Water
Gardening vegetables is an enjoyable, educational, and rewarding activity for families to do together. But successful vegetable gardens require careful planning, thoughtful plant selection, and quality soil. Vegetables grown in nutrient-rich, well-drained soil provide maximum flavor and nutrition; and non-toxic pest control is necessary to prevent harmful insects or diseases.
Vegetable gardens should be located in areas receiving at least six hours of direct sunlight daily – ideally, six or more. A garden site located in shade or on a slope will warm more slowly in springtime, and may experience light freezes at times. Vegetables benefit from receiving enough light; their growth improves and they become less vulnerable to diseases when receiving sufficient sun.
To ensure each vegetable receives enough water, the garden should be located near a potable water source. This makes watering easier; on average vegetables require one inch per week; when watering be sure to water the soil rather than splashing water on plants as many diseases are spread this way.
Once a garden area has been chosen and prepared, planting begins. Most vegetables should be planted from seeds; however, carrots and radishes should be started from starter plants instead. Seed packets or tags that accompany each plant provide information regarding planting instructions as well as proper spacing instructions.
Intensive vegetable gardens are created to maximize production by planting multiple types of veggies simultaneously, which makes the best use of your limited space. If your yard doesn’t allow for an in-ground garden, consider growing vegetables in containers or planting a raised bed instead; many people find they can successfully create intensive veggie gardens even in their front yards depending on neighborhood restrictions.
Interplanting herbs and flowers between vegetable plants is one way to increase yield and crop diversity, adding beauty and attracting insect pollinators, while simultaneously decreasing herbicide and pesticide needs. Also consider growing flowering vegetables such as kale and collards alongside your vegetables as this may deter insects that damage them.
Lighting
The sun is the single greatest influencer on how your vegetable garden produces, necessitating at least six hours of direct sunlight per day to achieve success. For best results, place it in an open and sunny location where soil can absorb the maximum amount of sunshine rays; creating rows running either north-south or east-west can maximize exposure for all your plants.
Before planting your vegetable garden, the soil must first be prepared. This process should occur either during fall or spring depending on your schedule and what’s growing at your chosen site. Dig the soil to loosen it and eliminate clumps of weeds or grass that could compete for nutrients and moisture with your desired vegetables. Once dug, amend it with compost or organic matter mixtures as appropriate to improve soil structure further.
Compost and organic matter addition to your soil will help create a great crumbly topsoil texture, improve drainage, reduce soil erosion and increase moisture retention in your soil – as well as providing essential nourishment to help vegetable plants flourish.
Water is one of the key elements to any veggie garden, and while you might not need to think much about it during some weeks or even months, there will always be those days where your vegetable patch needs irrigation. A rainwater collection system for your vegetable patch could easily be set up by placing water barrels near its most important areas like tomatoes, squash, eggplants and peppers.
Your vegetable garden can also be watered using a garden hose equipped with either a sprayer attachment or mist setting that won’t disturb seedlings. This method is an effective choice if watering by hand as you can be more selective about which plants to water; also a great alternative if soaker hoses or drip irrigation are unavailable – watering directly at each plant base will ensure soil surface moisture remains balanced, giving your veggies a healthy start!