by Sammy Stein

Created on: March 23, 2009

Nothing tastes quite so good as vegetables straight from the garden and nothing provides quite the satisfaction of growing your own but many people are put off taking those first steps as it can seems as if there is a strong possibility of failure. However, by following a few rules, you will soon be able to grow some crops of your own.

First, keep it simple. During your first year go for some easier crops because growing lots of different coprs will take time and is hard work and if this is your first year, it is better to grow three or four crops successfully than try to grow several and not achieve the outcome you wanted.

Rotating your crops is important - this is not simply because people want a change but it is to prevent pests in the soil - which are particular to certain groups of crops- from reaching populations which cannot be controlled. For instance, potato cyst eelworm like potatoes (surprise!) and if you grow potatoes in the same place for several years, the pest continues to multiply but remove the host crop and the pest disappears.

So, choose the area on which you are going to grow vegetables - it does not need to be large, even a window box, pot or a couple of metres of ground will do. Choose the crops you are going to grow and then do the most important job - prepare the ground. Nothing ensures success quite like well prepared ground so dig it to remove any weeds, alter the pH to suit the crops you are going to grow and add organic material if necessary. Rake it to a fine tilth and level it before you go anywhere near the seed packet (or seedlings if you are planting this way).

Then, read the instructions and plant in the right kind of soil, with the right pH at the right time of year. One of the biggest causes of failure is simply using the wrong plants and planting them in the wrong place. The old adage 'right plant, rightplace' is really true when it comes to vegetables.

Care for your crops and thin, transplant and keep weed free as instructed in any good gardening book. Make sure you keep an eye out for pests and remove them or treat them as necessary (plant companion plants if you want to avoid aphids). Watch them as they grow, keep them irrigated and tenderly care for them. The plants should reward you by bursting forth with life, maturing and providing an edible crop.

Once you have had success with a few easier crops, you can try other techniques like catch crops, intercropping and branching out in the varieties you grow. With vegetables, the key to long term success is letting yourself break into it easy. Grow crops likely to succeed, seek advice from those with experience, use books and directories and gain confidence. THen, who knows what you will grow?

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