How to Start a Vegetable Garden

For those asking how to start a vegetable garden, the answer is pretty simple. Deciding to participate in vegetable gardening for relaxation, yard beautifications, fresh food benefits or profits is the very first step toward becoming a master gardener. Coaxing food from the soil is an ancient art-form; easy or complicated, all types of gardens exist.

Vegetable gardening plants come in assorted varieties, even among the same plant species. Each unique plant will have a specific day-count or gestation period required for growth from start to finish. Online hardiness zone maps explain the average expected available days for growth in all geographical regions.

United States hardiness zone maps can be found inside of the " USDA National Arboretum Miscellaneous Publication #1475 ." (http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html) It needs to be noted that all hardiness maps, including the latest 2003 USDA maps, are a bit off today due to current changes happening due to global warming. (Ref: USA Today / http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/2008-04-23-gardening-map_N.htm)

After determining the approximate frost-free growing days from the hardiness maps, it is time for the beginning vegetable gardener to decide upon a goal; what exactly should the new garden accomplish? Some enjoy planting vegetables to supplement their summer salads, and others demand a high yield in specialty vegetables to sell at farmers markets. Making lists of expected vegetable gardening results helps in preparing for planting.

The garden plot can come in three forms: traditional rows, potted plants or vegetable plants used decoratively along existing flower beds or inside of lawn border rows. Plants grow happily in soil anywhere as long as their soil composition, root spacing and growing season watering conditions are met.

Soil Composition: The composition of garden dirt is different in every location. Some soils are sandy while others are like thick clay; for a good crop, plants must grow in dirt that allows them freedom of root movement while still allowing some moisture retention around the roots so that the plants can drink.

Soils can be tested at home for composition using simple tests found in gardening stores, or a sample of garden dirt can be taken into your local County Extension Office for a free professional opinion on what kind of gardening soil the new garden area has, and what needs to be done to make it perfect.

For good reading material about soils, go to the USDA Web site and type "soil" into their online search box on the left side of the page.

Root Spacing: Garden plants need room from side to side for roots to grow without competition from other plants and weeds. Plants also need room going down for their roots to easily expand. Roots are often fragile, injuring easily when running into rocks or solidly packed soil while trying to grow.

To help roots to grow down easily, all new gardens should be double dug while removing the previously established weeds or grass. Dig the dirt out of the garden to the depth of a shovel head and pile it beside the garden. Repeat this process one more time.

Remove the grass, weeds and large rocks from the top dirt pile, and put this top dirt onto the bottom of the garden. Next, place all remaining dirt onto the top of the garden and do not pack it down. Roots now have air spaces to grow easily through while weed seeds are buried too deep to grow easily.

Good vegetable plants for beginners to try are ones listed on the package for the growing zone that the garden will be growing in. Reading seed packages helps gardeners to know what will grow and any special soil conditions needed. Many packages will also give some kind of an idea about how much room is needed for each seed in the garden setting.

Never-fail plants that some gardeners enjoy are the cooler weather plants such as radishes whose bulbs and leaves both can be used in salads, rhubarb (a vegetable that bakes into very nice desserts) and various styles of lettuce that can substitute for flowers along the walkway to the front door. Cool weather plants do better in late spring and early fall and tend to die off during the heat of the summer.

Warm weather vegetable plants that grow easily include choices such as zucchini, or spaghetti squash, corn or popcorn plants, and our "vegetable" (which is really a fruit) tomatoes. Something to remember about all warm weather garden plants is that these plants often overproduce when conditions are right. Try not to overplant.

While learning how to start a vegetable garden, remember that the first year is often spent in getting to know conditions and plants appropriate for the area where the new vegetable gardening hobby is to take place. Vegetable gardening is like every other hobby; it takes time to understand all fundamentals involved before becoming a pro.