The Vegetable Garden
The right plan leads to more good tastes,
less food waste.
Home grown produce just seems to taste better... and there's a
reason. Corn, beans, peas, tomatoes and other vegetables taste best
when they're fresh-picked. Store-bought
vegetables often have to be picked days ahead of when they appear
on the produce shelves, and sometimes that means they're picked a
little greener, and allowed to "ripen" in transit. With your own
vegetable garden, you can pick them when they're at the peak of
perfection. Yum!
The best vegetable gardens start with two solid foundations: good
soil and a good plan.
Your soil can be improved by ensuring there is good drainage, and
lots of organic matter present. Compost is one of the best soil
improvers you can possibly find. If you're not already composting,
start soon. It,s a great use for food scraps (except for meats and
dairy products) and an ideal way to "recycle" leaves, grass
clippings and garden vegetation. If you don't have compost, try
mixing some peat moss or well-rotted manure into the garden.
Take the time to measure your garden area, and draw it out on
paper. That way, when you're at the garden center, standing in
front of the seed packet
display, you won't be tempted to pick and choose like you would at
the salad bar. This approach is a recipe for
frustration.
Here are a few things to
consider when laying out your garden:
1. Relate choices and number of plants to timing. A dozen heads of
lettuce may not sound like a lot, but it is if they're all ready on
the same day. If you need more, consider earlier and a later-
maturing varieties. You could also plant the same
variety at one or two-week intervals. Just make sure they will have
time to mature before frost is likely.
2. Plant vegetables your family will enjoy eating. (ie. you can
probably get Junior to weed the peas more easily than the turnips,
if you're making the
garden a family project).
3. Make sure you allow enough room for each type of vegetable to
get the light it needs, and grow to the full size. Once the risk of
spring frost has passed, you can plant seeds or transplant
directly into the
garden. Or if you prefer, you can start them indoors in containers
and then transplant.
Once the soil has warmed up (later in the spring) it's a good idea
to mulch around the plants to conserve moisture and
prevent weed growth. Use straw, sawdust, leaves, bark or manure.
Another option is to lay plastic film or paper on the ground, and
poke holes through it for your vegetable plants.
Once the garden is established, it will benefit from regular
weeding, watering and feeding. Use a good quality fertilizer like
PINK Vigoro, Instant Vigoro Water-soluble Vegetable Food or Vigoro
Granular Vegetable Food.
You'll have to keep a constant watch for all kinds of pests, too.
All kinds of critters, from rabbits to insects will want to help
you enjoy the garden. Fences will keep out the larger types, while
a variety of options are available for insects. If you can, control
insects by picking them off by hand or use a mild insecticidal
soap. More toxic insecticides should be avoided wherever
possible on food crops. If you do use them, follow label directions
carefully.
Good luck with your vegetable garden this year. And if you do have
good luck... bon appetit!
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