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Should We Be Planting A Vegetable Garden?

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Does Planting a Vegetable Garden Make A Difference?

We have heard it before, we need to be eating lots and lots of vegetables. Of course it is a scientific fact that eating vegetables has a significant impact on our health, no doubt there at all. Most, if not all health conscious persons, will not have any issue here, but what many will think twice about is growing these vegetables at home.

I will agree that many will consider it too much to grow their own vegetables for various reasons. Those who think otherwise will come to know and accept the difference in freshness quality and potency that come from growing their own fresh organic vegetables. If you are in that group but want to know how to start or want to get better at it, the article below will get you on your merry way.

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Planting A Vegetable Garden

If you’re looking for ways to save money and eat healthier this year, then consider planting a vegetable garden at home! They look great and will provide you with delicious food.  A $2 tomato plant can provide you with 10lbs of delicious, fresh food in a single season! Most people say that vegetables grown at home often exceed the both the flavor and texture of food bought in a grocery store. The best part about vegetable gardens though would be their low barrier of entry and low upkeep difficulty. Once you finish this blog you should be ready to get out there and start your first garden!

WHERE TO START?!

There are many things to take into consideration when planning a vegetable garden.  It can seem a little overwhelming at first.  From growing cycles to watering time, allotment size to proper spacing and planting calendars, it’s enough to make anyone’s head spin! Learning what to plant, when and how to tend them can seem like a daunting task, but don’t worry, we have the basics covered for you!

WHAT TO PLANT

To determine how much space you need, figure out how much space a typical plant will take out. Howstuffworks.com has a great guide HERE that details how much space each plant will take up. Remember that certain plants will continue to provide food throughout the season such as tomatoes, peppers, and squash. Strategically plan how many of these plants you want in your garden to prevent yourself from becoming overwhelmed and potentially wasting vegetables!

What are the easiest vegetables to grow for a beginner though? Here, we put together a list of the 10 easiest vegetables to grow in New England.

Summer Squash
Carrots
Green Beans
Spinach
Tomatoes
Radishes
Cucumbers
Basil
Lettuce
Bell

 

If you’re a first-time gardener, pick out a few of the plants above that you or your family would love.  Take some time to sketch out what your plot will look like on graph paper.

When it comes to vegetable gardens, there are three main rules for planting:

Full Sun
Plenty of Water
Good Soil
Full Sun – Vegetables typically require 6-8 hours of sunlight a day. If they don’t get enough sunlight,  they tend to under-produce and are more susceptible to insects and diseases.

Plenty of Water – Most vegetables are not very drought tolerant.  They will need a nice steady stream of water to stay healthy and vibrant.   You can help make this part of the job easier on yourself if you locate your garden close to a water source.

Good Soil – We say it all the time at Koopman – “Success Starts with Soil.” This is certainly true with vegetable plants. Moist, well-drained soil that’s rich in organic material is the best start that you can give your garden.  Pay attention to the soil’s pH level and enrich it with organic feed such as compost.

We recommend planting as close to the house as you can for two reasons. As we mentioned before, this allows you quick access to a water source. It also makes harvest time easier.

LAYOUT THE GARDEN
We’re going to use a common technique on this garden called “Row Cropping”. This is exactly what you would expect a garden to look like, rows of vegetables with walking paths in between. this works best for medium to large gardens and allows you get in mechanical weeders to take care of the nitty gritty.

Plant each row about 18″ apart to provide the optimal amount of walking space between your plants and gives you a chance to see the plant from every angle if you should need to inspect it up close. Make sure that the taller plants (should you be planting tomatoes, cucumbers, pole beans, ect.) are planted on the north side so they don’t block your other plants from getting sunlight!

HAVING GOOD SOIL

As we noted earlier, healthy soil will have the proper pH level and contain plenty of organic matter. If you need your soil’s pH tested, bring a coffee can size …..

Read the rest of this article at koopmanblog.com

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