Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Grow Your Own Vegetables - Hard Work But Worth It

By Bill Lewis

We're all used to seeing rising prices, but the cost of food seems to have skyrocketed in the last few years. One way to protect yourself against high food prices is to grow your own vegetables. This is also a very good way to insure you will have plenty of fresh, wholesome food, even in the face of food shortages. Surprisingly, just about anyone can grow a good vegetable garden just about anywhere. You just have to put in a little hard work.

Starting a vegetable garden isn't difficult, but it will take some attention and time. By following some guidelines, however, you will soon be well on your way. If you have never had a vegetable garden before, you may find it easier to start on a small scale or even try container gardening. In this way, you can get used to how plants grow. You can also familiarize yourself with the amount of work you will need to do.

To grow your own vegetables, your garden should get six to eight hours of direct sunlight every day. So, even though it might be handy to have your vegetable garden near the house, be sure not to put it too close. You don't want your garden to be shaded by your house or any nearby trees.

Having the right soil is important. There are certain types of soil that are more difficult to grow things in. In order to improve the soil you should mix it with organic compost or a high quality fertilizer. It is best to mix these materials into the soil about 2-3 weeks before planting.

The soil you are using needs to have the proper drainage in order to help the plants to grow. When it rains you don't want the garden to retain too much moisture. This could drown the plants and keep them from growing properly. To prevent this from happening you can either dig ditches around the garden or you can install an agriculture tile pipe drain that will provide better drainage.

Vegetable seeds can be purchased almost anywhere where you can buy the gardening tools you need. There are a number of catalogs and online stores where you can purchase a large variety of seeds, including heirloom seeds. If you want your garden to be successful and your plants plentiful than you want to buy proven stock.

Keep in mind where you would like to place each of your plants. If you place markers first, you will be able to make nice, straight rows. Be sure to place your plants at even intervals. Be careful not to put them too close together. You want them to have plenty of room to grow and thrive. - 15438

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