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There are three common methods of
vegetable gardening, containers, raised beds or in the
ground, the style you use depends on the kind of garden you
want and how much room you have.
Container
Gardens
Use any type of container, metal, clay,
plastic or wood, with drainage holes, that is deep and wide
enough to support the root structure of the plant, or the
underground crop (i.e. potatoes, beets).
The container must be large enough to be
stable with heavy top growth plants such as tomatoes or
beans so that it doesn't fall over and damage the
plant.
Container grown plants will always
require more water, more often so an adequate amount of soil
must be present to prevent it from drying out.
Use a sandy loam mixed with organic
material such as leaves, grass, egg shells and peat moss. A
balance must be struck so that water will not run through
too fast, all sand, or too slow, all clay. To improve either
one add some of the other or better yet use professional
planter mix.
Depth of Container for Common
Vegetables
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4"
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Beets, lettuce and radishes
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6"
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Chard, short rooted carrots, turnips
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8"
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Bush cucumbers, eggplant, peppers
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10"
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Broccoli, cauliflower,
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12"
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Long rooted carrots, tomatoes
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Raised Gardens
Raised gardens are simply soil above
ground level confined by a frame of some sort. A basic frame
made of planks on edge will work just fine. The only concern
is the width, if it is kept under 6' you can reach the
center from each side and avoid stepping in the soil, it can
be as long as you have room for.
In-Ground
Gardens
These are the most common type, a spaded
up plot in the back yard. Select a spot with at least six
hours of full sun a day. If there is a large tree shading
part of the location perhaps lower branches can be trimmed.
The soil must be well drained so if your original soil is
clay there must be a way for the water to get out. A trench
may have to dug at one end of the garden to a nearby sewer,
if the original soil is sandy line the bottom of the garden
with a layer of clay then add the prepared soil. Avoid
selecting an area where water lies for a long time in the
spring, the soil has a formation of green scum on the
surface, or there are many cracks in the soil after it has
dried out.
Dig humus into the soil as soon as it can
be worked in the spring, this can be done by hand in a small
garden with a spade or with a rotary tiller in a large area.
For humus use peat moss, well rotted barnyard manure,
mushroom manure or compost, this acts as a sponge in lighter
soils to help retain moisture and it opens up heavy soil to
improve drainage.
Rows planted in a north and south
direction allow more sun to get to the plants. Plant early
crops on one side of the garden one year and on the opposite
side the next year to avoid growing crops in the same spot
two years in succession. Draw a map of the garden to a rough
scale marking what is planted in each row and save it for
reference for planting the following year.
Be aware that excluding planting and
harvesting a garden plot 20 feet X 50 feet will require at
least two hours work per week.
Garden Soil
Find out what kind of soil you have by
getting the soil tested, this will tell you the levels of
nitrogen, phosphorus, and potash as well as the pH
levels.
Take a small soil sample every few yards
throughout your garden. Take soil from the surface as well
as down where the roots feed. Tilling the garden will mix up
the surface soil with the soil deeper down so you want a
good representative mix.
Mix all your samples together and take a
jar full of the mix to a local garden center that provides a
soil testing service. If you want to test your own soil
there are a number of soil test kits available.
The results of your soil test should tell
you exactly what shape your soil is in, and what you need to
do to balance it out.
If you garden organically you will be
able to choose ingredients for use in your compost so you
end up with the perfect mix to improve your soil.
You can add lime or whatever you need to
adjust the pH levels of your soil. Compost will tend to
lower the pH of alkaline soils and raise the pH of acid
soils. Sawdust and peat are useful to lower the pH if your
soil is too alkaline. Wood ashes, oyster shell, bone meal
and lime are good for raising the pH of acid
soils.
The next important characteristic of your
soil is it's structure. Here is a simple test. Using the
soil you collected for your samples take a canning jar or
similar clear jar with a lid and put in a cup of dry soil.
