How To Grow Your Own Vegetables
Organic gardening is not as difficult as many beginning gardeners believe it is. There is a bit more work and increased attention level to the details of an organic garden than in a regular garden. Here we give you a complete guide to growing your own organic vegetables.
How to grow your own vegetable. With the proper guidance, you will soon discover it’s not anywhere near as difficult as you would think to have your own healthy garden full of organic products.
Organic Gardening simply means that you are planting your garden without using synthetic fertilizers to make the plants grow and chemical pesticides to control the bugs. Organic gardening is one way to save money on your grocery bill.
Better yet, eating organic produce protects your health. Even fruits and vegetables labeled as “organic” at the grocery store sometimes are not organic at all. If you grow your fruits and vegetables yourself, you will know exactly what you are getting, and save a small fortune in the long run.
By choosing to work with nature, you make nature your ally. Organic gardening is easy to learn if you have the time and motivation to grow your own crop. For those willing to plan carefully and perform timely gardening tasks, gardening can be very worthwhile.
A vegetable garden can produce a steady supply of vegetables from spring to fall. These vegetables can be harvested at optimum maturity and eaten or preserved while fresh.
Fresh vegetables may be higher in flavor and nutritive value and lower in cost than purchased vegetables, which may have been harvested several days earlier.
Vegetable production provides healthful exercise and interesting outdoor activity for the entire family. Many gardeners feel a sense of accomplishment; self-sufficiency and security accompanying a successful garden are other significant rewards of gardening.
- It is not only a kneeler but also a seat, you can use it as a kneeler when weeding and also can use it as a seat when fishing
- One large tool bag has 4 pockets, and another small tool bag has 3 pockets, it is very convenient to keep your tools outdoor
- You can also take it down anytime, its easy to clean
- With portable and foldable stool, light-weight, our kneeler is easy to storage, and it will not take up too much your space
- Uses foam-padded cushion and durable stool, the foam cushion can make you more comfortable after a long time stopping and avoid possible injuries
- Max weight is 330 lbs
Site Selection
A good garden site is essential for high vegetable yields. Poor sites not only produce low yields but may also be extremely difficult to grow a garden on at all. Choose a garden site with deep, medium-textured, well-drained, nearly level soil.
Fine-textured, clay soils stay wet late into the spring, are difficult to work, and crust badly. Sandy soils dry out quickly and require frequent nutrient applications.
Excessive slopes erode. A slight slope, however, is desirable to prevent cool air from collecting and forming a frost pocket.
Most garden vegetables require six hours of sunlight or more per day to produce well. The more the garden is shaded, the slower the vegetables will grow and the lower their yields will be.
Trees and large shrubs not only shade gardens but also use nutrients and water needed for proper vegetable growth.
A site near the house makes it more convenient to care for the garden and to harvest vegetables. Water is available for transplanting and irrigation.
Children or animals in the garden can be observed, and the garden may be protected from these and other potential problems.
Planning the Garden
A garden plan will save time, space, and money. Yields will be increased, as will the length of the harvest season. Begin by making a scale drawing of your available garden area on graph paper.
Divide the drawing into cool-season and warm-season vegetable planting areas. Cool-season vegetables are those such as onions, cabbage, radishes, and English peas. They require cool weather to grow and mature properly and can withstand some frost.
Cool-season vegetables are planted in the early spring and again in the fall. Warm-season vegetables require warm weather to grow properly and are planted after the soil has warmed up.
Frost will kill warm-season vegetables. Examples of warm-season vegetables include okra, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, and tomatoes.
The cool-season section of the garden will be planted early and harvested in time to be replanted. Alternate the cool and warm-season areas of the garden each year to reduce plant pest problems.
Tools and basic equipment
Trowel
Handy for moving seedlings to the beds. Also ideal for making drills for the plants. Cuts without damage. The trowel is one of those tools that gardeners just cannot do without.
Our choice of trowel below is one that many other gardeners have chosen because of its excellent construction and very good make.
- Ideal for digging when planting, taking up plants, turning up earth and more
- Ergonomically designed handle reduces hand and wrist fatigue while weeding
- Cuts through tough turf cleanly
- Polished aluminum head resists rust for lasting va
Hoe
Hoes are used for weeding and gardening. The steel blade sinks into the earth to remove weeds and stir the soil, thus giving keeper plants more moisture, nutrients, and growing space.
This Hoe is one that has been highly praised and is well thought of by those who have bought it. A grand design to help to reduce any strain on your back.
