Would you like to try your hand at creating a vegetable garden? Then arm yourself with work gloves, shovels and rakes, because the work is long: from soil preparation to fertilization, from sowing to final harvest, your efforts will be rewarded with the vegetables you bring to the table! You have also been convinced by the 0 km of food. So you decided to make a small piece of land your own and create a vegetable garden where you can watch your vegetables grow, harvest them and bring your products to the table. Where to start? The first step is to prepare the soil (and perhaps the most strenuous!). You’ll need work gloves to prevent blisters on your hands, a shovel, a rake, a pickaxe, a shovel, and fertilizer. If you’re a beginner, don’t be afraid. Follow the step-by-step instructions, and maybe ask someone more experienced than you for advice, or read some books on the subject. And then remember that you only learn by doing, so don’t worry about making a lot of mistakes, especially in the beginning. If, on the other hand, you have a If you’re a horticultural professional, there may be another trick you’re missing or a plant you haven’t dared to try yet. Now might be the right time.
In what month to start preparing a vegetable garden?
Of course, if you want to start a vegetable garden from scratch, the spring and summer months are always the best time. You usually start preparing a vegetable garden in March, but climate change could change this tradition. The increase in temperature facilitates the germination process, i.e. the expulsion of seed sprouts. However, you should pay attention to the planting times indicated for the particular plant you want to grow, as some prefer different seasons.
Where should the vegetable garden be placed?
In general, the location of the orchard depends on several conditions, including sunlight and wind. These factors affect plant growth, so it’s helpful to carefully choose where you can start gardening. In fact, the vegetable garden needs 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight a day, areas that are too windy could also damage the plants and damage them. Also, consider conservation measures or inspections if there are animals in your area that could ruin your plants. It is also a good idea to choose a place that is easily accessible so that you can work your vegetable garden in the best possible way and harvest optimal products.
What tools do you need to start a vegetable garden?
But what do you need materially to grow a garden? You’ll undoubtedly need: scissors to prune your plants or crops, a drip sprinkler or pipe to make sure they always have the right amount of water daily, a collection container or basket to collect fruits and vegetables when they’re ready to be harvested. A hoe and rake are also essential, the former is used to work the soil in the best possible way, also to remove weeds and prepare them for planting, the latter to level them and break up lumps. Equip yourself with gloves to handle your plants and buy a fertilizer, possibly ecologically sustainable, to help your plants grow optimally.
Soil Preparation
Contrary to what you might think, the soil should be prepared at the beginning of winter. In fact, the soil needs to be moved, fertilized, and rested before sowing in spring. At this point, it’s time to roll up your sleeves. First, you need to dig up the soil, flip the soil in which you are going to plant your vegetable garden, and remove the roots of weeds and weeds. Also, remove as many stones as possible to make it easier to work on the ground later. Feed the soil with fertilizer: horse manure is best, but it’s also the most expensive; Otherwise, use compost, which is perfect for fertilizing, as it makes the soil very brittle. Chop the coarser lumps with the pickaxe and rake and finally mix them well with the fertilizer that will be added to the soil. In the end, the ground surface should be as level and level as possible.
Before sowing
The efforts did not end there. The soil of the garden should be worked again shortly before planting. Weeds and weeds, if still present, should be removed, as well as large and medium-sized stones. Work the soil until it is brittle and well level. At this point, you can organize your vegetable garden. Think about what produce you want to grow and divide the land into areas of different sizes; Seedlings and seeds should be placed in furrows that run transversely to the slope that follows the flow of water. How is slot spacing determined? Imagine what vegetables you’ll grow and how big of a footprint the plants you’ll grow will be just before harvest. Another important aspect is the placement of the seedlings in the furrows: if they are spring or summer products, it is necessary to put the seedlings in the furrows to avoid wasting water. In the case of winter products, on the other hand, it is necessary to place them on the mounds of earth that you have prepared in the furrows to avoid possible stagnation of the water.
What should be grown?
There are vegetables that are easy to grow and others that are more challenging. If you’re new to the world of spades and commission, it’s best to focus on the simpler ones. The tomato is one of them. It needs good sunlight and soil acidity between pH6 and pH7. Dig a hole for each seed and place them at least 30 cm apart. It is a climbing plant, so it gets a structure that supports its growth. Zucchini should be sown in spring, in the period from March to May. Place two or three seeds for each hole and move the holes at least three feet apart. Zucchini needs a lot of water, so water every day and in a few weeks you will see the first sprouts. I can’t imagine a garden without carrots. At Ohga we have already explained how to grow carrots. They must be sown in the period from January to October. Again, make well-spaced holes in which you place a few seeds for each hole. Make sure the soil is always moist, water as needed, especially if the plants are still in the growth phase. Lettuce will add a decorative touch to your vegetable garden: its leaves are actually very beautiful, wide and light green, or in some varieties they tend to be yellowish to red. Great for salads, rich in folate, and vitamin A, lettuce needs well-fertilized soil. The seeds should be planted at a depth of between 8 and 16 centimeters and watered every day. Spinach is rich in iron and calcium and should be grown in soil that is well fertilized with compost. Water them thoroughly, keeping the distance between the seedlings. But many other vegetables are also available to you. At Ohga, for example, we explain how to grow strawberries and how to grow the orange tree.
