Grow Vegetables and Save Money

Grow Vegetables and Save Money
By Lawrence  L. Hoyle

A Vegetable Garden can help feed your family in to days tough economic times. I grew up in the 40s and 50s and a vegetable Garden was a very popular thing. In the summer, my family lived off of the garden and preserved what grew for the winter months.

Making a garden can go a long way toward putting food on the table for your love ones. Fresh garden vegetables from you garden are more nutritious and taste better than what you buy in your local supermarket. Vegetable gardening is no different than growing flowers and if proper care your plant will flourish and produce a great crop.

First, you must decide what size the garden will be and it's location. A sunny location is a must. Vegetables like full sun all day. If you want a small garden, maybe raised planters would be your answer. Raised planters can be made using timbers or concrete wall blocks. The size and shape of your raised garden depends on your needs and the area you have to work with. Leave a path in

between planters for easy access.

What animals are present in your area? Tasty vegetables are liked by rabbits, deer and many others. One way to prevent this is to surround the garden with a fence.

Before planting, the soil must be properly prepared. Either use a roto-tiller or a spade to dig up the soil. Rake the soil to prepare the soil surface before planting garden seeds and plants.

Plan your garden arrangement, plant tall growing plants toward the back of the garden and the shorter ones in the front so that the sunlight does not get blocked.

Organic matter added to the soil releases nitrogen, minerals and other plant nutrients, plants need to thrive. There are some garden plants that need specific needs; leafy plants like lettuce, spinach and cabbage grow better with more nitrogen while root crops like potatoes, beets, turnips and carrots require more potash. Tomatoes And beans use a small amount of fertilizer, while plants like onions and potatoes need a large amount.

When to plant vegetables, here are some golden rules. Radishes, lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, spinach are some of the vegetables that like cool weather, so plant them in early spring. Tomatoes, beans, corn, carrots, eggplant, beets and potatoes like warm weather. They have to be planted after the last frost has pasted.

 Plant and enjoy the great taste of home grown vegetables from your own garden.

Lawrence L. Hoyle, author, 48 years in the Landscape Profession. Check out his main websites at: www.web-landscape-design-ideas.com