Planting Your First Vegetable Garden.

How To Get Your

Garden Ready And Plant Your Vegetable Garden.
Planning Your New Vegetable Garden
Planting your first vegetable garden is always an exciting event. Visions of red, ripe tomatoes,
crunchy green peppers and sweet, sweet corn dance through your imagination. And nothing tastes
better than hot, buttered summer squash with a dash of salt and pepper.
In order to fulfill the promise of each tiny seedling, a little planning is necessary. Vegetables have
very particular sun/shade needs, along with individual soil conditions. The first thing you need to
learn is how much sun each veggie requires. Next are their growth habits. Some vegetables are
indeterminate and sprawl all over the place, bearing multiple crops. Cucumbers, squash, melon and
tomatoes fit this category.
Determinate plants are much bushier in their growth habit and only bear one crop of fruit. This
makes them ideal for small spaces or containers. Tomatoes, squash, cucumbers and certain melons
fit this class of plant.
The indeterminates can be staked or trained up fences and trellises to save room. Under ideal
conditions they can be prolific bearers, so its important not to over plant. The plants we are talking
about here are tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.
Prepare the soil in the beds ahead of time. Be certain all rocks, debris and weeds are removed.
Using black plastic as a mulch around cucumbers and melons helps keep wet soil away from leaves
and helps speed ripening. Once the bed is prepared, lay the plastic down and cut openings to place
the plants in. Cucumbers are very prone to mildew from wet leaves so this method really helps cut
down on the problem.

Always water new starts as soon as they are all planted to get them off to a healthy start. I
recommend feeding them with fish emulsion to help them establish better. If you dont let them dry
out or become weed choked, You will wake up each morning to bigger, healthier plants.
Topic of Discussion: Which vegetable have you always wanted to grow, but were afraid to try?
Lesson 1: Preparing The Soil
This lesson covers all aspects of building great garden soil, from understanding pH, to learning

about different soil types, to amending, composting and side dressing. This is the true key to having
a great garden.
Taking the time to analyze and understand your soil composition will give you valuable tools for
building an ideal garden. If you are a new home owner, facing a bare lot, this becomes especially
crucial. Think of the lot as an empty palette, just waiting to be filled with bright color and texture.
The background of this palette is your soil.
Before doing anything else, remove all debris and rake smooth. Any weeding should be done before
any soil adjusting gets started. Using a level, look for low spots in the garden. These need to be filled
in to avoid swampy, boggy areas. Use only sterile topsoil for this purpose. You dont want to
introduce soil borne disease or pests into the new garden. Once the leveling is done, and necessary
drainage created, you can then begin to work your soil.
A rototiller is a gardener's best friend. Even a small yard will benefit from the aerating and
loosening these machines provide. The Troy Built or Mantis tillers are compact, easy to use and can
help avoid back strain by doing the heavy work for you.
Use the tiller in stages. The first week, make several passes through the soil to begin the loosening
process. You will feel the soil resistance begin to lessen as you go through the garden over and over
again.
The following week, add your chosen amendments and till in again, making several passes.
The third week, remove any large clods, stones and debris. Run the tiller through again. Stoop down
and feel the soil. If it has reached a good, earthy texture, you are ready to begin planting. If it is still
not right, go through the soil with the tiller again a few times. Rake the area smooth, water lightly to
dampen, and you are ready to go.
Different Soil Textures
Ideally, your soil should be slightly crumbly, hold together lightly when gently squeezed and release
easily. This is the good earth we all dream of and work so hard to achieve. Simply tossing bags of
premixed soils on top of the underlying soil isnt the solution.
What type of soil is in your own garden? Is it adobe? Too sandy? How can you tell? Pick a handful of
soil up in your hand and squeeze it lightly together. Feel the texture as you're doing this. Is it heavy
and cold? Does it feel gritty or sandy? Now open your hand and release the soil. Does it fall apart
completely? Does it remain in a hard cold clump? Answering these questions will tell you what type
of soil you are dealing with.
Heavy clay soil is the bane of a gardeners existence. With its tough, seemingly impenetrable nature,
and its tendency to compact and choke off roots, it can cause real problems in the garden. There are
several degrees of clay, from the adobe-like concrete that is next to impossible to work with, to a
lighter clay, which benefits from amending. If you have a true concrete type clay that softens very
little, even with watering, raised beds are the perfect solution.
Lighter clay soils benefit from products like GreenSand or gypsum that work to break up the soil.
Using a rototiller and working this type of soil over and over again, and adding amendments like
peat, compost and garden sand will help bring it close to ideal. You can rent tillers from local
equipment centers.