- Added handle: Extra handle for added leverage helps reduce the strain on your back
- Large blade: 6.13 Shank blade
- Lightweight: durable design that weighs under 5
Secateurs
Secateurs should fit your hand comfortably. Use them to make clean, accurate cuts. Those tools are best used by adults. Should children need to use them, ensure adult supervision at all times!
- The unique and effective ratchet mechanism uses leverage to make cuts with a fraction of the effort of conventional pruners.
- The sharp blade cuts though wood with ease and still great for delicate cuts.
- With over 30 years of experience in a family-run nursery, The Gardener’s Friends developed the perfect pruning shears.
- The ratchet system in these pruners can cut things as small as flower blossoms to 3/4 inch branches like a hot knife through butter.
- As we age, things become harder to do; these secateurs have an ergonomic design that makes handling and using them easy, safe and simp
Hand fork
Good for weeding around the plants and aerating the soil. Ideal for turning the soil.
Watering can
Use a watering can if you have one or simply punch a few holes in a plastic bottle.
- Contracted Nordic Style: Fluent line design, chic aesthetic feeling, let you harvest happiness from it.
- Every Drop of Water Clearly Visible: Thickened PS resin pot body, firm and strong, transparent pot body design, water level is clearly visible, easy to control the water flow.
- Large Water Storage Capacity: The pot body has a large water storage capacity of 1.4L, which can reduce the trouble of frequent irrigation and lengthen the spout to make it easier to water.
- Comfortable and Easily Use: The master of fruity line supplies more comfortable, watering plant experience.
- Tip: It is not recommended to use corrosive spray, which may damage the kett
Spray bottle
Use for spraying plants, getting rid of dust, and treating pests.
Soil Preparation
Begin soil preparation by removing old plant supports, plastic mulches, excessive vegetative residues, and other debris from the garden area several weeks before planting to allow the soil to dry out.
The amount of plant residue that may be turned under depends on how large the pieces are, how the garden will be turned and how long before the area will be worked.
Long cucumber or tomato vines, for example, may be spaded or plowed under but may tangle on the tines of a rototiller.
Cover crops and thick mulch or crop residue should be turned in under six weeks or more before planting. This will promote decay and reduce nutritional and insect and disease problems in the garden.
Rototiller
The tool that helps you to turn your garden soil over with ease, and cuts down the hard graft of using a spade to do the job.
- 6 adjustable tines
- Adjustable 11 To 16 Width/ 8 Working depth
- Powerful 13.5 amp
- Comfortable ergonomic handle. Assembled product dimensions (L x w x h)-40.00 x 19.00 x 42.00 inches
- Lightweight, easy to operate, and convenient to store.Tine length:16 i
Adding three pounds of ammonium nitrate per 1000 square feet of soil surface before turning organic materials under will speed decay considerably.
Turning under significant amounts (an inch or more) of plant materials such as compost, organic mulches, leaves, or cover crops annually will accumulate soil organic matter content and improve most garden soils.
The moisture-holding capacity will improve, as will the soil structure and nutrient-holding capability. Root penetration will improve on clay soils, and soil crusting will be reduced.
Seeding and Spacing
The best way to grow healthy plants is to keep your own seeds or buy them from certified organic shops. The seed is the part of the plant that we sow in our garden.
Good seeds are clean, germinate quickly and are resistant to pests or disease.
Proper spacing among rows and between plants within rows is essential for maximum production of high-quality vegetables. Be sure to plant in a good seedbed, as described previously under soil preparation.
Planting on ridges will further ensure excellent stands of cool-season vegetables and make them easier to plant at the proper time. Ridges promote germination early in the spring because they warm up and dry out quickly.
Ridges also reduce the chance of spring vegetables being flooded during heavy rains. Later in the season, ridges may reduce germination or plant growth by drying out too quickly.
The soil must not be allowed to crust or dry out before seedlings emerge.
Sand, compost, potting soil, or similar materials may be placed overseed to prevent crusting in gardens with heavy clay soils. It is also important that the seed be planted at the correct depth.
As a general rule, seeds should be planted at a depth equal to two to four times their diameter.
Plant shallowly early in the spring when the soil is wet and cold and a little deeper in the summer when soils are drier. Plant shallowly in heavy clay soils and a little deeper in light sandy soils.
Timing Plantings
The recommended planting dates for each type of vegetable are quite different. There is also considerable variation as to the heat or cold tolerance of each vegetable.
Plant within the recommended planting interval for each vegetable to ensure that the vegetable will have the maximum chance of growing and maturing properly.
