vegetable gardening

21 Easy Vegetables and How to Grow Them

February 9, 2010 by Vegetable7 12 Comments

Still trying to decide which vegetables to grow this spring?

Take a look at this list of 21 vegetables for some ideas.

1. Snap Beans

Snap beans take 40 to 65 days to mature. Plant seeds 1 inch deep, and thin them so that the plants are 6 inches apart. Learn more on our How to Grow Beans page.

2. Lima Beans

Lima beans take 90 to 100 days to mature. Plant them 1 1/2 inches deep, and thin them so that they are 6 yo 8 inches apart. Learn more about growing lima beans.

3. Beets

Beets take 60 to 85 days to mature. Plant the seeds about twice as deep as the seed diameter. Thin them so that they are 2 to 4 inches apart. Learn more about growing beets.

4. Carrots

Carrots take 55 to 80 days to mature. Plant the seeds twice as deep as the seed diameter. Thin them so that they are 3 inches apart. Learn more about growing carrots here.

5. Cabbage

Cabbage takes 65 to 100 days to mature. Plant the seeds twice as deep as the seed diameter. Thin them so that they are 24 to 30 inches apart. Learn more about growing cabbage here.

6. Corn

Corn takes 70 to 115 days to mature. Plant the seeds 1 inch deep. Thin them so that they are 10 to 12 inches apart. Learn more about growing corn here.

7. Cucumbers

Cucumbers take 60 to 75 days to mature. Plant the seeds 1/2 an inch deep. Thin them so that they are 10 inches apart on a wire or trellis, or about 4 feet apart if you are doing them on hills. Learn more on our How to Grow Cucumbers page.

8. Eggplant

Eggplant takes 70 days to mature. Plant the seeds twice as deep as the diameter of the seed. Thin them so that they are 36 inches apart. Learn more about growing eggplant here.

9. Kohlrabi

Kohlrabi takes 55 days to mature. Plant the seeds twice as deep as the diameter of the seed. Thin them so that they are 3 inches apart. Learn more about growing Kohlrabi at this site.

10. Lettuce

Lettuce takes 50 to 75 days to mature. Plant the seeds twice as deep as the diameter of the seed. Thin them so that they are 4 to 18 inches apart. Learn more about growing lettuce on our How to Grow Lettuce page.

11. Okra

Okra takes 60-75 days to mature. Plant the seeds twice as deep as the diameter of the seed. Thin them so that they are about 15 inches apart. Learn more about how to grow okra here.

12. Onions

Onions can take anywhere from 35-100 days to mature. You want to thin onion seeds so they are about 6 inches apart. Learn more about growing onions on our How to Grow Onions page.

13. Parsnip

Parsnips take 110 days to mature. Plant the seeds twice as deep as the diameter of the seed. Thin them so they are about 4 inches apart. Learn more about how to grow parsnips here.

14. Peas

Peas take 60-80 days to mature. Plant the seeds an inch deep into the soil. Thin them so they are 3-4 inches apart. Learn more on our How to Grow Peas page.

15. Peppers

Peppers take 75 days to mature. Plant the seeds twice as deep as the diameter of the seed. Thin them so they are about 30 inches apart. Learn more on our How to Grow Peppers page.

16. Potatoes

Potatoes take 75-100 days to mature. Plant the seeds 3 inches into the ground. Thin them so they are 12 inches apart. Learn more about growing potatoes at this website.

17. Radishes

Radishes take 30-45 days to mature. Plant the seeds twice as deep as the diameter of the seed. Thin them so they are 1 inch apart. Learn more about growing radishes on this website.

18. Spinach

Spinach takes 55 days to mature. Plant the seeds twice as deep as the diameter of the seed. Thin them so they are 4 inches apart. Learn more about growing spinach on this website.

19. Summer Squash

Summer squash takes 65 days to mature. Plant the seeds a half inch below the soil. Thin them so they are 48 inches apart in hills. Learn more about growing summer squash on our How to Grow Summer Squash page.

20. Tomatoes

Tomatoes take 65-80 days to mature. Plant the seeds twice as deep as the diameter for the seed. Thin them so they are in rows 30 inches apart, using four foot spacing in the rows. Learn more about growing tomatoes on our How to Grow Tomatoes page.

21. Turnips

Turnips take 60 days to mature. Plant the seeds twice as deep as the seed diameter. Thin them so they are three inches apart. Learn more about how to grow turnips on this website.

Conclusion

So there you go. 21 different vegetables. 21 quick summaries on how to grow them. And 21 links to sources for more in depth information.

What are you planting this season?

Vegetable Garden Plan: Why You Need One

January 25, 2010 by Vegetable7 3 Comments

Why you need a vegetable garden plan

Putting good plan into action for your vegetable garden will make the garden better suit your needs than if you just go out and throw some plants into the ground. You’ll get a far bigger harvest of vegetables from a given amount of space than you would ever imagine.

This post will help you find a suitable spot for your vegetable garden, and will help you take advantage of companion planting and succession planting techniques so that all of your garden space is most efficiently used.

Seed packets and starter plants usually have growing directions. If you don’t know the average last frost date of your local area, call your local nursery and ask, or search for your garden zone. Some plants grow better in the northern part of the country, and some in the southern part. For example, you aren’t going to have much luck with asparagus in hot weather climates like Florida.

