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It is very enjoyable to work a vegetable patch. It is really good exercise and the home grown veg tastes better than something purchased in a store. You also know exactly what's gone into the produce. A vegetable plot needs a variety of jobs for which you'll require the correct equipment. The basics will be enough and they're a hoe, rake, fork, spade and a trowel. It is usually best to get high-quality brand names. Other makes will cost less but they are less likely to last so long. A wheelbarrow is also useful and a watering can. Every now and then, there are drought notices and it's good to have 1 or 2 rain butts. If you are beginning your vegetable garden from scratch and it is a big area, you might want to use a rotary cultivator to do the digging for you. It will save you loads of time and a sore back. They can be leased if you do not want to purchase one.
To start with, you have to locate and plan out your design. Plants should be moved around to keep the land healthy. Use a soil tester to see what type of soil you have. This is critical because different kinds of soil need different ways of treating it. Your soil might be heavy clay, light and sandy or chalk or alkaline. It also affects what sort of vegetables you should cultivate in the produce patch, as plants react differently to different soil types.
The soil will need breaking up so the seedlings can settle in and so water and air can get through to them. Unless the soil is especially hard, use a spade instead of a fork. Remove the weeds and dig in fertilizer or manure. It's a good idea to set up a compost heap near the veg plot. This will be a cheap supply of nutritious food for the land.
When you've prepared the site and fed the soil, you are ready to start sowing and planting. Separate the vegetable plot into root crops, brassica and crops not in the first two groups. Root crops include potatoes, carrots, swede, parsnips and onions. Brassicas include such veg as sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and kale. That leaves garden vegetables such as beans, squash, peas, sweet corn and salad plants like lettuce and cucumbers.
You could start some crops growing under a cloche or in a conservatory, especially if you live in an region where there can be a lot of cold or windy weather. Ensure that you keep on top of the watering and weeding. Some gardeners put up a wall chart and plan out their tasks in the vegetable patch, month by month.
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Author Bio Box: Gillian Pearce
Visit the grow a vegetable garden web site for handy tips concerning planting vegetables, growing a culinary herb plot, raised bed and vegetable container gardening. Plus all the most recent news on this year's vegetable garden trends.
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