Add a teaspoon of non-foaming dishwasher detergent, fill two
thirds of the jar with water and put on the lid. Shake
thoroughly so soil and water are mixed, put it where it
won't be disturbed for a few days until it has
settled.
The soil will separate into its component
parts.The top layer will be clay, silt will settle in the
middle and sand will go to the bottom. Now you have a visual
idea of the structure of your soil.
The best garden soil is 40 per cent sand,
40 per cent silt and 20 per cent clay. By looking at the
soil levels in the jar you can get a good idea of what you
need to add to adjust the structure. You can use sand to
help break up clay soils along with organic material like
peat or sawdust. Sandy soils need lots of organic material
like manure or compost.
Manure is always a good addition to the
soil, fall is the best time to till it into the garden soil
so it gets a chance to break down over the winter. The
freezing and thawing helps the process along. Use
well-rotted manure if possible, but even fresh or partly
composted manure can go into the soil in the
fall.
With the right mix of nutrients and the
correct soil structure all of your plants will be able to
produce to their potential.
Companion
Planting
By planting two or more of certain plants
together they will benefit each other, this can be a mixture
of flowers, vegetables and fruits.
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Plant
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Neighbour
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Asparagus
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Tomato, Parsley
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Beans
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Beets, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery,
Corn, Cucumbers, and Potatoes
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Beets
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Beans, Kohlrabi, Onion
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Broccoli, Cabbage
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Dill, Potatoes, Mint, Rosemary, Sage
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Carrots
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Chives, Lettuce, Onions
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Cauliflower
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Dill, Potatoes, Mint, Rosemary, Sage
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Celery
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Beans
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Corn
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Beans, Cucumbers, Melons, Peas, Potatoes,
Pumpkins, Squash
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Cucumbers
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Cabbage, Corn, Potatoes, Radishes
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Lettuce
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Carrots, Radishes, Strawberries
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Onions
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Beets, Carrots
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Peas
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Beans, Carrots, Corn, Cucumbers, Radishes,
Turnips
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Potatoes
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Beans, Cabbage, Horseradish, Marigold, Peas,
Sweet Corn
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Pumpkins
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Beans, Cabbage, Horseradish, Marigold, Peas,
Sweet Corn
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Radishes
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Cucumbers, Lettuce, Nasturtiums, Peas
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Spinach
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Strawberries
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Tomatoes
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Cabbage, Chives, Cucumbers, Marigolds, Parsley,
Potatoes
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Strawberries
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Beans, Lettuce, Spinach
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Roses
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Chives, Garlic, Marigolds, Onions
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Buying Plants
There are many vegetables that need to be
started indoors from seed, then transplanted to the garden,
for the beginner it is better to purchase well grown plants
from a reputable nursery.
Buy short, stocky plants that are a
healthy green in colour, avoid tall and spindly
stock.
When transplanting from the container to
the garden try to keep as much soil as possible around the
roots. Try to disturb the plant as little as possible. Set
the plant slightly deeper than it was in the container,
cover the roots with a little soil, pour about a cup of
"Starter Solution" (liquid complete fertilizer with a high
phosphorus content) into the hole, then fill with soil. Pack
the soil around the plant firmly, working around the edges
of the root ball rather than in close to the stem, to
eliminate any air pockets around the roots.
Planting
Seeds
Follow the instructions on the seed
package as to depth and spacing, then be sure to thin the
plants soon after they have come through the ground. Be
ruthless, crowded plants will not thrive competing for
moisture and plant food, thinned plants will grow faster and
be healthier.
Cultivation
Weeds must be destroyed as soon as they
appear through the soil so frequent cultivation is necessary
otherwise they will rob the garden of plant food and
moisture. Always cultivate shallowly so as not to damage
feeding roots of the plants that are close to the top of the
soil. The best tool for this is a Dutch hoe which allows you
to work backwards, eliminating footprints. Try to avoid
chemicals for weed control as you may also kill some of your
vegetables because what is safe for one may be deadly to
another kind close by.
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