Within the planting interval for a crop, you will often have adequate time to stagger several plantings. With many vegetables, such as lettuce, you may prefer a small but steady supply rather than a lot all at once.
One of the best ways to achieve this is by making several small plantings two or more weeks apart. The same technique is appropriate for corn.
With corn, the first planting can be larger if you plan to preserve some. This large initial planting may be followed by one or smaller plantings made when plants of the previous planting have three fully developed leaves.
Transplants
Some vegetables are easier to grow from transplants than from seeds. Beginning with transplants rather than seeds will also speed vegetable maturity. Other vegetables, such as sweet potatoes or Irish potatoes, may not be commonly grown from true seed.
Thus, gardens will probably contain vegetables grown from transplants, slips, or seed pieces and from true seeds. Cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant are usually transplanted into the garden rather than direct-seeded.
Cantaloupe, cucumbers, squash, and watermelon may be transplanted if they are grown in individual containers and are transplanted without disturbing their roots.
These vining vegetables should be seeded in containers 3 inches or more across and transplanted about three weeks after seeding. Most home gardeners purchase transplants rather than growing them.
Transplants for Home Gardens
When buying transplants, select short, stocky, healthy plants without yellowing or dying leaves. Avoid plants with dead spots or insects on the leaves.
Choose plants in large containers over plants in smaller containers and plants in small containers over bare-root plants.
Do not buy broccoli or cauliflower plants that are already forming heads. Irrigation Vegetables require 1 to 1½ inches of water per week for maximum production.
Most years have dry periods when irrigation will increase growth, fruit set, total yield, and quality.
The easiest way for most gardeners to irrigate is with a sprinkler. Apply water slowly to prevent runoff and erosion. Place several cylindrical containers in the area covered by the sprinkler to measure the water applied.
Apply 1 to 1½ inches of water, then do not irrigate again for several days. Frequent shallow watering promotes shallow root growth, which is easily damaged by cultivation or dry periods.
Irrigation early in the day so plants will dry before the night is less likely to spread diseases. Weed Control Weeds compete with vegetable plants for water, nutrients, and sunlight. Weeds reduce yields and may cause crop failure unless they are controlled.
There are several methods of controlling weeds. Commercial vegetable growers use a combination of mechanical methods and chemical weed killers called herbicides. Most herbicides are not recommended for home gardens.
Hoeing and cultivating are the most common methods of weed control for home gardeners. Hoe or cultivate shallowly to avoid losing soil moisture or cutting the roots of desirable plants.
Hand-pull weeds in or very near the vegetable row. There will be less damage to vegetable plants if weeds are removed while they are small.
Both plastic and organic mulches may also control weeds. The use of proper cultural practices will also help control weeds. Never allow weeds or vegetable crops to develop mature seeds in or near the garden.
Cultivate to prevent weeds from seeding, even if vegetable production is finished. If erosion is likely to be a problem, the vegetable garden area may be kept mowed when not in use.
Insect and Disease
Control Garden vegetables are susceptible to many insect and disease problems. Unless these problems are effectively controlled, they reduce vegetable quantity and quality.
Begin control of garden insects and diseases by following good cultural and sanitation practices.
Rake and burn or bury insect-infested or diseased plant residues after harvest so these problems will not overwinter in the garden. Turning plant residues under in the fall allows them ample time to decay before spring.
Avoid the use of diseased plant material in a compost pile. Keep weeds and fence rows mowed. Rotate families of vegetables among different areas of the garden each year. Grow resistant varieties. Do not save seeds if diseases are present.
When insect and disease problems occur, they must be identified and treated as soon as possible if the damage is to be minimized. Gardeners should always be careful to apply chemicals according to the instructions on the container.
Some diseases are present every year and are more easily controlled if preventative treatment begins soon after seedlings emerge or transplants are set in the garden. Other diseases and many insects should be treated as soon as they appear.
Sprays are usually more effective than dusts because they provide better coverage and are less likely to burn or otherwise harm growing plants. Compressed air sprayers are superior to other types of home garden sprayers.
Harvesting Many vegetables must be kept harvested if the plants are to maintain production.
Allowing oversized green beans, okra, summer squash, or cucumbers to remain on vegetable plants will reduce future yields significantly.
Vegetables that ripen such as tomatoes and peppers will have greater nutritional value if they are harvested when fully ripe.
Conclusion
Growing your own organic vegetables can be very rewarding, satisfying, and give you the knowledge that they are completely free of pesticides and any other packaging germs.