by Jeffrey A. Moore

Created on: September 24, 2008   Last Updated: October 01, 2008

Have you ever wondered how to grow that ripe, juicy tomato? Or have you ever been in need of vegetable gardening tips? Well, there are some pretty basic principles to growing a vegetable garden. Allow me to offer these three letters of wisdom before you venture off into your own vegetable gardening: P. P. T.

What is P. P. T. you ask? Planning, Planting, and Tending. These are the three main steps to growing vibrant, flourishing vegetable gardens.

Planning:
Planning is always the most important step to any successful vegetable garden layout. There are some important things to consider before you fire up that rotor tiller and start digging in.

~How much time do you have to dedicate to your vegetable garden?
~What type of vegetables are you planning to grow?
~Are you starting from seed or plant or both?
~What size vegetable garden do you plan to utilize?
~Where do you plan to situate the vegetable garden?
~Does this area get enough sunshine?

Logically thinking things through and patient planning will produce great reward. It is recommended that you start small your first year to get a handle on things. Fifteen feet wide by thirty feet long is plenty of space to keep you busy and produce sizable results.

Planting:
Before planting a vegetable garden you need to consider where you live. Planting times vary throughout the United States due to weather conditions. Consult your local Farmers Almanac for optimal spring and fall planting times.

During the planning process you decided on an assortment of vegetables. Different vegetables are required to be planted at different depths and distances apart. Here are a few depth and spacing recommendations for your common kitchen garden:

~Bush Snap Beans 1-2 inches deep, 2 inches between plants, and 18-30 inches between rows.
~Sweet Corn 1-2 inches deep, 12 inches between plants, and 30-36 inches between rows.
~Slicing and Pickling Cucumbers 1 inch deep, 12 inches between mounds, and 4-6 feet between rows.
~Sweet Peppers inch deep, 18 inches between plants, and 3 feet between rows.
~Tomatoes -1/2 inch deep, 2 feet between plants, and 3-5 feet between rows.

When planting from seed you can usually get all the required information on the seeds package. Look for planting times, depth to plant, distance between plants, distance between rows, best soil ph, and days to maturity. However, the first year gardener might find it more convenient to purchase plants from the local gardening center.

Tending:
From pulling those tedious, never-ending weeds to picking a ripe tomato or cucumber, if you are a true gardener, you will find enjoyment and piece of mind in tending to your vegetable garden. Most weeds and bugs just look ugly; they won't really do much harm if you keep them away from the immediate area of your plants. Avoid weed killers and pesticides if at all possible. There are old remedies, like putting Epsom salt around the base of your plants to help keep bugs away, which are much healthier than chemicals. A nice compliment to your vegetable garden is to plant marigolds around the perimeter in a U shape. This gives it a nice colorful border.

Happy gardening!

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