable garden is as easy as following a few simple steps. These steps include: picking a site, deciding what to grow, laying out the plot, preparing the site using seeds and or seedlings.

Vegetable gardening is like any other task we do. You simply have to start. Get started now on a garden which will bring you exercise, satisfaction and the bonus of fresh vegetables.

Dr. Larry Gildea has authored many articles on gardening. Dr. Gildea also created the Gardening Bonanza website, www.gardeningbonanza.com. Gardening Bonanza.com covers many types of gardening, including, bonsai design and cultivation, container gardening, flower gardening, rose gardening, hydroponics gardening and several others.

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