Harvest fresh vegetables from your own garden.
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There are many benefits to vegetable gardens. Growing your own produce reduces your reliance on conventional industrial farming and its use of chemical fertilizers and insecticides. You are also cutting down on fossil fuels used to transport produce from one part of the country to another. Best of all, the food you harvest from your own garden is healthy and fresh -- and it comes at a fraction of the cost of buying it from your grocer.
Location
Select a spot for your garden and learn where your location falls in terms of growing zones. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has divided the country into 11 separate hardiness zones, and these will guide you in seed selection and planting dates. If you live in a colder, northern climate, you will want to select shorter-season varieties of melons, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and winter squash. Warmer, southern climates allow you to select long- and short-season varieties and to plant earlier. Contact your agricultural extension service or use the information in Reference 1 to find your zone. No matter where you live, pick a spot for your garden that is well-drained and that gets at least six hours of full sun each day
Beds
Raised-bed gardens have so many points in their favor that the extra work it takes to make them is all worthwhile. Soil won't be compacted by foot traffic, and it warms up sooner in the spring. Drainage is improved, weeds are easier to keep under control, and you have a larger growing area since you can plant right to the edge of the box. Soil structure is enhanced, and watering can be targeted to the beds. Build boxes using 2-by-6-inch untreated lumber or rot-resistant wood like cedar. Make the boxes anywhere from 3 to 5 feet wide, as long as you can comfortably reach your plants, and at least 12 inches high (see References 2 and 3).
Healthy Soil
Healthy soil is the foundation of productive, healthy plants. Start by getting your soil tested through the local extension agency. That will tell you which soil amendments you might need, like limestone to "sweeten" the soil (make it less acidic) or nitrogen to enhance plant growth. An ingredient you should be sure to add is compost. You can make your own organic compost in six months or so by piling table scraps and plant waste in your yard, or you can buy it from a garden store. References published by the University of Florida report that compost helps vegetables survive stress, supports the life of the soil, enhances soil's ability to hold nutrients and water, and improves soil structure. Apply it to your soil at least three weeks before planting, since it releases nutrients slowly (see References 4).
Planting
Vegetables start from seeds or transplants. Treat yourself to a morning of looking through garden catalogs or online sites. Mix it up a little and combine varieties you recognize with some heirloom or rare seeds. Consider starting a small asparagus patch. It will be a couple of years before you can harvest spears, but the patch should remain productive for 15 years. Plant cool-season crops like cabbage, broccoli, beets, onions and lettuce as soon as the ground can be worked in the spring. Warm-season crops like tomatoes, squash, melons, eggplants and peppers should be planted when the soil is warm and all danger of frost has passed. In shorter-season climates, purchase warm-season crops as transplants so they have enough time to produce mature fruit (see References 5).
- National Gardening Association: USDA Hardiness Zone Finder
- "Weedless Gardening"; Lee Reich; Workman Publishing; 2001.
- University of Minnesota Extension: Raised Bed Gardens
- University of Florida IFAS Extension: Organic Vegetable Gardening
- University of Minnesota Extension: Planting the Vegetable Garden
Suzanna Didier's work appears in various online publications, including the National Geographic website and Local.com. She lives on a hobby farm, direct-markets her organic produce to local restaurants and has taught at the preschool, elementary and college levels. Didier holds a Master of Arts in education from the University of Oregon.
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