VEGETABLE GARDEN HOW TO GUIDEFOR YOUR OWN HEALTHY GARDEN CARING FOR YOUR GARDEN 1. You should select a site for your vegetable garden that has good soil, access to water and can be easily maintain. For your first garden, you will probably want to start small. If you try to start too big, and get too busy with other things, as sometimes happens in the summertime, your garden could become over-grown with weeds, you get discouraged and give up. We don't want that to happen. You will need to select a spot so you can expand later as you decide to grow more. The garden also needs plenty of sunlight, so you should keep this in mind as you select your site. 2. After you have selected your garden site, which should be small if it's your first vegetable garden, you need to prepare the soil. Determine what type of soil you have. You can have the soil tested and most nurseries can tell you where this can be done. The soil should be a mixture of sand, clay, and loam. Preferably soft and porous. If your soil is too hard, water will not penetrate deeply, so you can add sand. If it is too soft, holds too much water and makes the soil boggy, add clay. Next you will need to prepare the soil. This is best done with a rototiller. If you don't have one, most nurseries rent them. This is the easiest and most efficient way of preparing the soil. You will need to till the soil 20 to 24 inches deep. Then, add compost (I like to use a well-aged animal manure or organic material from a compost pile.) Don't get it too rich or the ground will be too hot (burn your plants and they won't produce). If you don't have access to compost or manure, use an organic fertilizer. Be sure to read the label. You don't want chemical additives. Work the soil until it loose and well mixed. Preparing the soil is the hardest work you will need to do in your garden. If you do it right, your garden should produce large, tasty vegetables and plenty of them. 3. Now you need to decide what you are going to plant. Simple, plant what you like to eat, and will produce this year so you can enjoy it. Some crops take a couple of years to be ready for harvesting, asparagus for example. Grow what does well in your area. If you like tomatoes, squash, zucchini, or whatever, and it grows well in your climate, then that would be a good start. Your local nursery can tell you what grows well in your area, or check the Farmers' Almanac. 4. Once you have chosen what you want to grow and the garden is prepared, you need to know when to plant. The best source I've found for the proper planting time is the Farmers Almanac. They tell the right time to plant, and what grows well in the different areas of the country. You will want to plant on a cloudy day if possible. Remember to protect yourself from the sun when working in the vegetable garden. Don't need a sunburn do we? 5. Plant your veggies. Seeds work well for many plants, but some, like peppers and tomatoes, need to be started inside to do well. You can buy starts from your local nursery, or start them yourself. I start mine in whatever is handy (tin cans,styrofoam cups, yogurt cups, etc.). The seedlings need to be about four inches tall before transplanting them into the garden. You canbuy seed from the nursery or feed store and have them ready when the time comes. Plant the garden in rows or raised mounds, depending on what you plant. Potatoes, for example, grow bestand are easiest to harvest when planted in mounds. I prefer to used both methods. As you gain experience, you will decide what is best for you and garden. Lay out your vegetable garden in the rows, being careful to space them according to the instructions on the packages of the vegetables you want to grow. Be sure to label what you have planted, so, mark your rows. Use a magic marker and a small board or stick to write each vegetables name on,and stick it in the ground at the beginning of each different type of plant. You could have more than one type of veggie in a row so there might be two or three sticks in the row to identify what you planted. This is especially important if this is your first garden, you may not recognize the plants as they come up. We don't want to mistake them for weeds!
 6. Okay, now we have plants coming up and rabbits everywhere. Important to remember: You will need to protect your vegetable garden from pest and insects. For rodents, you will need a wire mesh border around that is high enough to keep them out. You can find low wire barriers in the local hardware store or feed store. Marigolds planted around the garden will deter rabbits. There are also some sonic deterrents that can be ordered from various magazines and websites, but I can't verify whether they work or not. As for insects, I would recommend a mild soap and water mixture sprayed on (they don't like the soap in their mouths either). You can buy pesticides, but remember, we are raising a natural, healthy garden. Don't want those chemicals in the veggies! Once you have your garden in the ground, tending it becomes easier. all you need to do is keep enough water on it, the weeds out of it, the bugs off of it, and wait to reap the wonderful flavors of fresh, healthy vegetables. 7. Water your garden! Don't soak it until you drown the plants or make them rot. Just moist will do. Put the water on the ground, not in the air. It is best not to use a sprinkler, as you can rot you vegetables in a moist climate. A soaker hose works best, keeps the water at the base of the plants, doesn't waste water by evaporation, and is easier to judge the amount of water in the soil. Unless your climate is very dry, one inch of water a week is all that is necessary for a healthy vegetable garden. 8. Keep weeds out of the vegetable garden. They pull nutrients from the ground the veggies need. Just a few weeds is not okay! Zero weeds is best. Check it every day when possible and keep them out. This way it only takes a few minutes and you won't spend all day on your day off when you could be doing something else with the family. Besides, it's fun to see how much has grown each day. YOU WILL BE SURPRISED! 9. When do we harvest? Some veggies can be harvested as they grow. For example, lettuce can be picked as it grows a few leaves at a time, or radishes and carrots, which need to be thinned, are good to eat even though they are small. Tomatoes usually turn red when they are ready. If you accidentally pick a green one lay it aside on a window sill and it will still ripen. Most vegetables will produce right up until first frost if you continue to take care of your garden. REMEMBER: IF IT LOOKS GOOD, IT WILL BE! After you eat out of your own vegetable garden, buying veggies at the grocery store will be much less appealing! And you can eat out of it all year long as we will show you later in the year. We are planning a page on the proper way to preserve you garden for the winter months by canning your veggies and freezing works well for some of them also. We will tell you the very simple ways to this in the later pages.
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