Setting Up a Vegetable Garden
It Takes Time But It Is Worth It!
Just like any worthy endeavor, setting up a vegetable garden requires some thought and planning. This is especially true if you are in an area where you have not gardened before. There are five pages of information to help you more thoroughly. Both ground gardening and container gardening are addressed. If you are a beginning gardener, start small.

Sowing the Vegetable Seeds
  • Place a stake to mark each vegetable row
  • Tie a string between two stakes to serve as guide for the furrows you are creating with your hoe
  • Distribute the smaller vegetable seeds evenly in the furrows by tapping lightly the open seed packet. Individually place larger seeds. Be sure to plant additional vegetable seeds in each row to cover for seeds that do not germinate.
  • As a general rule, the depth of your planting should be not any more than four times the thickness of the vegetable seed. The exception is when you are planting a fall garden. You will need to sow deeper as the summer heat dries out the soil quickly.
  • Cover the seeds with soil. Make sure there are no rocks or other big pieces in them.
  • Thoroughly but gently spray the seeds. Keep the soil moist until the vegetable seedlings sprout
  • Thin the plants while the vegetable seedlings are small, but not before they have sprouted a third set of leaves. When thinning, discard those plants that do not look healthy. You just want strong plants for your garden. Healthy vegetable plants are naturally pest- and disease resistant.
Vegetable Beddings/Starts
  • Thoroughly water the vegetable bedding plant/starts
  • Create a hole that is just slightly bigger and deeper than the circumference of the root ball. Carefully loosen with your fingertip the outside of any tangled root ball.
  • Pat the soil gently to firm it around the plant.
  • Water thoroughly.
Weeds
Pull them out regularly, like once weekly. Once the weeds have gone to seed, they are a lot more difficult to control. Weeds also use water and root space that your garden plants need. Discard the weeds into the trash. Do not leave them by the sides of the garden area. If you set up your furrows about three weeks prior to planting, you will see little weeds sprouting. They always grow near the garden soil's surface. Rake them carefully, to about an inch deep, when they are about a foot high. If you go any deeper, you will have more weed seeds to worry about. Repeat the process until only a few weeds germinate. Then you can start planting your vegetable garden.

Note:
Do not forget the old hand-pulling technique. It is very effective. Just do your best and pull the weeds with the roots. It is easier when the garden soil is not too dry.

Check the other five pages for this topic. They will help you in setting up a vegetable garden that is well worth your effort!

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