Growing a Vegetable Patch: Where to Start

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Starting a small vegetable patch is a great way to start growing things that you can eat. If you’ve never grown vegetables before, you might be unsure about where to begin. Maybe you’ve attempted it before, but you didn’t have much luck, and you want to make sure you get it right this time. Even beginners can have great success with growing vegetables if you know the key things that you need to do. It doesn’t take much to get started with a small patch. If you’re thinking of starting a vegetable patch, follow these steps to start growing vegetables that you can actually eat.

Find the Right Spot

Planting your vegetables in the right place is essential. Where you put your vegetable patch will depend on what you intend to plant. Some crops do best when they’re slightly in the shade, while others need plenty of sunshine. However, what you shouldn’t do is plant your vegetables under a tree or in heavy shade. If you do this, your plants are unlikely to thrive because they won’t be getting enough light. Choose a plot that’s on level ground and gets enough sunshine, as well as one that is perhaps conveniently close to a water butt.

Choose the Right Plants

There are various things that you can plant on your vegetable patch. Some will be easier to grow than others, so be careful about what you choose if you’re a beginner. To successfully grow your own food, look at vegetables that are easy to grow like chilies, potatoes, beans and zucchinis. It’s also a good idea to choose crops that complement each other and grow well together. Choose the right plants, and they can help to protect each other, preventing pests and other problems. Start with just a few plants, and you can always expand later if you have space.

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Design Your Plot

Instead of going in without a plan, it’s useful to design your plot so that you know what will go where. Think about what you want to plant and where you want to plant it. If you plan to have them in groups of four, you can rotate them to help prevent pests and disease. Write down the crops that you want to plant and create a drawing of how you want to plant them. Make sure that you don’t plan to make your vegetable plot too crowded. You need to leave space for everything to grow.

Prepare Your Soil

The right soil is essential for growing vegetables. You can check your soil by doing a pH test, which will tell you how acid or alkaline it is. You should have neutral soil for growing vegetables if you want to have the most success. For advice on what you should be using, it can be helpful to speak to someone at your local nursery or garden center. Raised beds might be better if the local soil isn’t right for growing.

If you want to start a vegetable patch, get the basics right so that you can successfully grow your crops.

The post Growing a Vegetable Patch: Where to Start appeared first on Miss Smarty Plants.

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