by Mary Griffiths

Created on: June 28, 2009

Would you like to save money, eat healthy and have fun? Do you need some tips on creating and maintaining a vegetable garden? Well I'm here to help you. I suggest starting small with a variety of vegetable so you can see what works best for you. First of all you need to decide on your location. Most plants will need at least eight hours of sunshine, so pick a spot that's nice and sunny. Next, use a rototiller to till up the ground. You will need to add in some compost or cow manure that will act as a natural fertilizer. Let that sit overnight and re-till again the next day until the ground is a nice consistency.

Now it's time to get your plants and seeds in. Plants like peas, lettuce, onions, raddishes and brocolli prefer cooler weather so plant as early as your weather allows. Things like tomatoes, green beans and cucumbers prefer not only warm days but warm nights as well. Try to wait to plant these things until you no longer have frost and the nights are an average of 55 degrees. You can always just check to package or label for directions on planting in your area.

Now that the soil is ready and the weather is cooperating it's time to plant. Dig a shallow trench with a hoe the length of your garden. Add in a little 5-10-5 fertilizer down the entire row and cover lightly so the fertilizer won't directly touch the seed. With a watering can, pour a light bit of water into the row to help the seed sprout. The package will tell you how far apart to space the seeds. Fine seeds such as carrots, radishes and beets only need to be covered with 1/4 to 1/2 inch of soil after. Bigger seeds such as peas and green beans need a 1/2 to 1 inch of soil on top. The seed should start to sprout in around 10 days.

You can also start some things by plants rather than seed. Thing such as cucumbers, beans, peas, squash, pumpkins and gourds can be planted this way to get a head start. For tomatoes, dig a hole around 6 inches deep and add some fertilizer. Cover lightly with soil. Put the plant in and heap up the soil around it to keep it in a sturdy position. Use a stake or tomato cage to help keep the plant up when it gets bigger. The cucs, squash, pumpkins and gourds should be planted in "hills". This means plant 6-8 in a spot. Dig the hole for each plant and heap soil around to hold it up.

In a few weeks you'll start to see your plants taking shape. You need to keep the weeds out. I like to use a small rototiller in between the rows. Then I go down the rows and hand weed the plants. In order to help keep the critters out of the garden I take some strong smelling soap like Irish Spring and shred it up. Then i tie it into bundles in some netting and tie these bundles to a stick and put into the ground in various spots. The animals don't like the smell and stay out. If you have slugs or insects you can set out shallow dishes with a little beer in them and the bugs will go right into the dishes.

After a couple months it's harvest time. Try to pick the vegetable when the dew has dried up. Too much touching of wet plants can cause disease. If you have too much you can always freeze or can your harvest. I hope my tips have helped you. Enjoy!

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