Growing a Vegetable Garden
Growing your own vegetable garden is a great way to help the planet. Plants lower the amount of carbon in the air and help fight pollution. Growing your own fruits and vegetable also helps the environment in other ways. By growing your fruits and vegetables you can use organic materials and reduce the amount of pesticides that can runoff into our lakes and rivers. By lowering the amount of fruits and vegetable you purchase from your local grocery stores, you are lowering all the pollutants associated with the shipping of these foods. Many fruits and vegetables at your local grocer have traveled by semi truck or airplane across the country or worse yet have come from outside the United States. Food travels an average of 1,200 miles before it reaches your plate! The final asset from growing your own fruits and vegetables is safety. We are having more and more scares about different fruits and vegetables being tainted with Escherichia coli (e. coli) and other bacteria, By eating only organic fruit you have grown yourself you can eliminate fears about the safety of your food.
Site - Locate the garden near the house for convenience on a site close to a source of water with at least 6 hours of direct sunlight. With proper care, vegetables may also be included in the landscape among ornamental plants. Where possible, practice site rotation for weed and other pest control. Coastal sites are also suitable.
Soil Preparation - While most gardeners plant on whatever soil type is available in the garden plot, you may improve your soil by bringing in topsoil or a soil mix, or by applying liberal amounts of organic materials. To determine what kind of soil amendments are needed, have a soil pH test performed. This can be done at the local Extension Office for a small fee. Add amendments as determined by the pH test, and add fertilizers 4-6 weeks before planting. Till these into the top 6-8 inches of soil. Compost home yard and kitchen waste to use in the garden each season, or obtain free compost from the local landfill, if available. Spade or plow the plot at least 3 weeks before planting. Then rework the soil into a fine firm seedbed at planting time.
Choosing what to Plant- Every planting zone has a prime time for you to start a garden. Check with your local county extension service or find some master gardeners in your area to learn the best time for planting in your area. Generally you will want to start your garden after the fear of the last frost has passed. Some plants such as broccoli may need to be started inside and then transplanted when they are young seedlings. it is also important to find out which fruits and vegetables do best in your environment. My first year I tried to go broccoli and carrots in the spring here and Florida and I ran into problems. Although my broccoli grew to a massive height, it became too warm for it to flower and I never got any and broccoli heads.
Cover Crops - Off season planting and plow-down of green-manure crops is beneficial. In Florida, such summer legumes as cowpeas and hairy indigo are most often used. In winter try ryegrass plus lupine, and hairy vetch.
Learn to Can and Freeze- By learning how to can or freeze your vegetables you can enjoy the labors from your garden year round. Blanching and freezing green beans means you can not only eat them year round but you are also eliminating all the cans and paper labels that make their way into our landfills every year. Just think of all the money you can save while eating the best vegetables and fruits around!
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