Growing your own vegetables is an enjoyable pastime and contributes to a healthy lifestyle, offering fresh air, sunshine, exercise, and nourishing food.
If you are new to vegetable gardening, here are our five steps to get you started.
Step One
Select a site for your garden. This area should be in full sun, relatively flat, well-draining, and close to a water source.
Step Two
Determine what size your garden will be. This will depend on how many people are eating from your plot and how much time you have to care for your garden. If this is your first veggie garden, it is best to start small, so you are not overwhelmed. You can always increase the size next year.
Step Three
Prepare the bed. Strip off the sod and heavily amend the soil with at least 4 inches of quality compost. This will guarantee that your veggies get off to the best start possible. The compost may be either tilled or turned into the soil. Sprinkle an organic fertilizer listed for vegetables into the amended soil and rake it in. Level the ground, and you are ready for planting.
Step Four
Select the vegetables you’d like to grow and grow what you’d like to eat. It is, however, a good idea to keep it simple in the beginning. Here are some easy spring crops that can be direct seeded right into the garden after the last frost. Always read your seed packet, as it will provide you with the particulars of each vegetable you grow.
- Beets
- Carrots
- Lettuce
- Peas
- Radishes
- Scallions
- Spinach
As the soil and air temperatures rise, these cool-season crops will peter out. At that time, you may remove them, add an inch or two more of compost and fertilize again before planting your warm-season veggies.
- Beans
- Cucumbers
- Eggplant
- Peppers
- Squash
- Tomatoes
- Zucchini
Beans, cucumbers, squash, and zucchini may be directly seeded into the garden. On the other hand, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant should be planted in the garden as young plants.
Be sure to familiarize yourself with the plants that you are growing. Some vining plants, like peas and beans, may do best when trellised. Others, like tomatoes and peppers, require support with a cage or stakes and twine. Some plants, like zucchini and squash, are best planted into a slight mound of soil and left on their own to sprawl. Plants like beets, carrots, lettuce, radishes, scallions, and spinach require no support.
Step Five
Nurture your veggie plants to fruition. Ensure that they receive adequate water. Fertilize monthly during the growing season. Add a layer of mulch to keep the soil moist and weeds at bay. Check plants frequently for insect and disease damage, and consult Holland Mulch if you detect a problem. We will gladly assist you with a solution. Harvest your vegetables when ripe and, most importantly, enjoy!
