Having a vegetable garden is a fun and profitable activity. Plan to grow vegetables the family loves, then find the best location in your yard (or patio, garden in the middle of your house) to grow them. With a little time and attention, ripe and delicious vegetables will be on the table in your home.
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Method 1 of 3: Planning the Garden
Step 1. Decide what vegetables to plant
What vegetables do you like the most? Think about what vegetables you would like to have on your plate, then plan your vegetable garden. Many vegetables do well in a variety of climates, but it's a good idea to find out what vegetables grow well in your area before deciding what to grow.
- Decide to choose vegetables that need to be harvested at different times, so that you will get a harvest all the time and not just at the same time.
- Some types of plants can not grow well in certain areas such as in the area of origin. Find out if the vegetables you want to grow require a brief cold or if they wilt and die when the temperature gets too high. You may have to be more selective about what you plant, for example if you live in a climate with short summers or an area where there is not much water.
- Choose plants that require similar growth and soil conditions to make them easier to care for for your vegetable garden.
Step 2. Choose an area for gardening
Most vegetable crops require strong, full sun, so choose the part of the yard that gets the most sunlight for your vegetable garden. Avoid areas covered by houses or trees during the day. Choose an area that has good drainage and rich soil.
- You can tell if an area has good drainage by checking it after a heavy rain. If a puddle forms then the area is not suitable for vegetable gardens. If the water is absorbed quickly into the soil, then the area is suitable for a vegetable garden.
- Choose a relatively flat area without a lot of roots and rocks. This will make it easier to loosen the soil and prepare the beds for planting.
- If the soil seems poor quality or doesn't have good drainage, then you can still have a vegetable garden by making beds that will allow you to grow crops above soil level.
- Some vegetables also grow well in large pots. Peppers, tomatoes, and potatoes can be grown in pots, patios, or fire escapes if you don't have a yard.
Step 3. Design your garden
Now it's time to determine how much space is needed for the garden and what plants will be planted where. Different types of vegetable crops require different amounts of space, so know how much space you need for the plants you want to grow when you design your garden.
- You need to know how much space should be left between the seeds or seedlings you plant, as well as how much space is available for plants that are already fruiting when they start to grow. Squash, zucchini, and squash tend to take up a lot of space and produce lots of fruit, while potatoes, carrots, and lettuce are relatively manageable.
- Vegetable gardens are often planted in rows so that they can help you monitor each other's crops.
- It's important to leave extra space between rows to make it easier for you to walk through the garden while weeding, fertilizing, and watering plants, as well as harvesting vegetables when they are ripe.
Method 2 of 3: Preparation for Planting
Step 1. Purchase seeds and gardening supplies
Decide where to start with, whether with seeds or sprouting seedlings and buy them through a catalog or nursery. You also need to decide what gardening supplies to buy. A lot of gardening work can be done by hand using simple tools, but if you are planning to have a large garden, your life will be much easier if you have a tiller to help loosen the soil. Here are the things you will need:
- Seeds or seedlings. Many nurseries have a wide selection of seeds and seedlings, as well as staff who can help you figure out what types to buy. If you choose to plant with seeds, buy them no more than a few days before you plan to plant them.
- Fertilizer. A good natural fertilizer will provide extra growth to vegetable crops. Use bone meal (fertilizer from animal bones), blood meal (fertilizer from animals), or mixed fertilizer to apply to the soil. Compost is also great to use.
- Straw and topsoil. Vegetable crops need to be protected from wind and heavy rain when first planted. Decide if you want to use straw or a fine topcoat. You can also use dry grass to protect budding plants.
Step 2. Soil pulverizer
This tool is used to loosen the soil, make it easier for you to mix it with fertilizer, and make holes for vegetable crops. For small gardens, you can use a hoe and use all your strength, but you will need to buy or rent a loosening tool for gardens that are more than 3 square meters.
- Shovel and rake. These tools are used to make holes, move plants and soil around them, and are essential gardening tools.
- Ruler or measuring tape. Since vegetables need to be planted at different depths, it's important to have a ruler to measure the holes you make.
- Hose with water regulator. This tool has the ability to change the water pressure which is useful.
- Equipment for making fences. Creatures like rabbits, squirrels, deer, and other animals like to eat vegetables, so you need to build a fence around the garden.
Step 3. Prepare the soil
Mark your designated garden corners with stones. Clean the area within the boundary to keep it clear of rocks, roots, twigs, grass, and larger debris. Use a loosening tool, hoe, or rake to crush the soil into small pieces, depending on how deep the vegetables need to be to plant.
- If you are using fertilizer, mix it with the soil using a rake. Make sure to apply fertilizer evenly.
- Be sure to remove any boulders buried in the ground. The stones can interfere with plant roots. Taking the time to clear the rocks in the gardening area is a good thing.
- If you care about the quality of the soil in your yard, buy a soil tester to find out how much nutrients and organic matter it contains and its pH level. All of these factors determine how well vegetables grow and how nutritious your vegetables are. When you test the soil, you can add anything that is not in the soil.
Method 3 of 3: Growing Vegetables
Step 1. Make a hole and plant the seeds or vegetable seedlings
Use a shovel to make holes to the required depth with the various vegetables you are planting. Put a little fertilizer into each hole, then spread the seeds into the holes, or carefully insert the seeds. Cover the hole with topsoil and a layer of straw if needed.
Step 2. Water the garden
For the first few weeks, as the vegetables begin to take root, you will need to keep the topsoil moist. Use the small watering function on the hose to water the garden every day.
- Check the soil often. If it looks dry, wet the soil again.
- Do not water the garden at night. If the water stays overnight and doesn't soak into the soil or evaporates, it can cause mold to develop.
Step 3. Weed the grass in the garden
As vegetables begin to sprout, pay attention to non-veg plants that may also take advantage of the fertilizer and water you provide. Take the grass close to the roots and pull it gently, then throw it in an area away from the garden so the seeds don't spread. Be careful not to pull out the newly sprouted vegetables.
Step 4. Keep nuisance animals out of the garden
Before the vegetable crops begin to bear fruit, you will need to build a fence to keep rabbits and squirrels from entering the garden. A wire fence that is commonly used to make a chicken coop can be a powerful way. If deer enter the garden, you will need to build a larger fence.
Step 5. Treat vegetables according to their needs
Water the vegetables, prune, and fertilize as needed. Continue to weed the grass in the garden as the vegetables grow throughout the dry season. When it's time to harvest the vegetables, take the ripest ones first and allow the rest to grow.
Tips
- Keep the garden clean and tidy to look good and help the plants to grow.
- For better plant growth and grass control, cover the entire garden area with straw.
- Make a fence around the garden to make it more secure.