Acid or Alkaline?
We expect a lot out of our gardens, including beautiful, prolific blooms and bountiful harvests. Yet,
how many of us really stop to consider our garden soil? Do you know anything about your own
garden dirt? Is it acid or alkaline? Peaty, sandy or clay? Why are these questions important? Because
every living thing you place in your garden depends on the health of your soil.
How do you get this type of information? You can buy home soil testing kits. These are very
reasonably priced, starting at under $20.00. Once you have one in your hot little hands, you need to
take random samples from different areas of your property. Here is a quick overview of how you go
about this:
Soil samples - Remove any loose organic matter in the top one-inch of the soil, With a spade or hand
trowel, take samples 6-7 inches deep. Do this in six locations for every 1000 to 2000 sq. ft. of area.
Mix these samples in a bucket and use about 1-2 cups for testing.
These kits generally consist of a test tube, some testing solution and a color chart. You put a sample
of your soil in the tube, add a few drops of test solution, shake it up and leave it for an hour or so to
settle. The solution in the tube changes color according to the pH of your soil. Compare the color of
the sample with the color chart that came with the kit. Matching colors will tell you the pH range of
your sample. The better kits will also include advisory booklets about how to interpret your results.
Now that you have a fairly good idea of what the pH is in your garden, you can begin to amend the
soil to suit your particular planting needs. If your soils acidity is too high, adding dolomite or lime
will bring it back into a more alkaline state.
To acidify alkaline soil will require adding garden sulfur to sour the soil. Plants that thrive in an
acidic environment: gardenias, azaleas, rhododendrons, pines, raspberries and many tropicals, also
benefit by feedings with an acidifier like Miracid, at least once a month.
Understanding your soil pH will help you become a much more confident and successful gardener.

Sandy Soils
Sand is great for beaches and deserts, but in our gardens it can spell real trouble to plants. Soil that
is too loose drains so fast that water never reaches the roots. As a result, the plants die off very
quickly. So, unless you are a big fan of desert plantings, some adjusting needs to be done to correct
this problem.
One way to tell if your soil is too sandy is by feel. It will have a gritty texture that is very different
from the loamy, earthy feel of ordinary garden soil. It will not hold together after compacting, but
immediately fall apart.
In order to provide a firm anchor for plants and create a moisture retentive environment, certain
elements will need to be added to firm up the earth. This recipe will give you a firm healthy soil, that
will continue to improve over the next 2-3 years:
For every 100 sq. feet of garden add:

