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Easy Ways To Grow A Beautiful Vegetable Garden
If you have been reluctant about gardening here is a little boost to get you going. Prepare your space before you start planting. If you are starting from the seed today that is okay as you still have a little time to grow something before harvest season. The temperature is hot enough outside to have the seed grow from the root and grow strong.
The following suggestions are 7 steps before you garden. Apply these suggestions for your personal garden preparation.
A List Of 7 Steps
- Harden off your seedlings
- Amending your soil
- Purchase garden soil and manure
- Coffee grinds on the soil
- Using rain water
- Turn your soil
- Create a garden plot
1. Harden Off Your Seedlings
Hardening off your seedlings is one of the most important steps on the list of the 7 steps before you garden. This is for those growing an indoor garden to start the process a little faster. First we must strengthen our seedlings. In order to do this, take all the seeds that have sprouted outside. Acclimate them to the weather gradually.
Start off by having them receive only two hours of sun. With each successive day, add an extra half hour to an hour. Also, do this for a minimum of one week for this reason. This is going to get them used to being outside.
The plants will grow and strengthen in the changing elements. For example, the blowing in the wind, feeling rain drops, fluctuating temperatures and exposure to direct sun, etc. Overall, you want to get them to withstand the weather. Do not be surprised if some of them look like they have wilted or may be dying.
Unfortunately you will lose some plants. However, for the most part, by taking them outside you are helping them get stronger. Add water when the soil is dry as it does dry up faster in direct sunlight as opposed to growing an indoor garden. To emphasize, this is an extremely important step to not miss.
When they are too small and now exposed to the elements not all of them can handle it.
Expect to see a growth spurt in them within that week of transition. As long as you are exposing them outside, you are giving them a chance to make it. Afterwards, you can plant them in the ground and let them grow outside without hesitation.
Since we are a month into Summer, skip this step and follow the rest.
2. Amending Your Soil
In addition, create a compost to get your soil ready. For this you will want to build a compost. The way I do it is by having a small plastic container kept at the side of our kitchen counter. Whenever I cut or peel any fruits or vegetables, the kitchen scraps are put into the container, rather than in the garbage can.
Eventually you can build up your compost until it is full to the top. Then go outside and with a shovel, dig a deep enough hole to add the compost in there. Finally, cover it up with dirt and soil.
Do this a few times again and distribute the compost in different areas of your garden before you start. In this case it is better to be done around two weeks before planting. Furthermore, it also depends on how much you collect and place into your ground.
For instance, if you plan on creating a large garden, then start collecting compost an extra week sooner. Also, are you eating enough fruits and vegetables? If not, try to eat more fruits and veggies. This makes a difference on how much you are able to collect for your garden.
Distribute the compost before you start taking your plants outside to get their nutrients broken down into the areas you will be plating. Creating a compost provides rich nutrients to your soil and will help with the growth of your crops.
If you are planting in the summer and growing from the seed, wait for the seeds to sprout a bit before adding compost around it. Give it some time to grow first before adding natural nutrients to it. Include egg shells as part of amending your soil. Eggs shells are nutritional for the soil as well. They provide calcium as well as potassium and phosphorus and can be added throughout the gardening seasons.
3. Purchase Garden Soil And Manure
Up to the present time, I did not purchase any garden soil or manure. You cannot go without using garden soil. Both items come to approximately $30.00 (tax included) for a small backyard garden.
This is for an average of ten bags of garden soil and one bag of manure. Overall, there is not much needed when we are gardening, although garden soil is a must.
It is beneficial for your crops to grow in rich nutrient based dirt. The compost along with the additional soil will help the crops flourish throughout summer. Depending on the size of your garden, you may not need much. However, purchase a little bit of garden soil to ensure there is plenty for what you want to produce.
4. Coffee Grinds On The Soil
At the same time, whenever you brew a cup of coffee, keep the coffee grinds to use on the plants. Add some coffee grinds in the soil before planting them outside in the ground.
Also, take all the extra grinds and sprinkle them all over the garden before beginning. Please read my other gardening posts to learn more about the benefits of coffee grinds and why using them for a vegetable garden is beneficial.
5. Using Rain Water
There are so many benefits of using rain water. Take advantage of this throughout the Summer because When It Rains It Pours. This is a great way to optimize the growth of your garden and save money on the monthly water bill.
Why is it beneficial for your garden and why it is better than tap water? When It Rains It Pours, explains why. This is a very helpful tip to apply for your plants.
6. Turn Your Soil
Using either a spade, shovel or pitchfork, turn your soil by digging into it and churning it around. Mix it up and even out the dirt before you begin. Let it get soft and moist rather than keeping it hard and dry from the winter that just passed. You want to revive your soil back to life. This is to help encourage worms to break down the soil and the compost that you are adding.
7. Create A Garden Plot
To build a nice garden you will need a garden plot, unless you have one already. In that case you do not need to worry about making one. However, if you do not have one, create a space in your backyard or condo balcony and build a raised bed or two. The raised beds are good for holding growing vegetables. Some people have extravagant raised beds and others have basic ones, but both are useful.
We have stone raised beds that we did not build. There was a beautiful decorative garden in that raised bed. However, I removed a large majority of it so we can grow food. Regardless of how beautiful it looked before, the whole area had no purpose. Food, however, is a necessity.
I was able to transfer some of the flowers in the backyard garden to the front of the property. This gave space to grow some vegetables in nicely designed stone raised beds. However, you do not need anything fancy. A simple wooden raised bed will do just fine. By having a proper garden plot nothing is waster extra as far as soil, compost and providing rain water to the right location.
In Summary-7 Steps Before You Garden
By applying the following 7 steps before you garden, a garden preparation will hopefully be promising a strong yield ahead.
Leave a comment and tell me know what you think.
Please visit more of my blogs on Gardening.
Additionally you can also check out blogs on Home Reno’s, Recipes and 2020 and Beyond for cost effective ideas for your home, garden and the future.
My Authentic Homemade Vegetarian Cookbook is available for purchase on amazon. It includes recipes from my garden as well 12 Days of Christmas recipes. It is enough to feed a large group of family and friends a delicious vegetarian Christmas dinner. Thank you for your support.
Related Topics:
Growing Fenugreek From The Seeds
Top Benefits of Urban Gardening
10 Reasons Why Growing Tomatoes Is Beneficial
**This post was originally published on mcinthehouse.com in 2021**
**This post is newly published on July 15, 2023**
