The Vegetable Patch
by Charlotte J. Crockett

Don't you just love a fresh tomato from your garden? Or maybe you love squash? What ever it is ... nothing tastes, smells, or gives you greater satisfaction than growing it yourself.

Vegetables are relatively easy to grow. All you need to do is give them the proper soil conditions, the right amount of sunshine and water. Doesn't that sound easy? Well, if your still hesitate on growing your own veggies ... come along with me and we will go through the steps together. Get your boots on ... it's been raining.

Vegetables need at least 6 hours of full sun each day. Plant away from trees and shrubs if you can. They rob your veggies of sunlight, nutrients and water. Some vegetables are grown in rows separated by paths. This works for tall plants, like corn. Usually for plants like tomatoes, it is also best to use this method. Tomatoes need support during their growing season. It is easier for you to walk between the rows and pull weeds or get a hoe in between the plants for easier maintenance. Most gardens are planted in this way. When you hear of someone growing their veggies on hills that simply means someone mounds up some dirt and either sows a few seeds or places their plants in these mounds of dirt. This method is good for large growing veggie's like pumpkins or watermelon. For smaller veggie's like carrots, lettuce, and spinach, you can grow them in wide beds. You make a bed about 2-3 feet wide, then sow the seeds over it instead of planting them in rows. Some people prefer not to use this method saying that it takes up to much space with having to many rows to walk. The choice is up to you and what ever works for you.

Once you have figured out where you want your veggie garden to be, you will have to decide which vegetables you will want to grow. Besides eating what you grow this is one of the best parts of growing a veggie garden. One of the first things you will need to do is figure out the length of your growing season. To do that, count the number of days from the average last-frost date in the spring and the first-frost date in the fall. For help with that you can call your local CE Office for their advice. All this means is to select veggie's that will grow into a crop between those dates. For instance, if the seed packet says a certain tomato needs 120 days from seed to harvest and your growing season lasts only 100 days, you will have to find a tomato that will grow within your time frame. Before you actually plant any veggie's in your garden, you may want to draw on paper a basic layout of what goes where. In the long run it may save you from making a mistake in the proper location some veggie's need to be. Be sure to plant tall vegetables, like corn, to the North. That way they don't shade the short veggie's.

Now you will have to prepare your soil. Most veggie's prefer loose, fertile, well-drained soil. Remove any weeds from your garden and spread the soil with about a 3 inch layer of well rotted manure or compost. Work that into the soil either by hand or a rototiller. You can put fertilizer along the rows after planting your veggie's if you choose this method. Then work in the fertilizer with a hoe. Then rake it all smooth.

Pick your veggie's often. They produce better that way.

Critters love your fresh vegetables too. The best way to keep rabbits and others out of your garden is to put up a 4-foot-high chicken wire fence. Put the fence at least 6 inches into the ground so the critters can't dig up under it and get in the garden to munch your veggie's. Avoid using chemical pesticides on your veggie's if you can. After all, you're going to be eating them.

Looks like it is starting to rain. Best go back inside. I hope you will try a veggie garden this year. There is nothing better than to put fresh produce on the table for your family. Who knows, you may even save a few bucks on your grocery bills.