20 cubic feet of organic compost

2 lbs. of bat or seabird guano
2 lbs of rock or Super Phosphate
10 lbs of gypsum or lime
2 lbs of Green Sand
2lbs of kelp meal
This should be spread over the garden or planting areas and tilled in 6"-8". Once this is done, the
garden is ready to plant. In about two to three months, add 3 lbs. of alfalfa meal to the garden,
digging it in to the first 6 of topsoil. You should begin to notice earthworms tunneling through the
dirt. If not, buy them and release them to work their magic. You should see an improvement in your
soil within the first year. By the third year, you will have the garden soil you want. The soil will be
rich in texture, dark in color and will hold moisture very well.
Lesson 2: Planning Your Garden
Your first garden! Filled with excitement, the impulse to run out to the nearest nursery, load the
minvan up with plants and just dig in is downright irresistible! This lesson will help you get just the
garden you want, for all the right reasons.
Let's Learn About Sun and Shade
All growing things, including shade loving varieties, are dependent upon light. Sunlight is a critical
component of the photosynthesis of the plant structure.
When designing your first garden an awareness of where sunlight falls is a key factor in deciding
which plants to select. Some plants thrive in full sun but others need partial shade to succeed. So,
the first step is to discover what exposure you have on your lot.
This can be done very easily. Try waking up just before dawn one morning. Look out your windows
and look for the direction the sun is rising in relation to your home. Since the sun always rises in the
east, wherever the sun is facing is the eastern side of your yard. The western, or opposing side, will
be the hottest area of your garden.
If you are still uncertain of your exact orientation, a compass can help you "map" out each area. In
order to plan your garden wisely this needs to be done before the next steps can be completed.
A northern exposure is generally the coolest or shadiest side of your lot. But, in hot climates, this
doesn't mean you can just select any shade loving plants. There are degrees of shade: dappled,
partial and deep shade, as well as "warm" shade. Living in a hot climate would then call for warm
shade plantings.
Understanding the light elements of your new garden will only increase your chances of creating a
place of beauty and healthy growing life.
Planting to Save Energy

Most brand new homes are built to meet or exceed Federal energy standards. But even with a well
insulated home, there is still room to reduce energy costs even more. If your air conditioning unit is
attached to the side of your home, you can increase its efficiency and lower your energy
consumption very easily.
One of the best ways to do this is by planting trees or shrubs near the unit. As they grow, they will
create a natural shade cover for the unit.
West or south facing windows are great sources of natural light in the winter, while northeastern
windows can become extremely cold. Planting slender trees like birch are excellent for shading and
providing relief from harsh summer sun, while still allowing a filtered light through.
Northeastern windows should not have trees in front of them as they act as a barrier to any winter
light trying to come through.
Trees are excellent windscreens and where prevailing winds are harsh, they are an effective
solution. Combined with shrubs as the second layer of defense, they can help create a buffered quiet
zone.
Water conservation is a huge factor in many communities. One of the most effective and least costly
ways to achieve this is to use a drip irrigation system from the start. Combined with emitters and
sprayers, you can create an energy-efficient garden that will save you hundreds of dollars and hours
of effort. If you combine this with drought tolerant plantings, you will have created an ideal
environment for your new garden.
Vegetable Gardening
Growing your own vegetables is a healthy and rewarding pastime. This lesson guides you through
the steps necessary to grow great vegetables.
Planning Your New Vegetable Garden
Planting your first vegetable garden is always an exciting event. Visions of red, ripe tomatoes,
crunchy green peppers and sweet, sweet corn dance through your imagination. And nothing tastes
better than hot, buttered summer squash with a dash of salt and pepper.
In order to fulfill the promise of each tiny seedling, a little planning is necessary. Vegetables have
very particular sun/shade needs, along with individual soil conditions. The first thing you need to
learn is how much sun each veggie requires. Next are their growth habits. Some vegetables are
indeterminate and sprawl all over the place, bearing multiple crops. Cucumbers, squash, melon and
tomatoes fit this category.
Determinate plants are much bushier in their growth habit and only bear one crop of fruit. This
makes them ideal for small spaces or containers. Tomatoes, squash, cucumbers and certain melons
fit this class of plant.
The indeterminates can be staked or trained up fences and trellises to save room. Under ideal
conditions they can be prolific bearers, so its important not to overplant.
Prepare the soil in the beds ahead of time. Be certain all rocks, debris and weeds are removed.
Using black plastic as a mulch around cucumbers and melons helps keep wet soil away from leaves

and helps speed ripening. Once the bed is prepared, lay the plastic down and cut openings to place
the plants in. Cucumbers are very prone to mildew from wet leaves so this method really helps cut
down on the problem.
Always water new starts as soon as they are all planted to get them off to a healthy start. I
recommend feeding them with fish emulsion to help them establish better. If you dont let them dry
out or become weed choked, you will wake up each morning to bigger, healthier plants.