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Food prices are on the rise – again. What can you do about it? How about growing your own food? Great idea – a vege garden is bound to shave valuable dollars off of your weekly shopping bill. But, how do you go about getting a vegetable garden off the ground? Here are 8 steps that will make the going easy:
(1) Consider the size of your garden. Will the garden be of sufficient size to yield enough produce to make the effort worthwhile? Will it be too big to be comfortably maintained? Of course this will depend to large degree on the space available.
(2) Try to find a piece of land with good soil. The best soil type for gardening is loam, which is a soft, dark and crumbly dirt. While it holds water, it also allows for drainage and is easy to dig. The other soils you are likely to encounter are clay and sand. With the addition of peat moss and bone meal, however, these can also be productive gardening bases.
(3) Prepare the soil for working. Soil to be sown in the spring should be thoroughly spaded and turned to a depth of about one foot the previous Autumn. This will allow moisture to seep in during the winter months.
(4) Work some fertilizer into the ground at the same time. Try to avoid chemical fertilizers. Animal manure and compost are wise alternatives.
(5) What vegetables will you grow? Obviously, you will choose ones that your family particularly enjoy. Also, those that are most expensive to buy in the supermarket would be good choices. Tomatoes are always a good choice. Getting the right mix of vegetables can have the unexpected bonus of warding off certain insects. For example, beans and potatoes work together to drive off various types of beetle.
(6) Draw up a plan on paper showing the lay-out of your garden. Take into account the amount of space needed between rows of each type of vegetable. Ensure that large vegetables, like corn, will not block the sunlight for smaller ones.
(7) Plant your garden according to your plan. Place seeds at the distances indicated in your plan and according to the depth indicated on the seed packet.
(8) Maintain the garden by hoeing it weekly to rid it of weeds. Give the garden a good watering once or twice per week. A thorough soaking, allowing the water to penetrate four to six inches, is better for plants than frequent shallow watering.
Gardening is a very rewarding experience. It will bring you great pleasure as you watch your family digesting the fruits (or should it be veges) of your labours. As a side effect, you will find the time spent getting back to nature a great stress reliever. So, what are you waiting for?
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