Planting A Vegetable Garden

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Posted by | Posted in Garden Layout | Posted on 21-08-2011

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Planting A Vegetable Garden Reaps Hidden Health Benefits

Planting a vegetable garden is a healthy way to relieve stress, eat healthier and safer - because you control what goes on your vegetables, provide better nutrition to your family with fresh vegetables, and get some exercise while enjoying the warm sun and environment.

You can challenge your creative side by laying out your vegetable garden so that your space looks great. Whether you have a huge area for a vegetable garden, a small area, or just a deck or patio by being creative you can use your space optimally. There is nothing more satisfying than growing your own vegetables in your own vegetable garden without the use of pesticides or chemicals, keeping you and your family that much healthier.

Planting a vegetable garden will promote good health and give you some nice gentle exercise. By planting and tending to your garden you control what you eat as well as how it is grown plus it just doesn’t getting any fresher than this.

Even apartment or flat dwellers can produce a nice size vegetable garden on their balconies. Most developments will allow flower box size gardens just pay attention to the weight. Remember a vegetable garden box 15cm(6") wide by 60cm(24") can weigh as much as 27Kg(60lbs) when wet from the rain so you do not want to hang it over the balcony for fear of it breaking loose and falling. Instead, secure it to the top of the ledge or on the balcony floor. You can also invest in brackets that will take the weight. That way you don’t have to worry about anyone getting hurt below if it falls.

Planting a vegetable garden outside will give you more exercise than you might realise and the good news is that it’s a nice gentle exercise so just about anyone can do it. All that planting, raking, pulling weeds, and watering so that your plants grow and produce delicious vegetables from your vegetable garden, provides you with an excellent low impact workout.

Starting a vegetable garden can be a little tougher and produce a little more exercise - but hey!... that's not a bad thing - is it?. You will need to prepare the soil for planting. Besides removing weeds and debris from your vegetable garden to be, you may need to have top soil or fertiliser brought in depending on the condition of the soil. Working the soil can give you quite a work out but you want it to be in optimum condition so that your vegetable garden is as healthy as possible.

You may need to frame your garden space so that the soil stays contained within your vegetable garden area and is easy to work on. If you are going to use a wood frame, do not use wood that has been treated with anything that can contaminate the soil. Framing your vegetable garden beds will also increase the depth of the soil giving better growing conditions for your plants.

When the soil is ready it’s time to start to plant out your vegetable garden. You will need to decide whether you want to use young vegetable plants or seeds. There are pros and cons to each. Young vegetable plants cost more but they give you the edge to get your plants rooted and growing. Seeds are cheaper but they may not all come up. Both are healthy so it’s really a personal choice.

Deciding to grow your own vegetables in your own vegetable garden is one of the smartest things you will ever do for you and your family. Not only are you going to get to enjoy some sunshine and thus get your vitamin D, you’ll get some exercise which these days we all can use a little more, and you are going to be feeding your family a lot healthier.

You’ll be feeding your family fresher fruits and vegetables that you get to control. You decide what fertilisers and pesticides are okay to use on your vegetable garden or whether you are going to do the smart thing and use natural products that will keep your family even healthier.

These days when we buy fresh vegetables at our grocery store or supermarket they often aren’t that fresh after spending days travelling. On top of that, too often they are picked too early which reduces the amount of nutrients you get. With your own vegetable garden, it just can't get any fresher and there is no need to pick early. There’s nothing like a fresh salad or a tomato picked right off the vine.

Planting a vegetable garden is going to give you good health in more ways than one - you will get a little exercise, excellent nutrition, chemical free vegetables, and you can spend a little time outdoors soaking up the nutrients the sun has to offer.

About the author: Laurence Ireland has long experienced the joys and challenges of planting a vegetable garden in his own back garden. Learn how to prepare, plant and harvest safe, nutritious vegetables. Taste the good life - be healthier and more content. Free growing tips emailed to you, Visit the: http://www.vegetable-garden-guide.com website.

Source: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=119804&ca=Gardening

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. QUESTION:
    Planting vegetable garden?
    I'm in FL. I would like to start a vegetable garden in my backyard. Can anyone suggest a good book to me (or even a website) that breaks it down to me step by step. I'm a novice.

    • ANSWER:
      To assist with your garden plan you may want to go to your County Agricultural Agent and they may have flyers about what will grow in your area, etc. You may have better luck growing things in the winter in Florida. I was just thinking that it may give you a better idea of just how big you want this first garden.

  2. QUESTION:
    I am planting a vegetable garden and Im worried about pests?
    so I am planting sugar snap peas, tomatoes, great lakes lettuce, spinach , and basil, and I am worried that there are going to be lots of nasty pests around like earwigs, aphids, etc. I live in oregon and last year I planted a garden and the crops were fine, but there were only tomatoes, and zucchini. Should I worry about pests with these new plants?

    • ANSWER:
      Contact your local county exstinion agent office, for good safe advice on what to do, and what to use, they are very helpful.

  3. QUESTION:
    Help!! Need a web site or something w/ calander or schedule for planting vegetable garden.?
    In northeast Tennessee, please anything will help. First time doing a garden!!

    • ANSWER:
      Following are three sites that address gardening in Tennessee that should help get you started;

      http://www.weather.com/outlook/homeandgarden/garden/carecalendar/37315?par=OAP&site=LAWNH&code=1002892635

      http://www.mooreandmoore.com/garden_calendar.htm

      http://www.mastergardener.net/tn/davidson/zone6.htm

      Hope this is what you were looking for!

      GOOD LUCK and HAPPY PLANTING!

  4. QUESTION:
    Is it better to use fresh seeds or packaged seeds when planting a vegetable garden?
    Just wondering what the advantages/disadvantages would be for each case. I work in a restaurant and can get 100's of seeds like tomatoes, pepper, eggplant, etc.. for free every day. I want to plant some at home to start my vegetable garden, will they work ok? Or will pre-packaged seeds grow better due to some coating or treatments?

    • ANSWER:
      As I am understanding your question, you are asking if you should take seeds from fresh food versus packaged seeds. Packaged seeds will be what they represent. The problem with taking seeds from fresh food, especially in a restaurant setting, is that you have no idea what you will get as the produce is likely hybrid varieties.

      That all changes if you are saving seeds from fresh heirloom vegetables as they come back true (unless, of course, they have been crossed during pollination). This is one of multiple reasons that people grow heirlooms.

      Remember that what you purchase in stores (used in most restaurants) is what has been "bred" to be good travelers for market and likely treated with various pesticides/fertilizers/etc. and not necessarily for flavor. Visit a friend's garden and get a tomato from them fresh off the vine and then get one from the grocery store - then you will understand.

      Seeds from fresh heirloom veggies are fine; they should grow back true (barring cross pollination). Packaged seeds give you what you think you are getting. Seeds from store produce - a guessing game.

  5. QUESTION:
    When should I start planting a vegetable garden?
    I want to grow some veggies in my backyard. I live in the mid-atlantic area. When is the best time to start planting and what are the plants most likely to thrive in this area?

    • ANSWER:
      I start my plants in the house (from seed) the beginning of March. I allow 2 weeks after the projected "last frost" before transplanting in the garden. Weather permitting, during that two week period, I set the plants outside to acclimate them for outdoor use. Only thing you can do now is to start getting the garden area ready for winter. I till my manure into the area about October so it has time to decompose before the growing sean starts.