Location, location, location

Your vegetable garden should be located in a sunny spot. Optimally, it should be close to your house and close to a water source for convenience in taking care of your garden.

Keep your garden away from shade trees that will block direct sunlight. Your garden will need 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight per day to thrive.

The best vegetable garden soil is a light, well-drained sandy loam with high organic content and fertility, and free from rocks and stones. If you are gardening in a small space, almost any kind of soil can easily be improved by adding compost and soil amendments.

If you have enough room, make your garden 1/3 bigger than you actually want to plant, so that you can plant a cover crop of clover on one third of the space of the garden each year, keeping your soil fertile.

You should be thorough when you prepare your garden soil. Dig at least 8 inches deep. You can dig with a spade, or use a garden tiller if you don’t want to do a lot of manual digging.

Different vegetables, different needs

Vegetables don’t all have the same requirements for soil, temperature and moisture levels. Vegetables like lettuce, spinach and peas do best in cool weather. You’d want to plant them very early in the spring, or in the fall. Plant them in part of the garden that gets early sun, and is shaded during the heat of the day.

Other vegetables like tomatoes, beans, peppers or eggplant require hot weather, and should be planted where they get the biggest amount of sunlight in the garden. The greatest amount of sunlight can be arranged by making your garden rows go north and south, and by allowing plenty of space between the rows of the garden.

Companion planting

Companion planting is when you plant certain types of vegetables next to each other at the same time that are harvested at different times. When you remove the early crop, it leaves room for the later crop to keep growing and fill in the space. There are combinations like cabbage and lettuce, radishes with beets, carrots or parsnips, or early beets in the rows between tomatoes.

Succession planting

Succession planting means that you grow one plant until it is harvested, and then you immediately replace it with a different plant that grows next, because it is better suited to that part of the season. You might start with cabbage, and then follow with squash. Other examples are spinach followed by sweet corn, peas followed by beans, or early carrots or beets followed by celery.

Some succession plantings might overlap, like when tomato plants are placed in between rows of early peas that still have a picking on the vines. Cabbage should never be followed one after another in the same soil, because it can pass on diseases that can remain in the soil.

A written plan?

An experienced gardener might not need a garden plan if he or she has been using the same plot for many years, because he or she will be familiar with the vegetables that he or she usually grows, and their space requirements.

But hey, if you were that experienced, you probably wouldn’t be reading this blog post, would you? So you’re probably going to want a vegetable garden plan on paper before you begin digging and planting your vegetable garden.

Draw your garden plan to a convenient scale — like 1/8th of an inch to a foot. Keep in mind that taller vegetable plants like tomatoes can shade shorter plants, so you’ll want to keep your rows far enough apart to account for that.

When possible, low vegetables like lettuce, beets, beans and carrots should be on the east side of the garden. Taller plants like tomatoes, peas and corn should be on the west side.

A good plan has enough room to walk through it, so that you can water effectively and look out for weeds and pests.

Your vegetable garden needs a plan

Vegetable Gardening Considerations to Remember

May 11, 2009 by Vegetable7 Leave a Comment

Go ahead, let’s face it: the cost of living is increasing. Don’t worry because every problem has a solution. There’s a way to save money, but not compromising the health of your family. One way is to have your own vegetable garden in your backyard. Plant any vegetables you and your family loves to eat in every season of the year. That’s right, grow year round

These are some vegetable gardening tips that may help you to build your own vegetable garden spot.

#1: Usually vegetables require 6 hours of sunlight a day. But, there are some that require 8 hours. So, choose a good patch with ample sunlight. Maximize the space by planting several kinds of vegetables. Plan ahead, and even sketch it out on paper.

#2: During the dry season, your vegetables will need additional water every day. Especially, when they are setting fruit.

#3: Beware of pests during the sprouting season. The earlier you discover them, the better. If the pests are present, never use chemical pesticides on your plants, especially when they are close to being harvested. Remember, organic gardening is not only healthy, it’s environmentally friendly, too.

#4: Recycle those vegetable wastes you have in your kitchen! Instead of throwing them in the trash bin, you could make compost out of it to use next spring.

#5: Aside from maintaining your vegetables, you should protect your garden from pests and other animals– even your pet or your neighbourhood’s pets. Wandering dogs, cats, and rabbits love to raid vegetable gardens. Build a fence or look into a natural detterent for these critters. We like fences, too, because they double as trellis to support your vegetables that grow as a vine.

3 Powerful Tips you shouldn’t miss on Vegetable Gardening!

May 10, 2009 by Vegetable7 Leave a Comment

Do you want a garden that would make your neighbors and friends totally jealous? Let me help you with this. I am going to give you 3 basic vegetable gardening tips that’s going to turn your garden into a garden folk’s will want to have.

Let’s start with the perfect spot in your vegetable garden. It should be clean and free from anything that could inhibit the growth of your vegetables or it’s roots. This means, you need to rake it, aerate the soil, and make sure you don’t have any root compeitition.
Add some compost to your soil. It will help give your vegetables the nutrients they need to grow. After that, add some water. Do not water it too much, just enough to make the soil moist and make sure that no water is standing in the soil. But, make sure you watered deep to the roots.
Next, plant your vegetables in the right way. What’s the right way, you ask? Plant them apart! This may sound like not a big deal, but if you plant them to each other they will not mature. Yes, you could grow more vegetables, but since you are aiming for the best and biggest one, you should plant them with enough space.

And the best part of all is designing your garden! Since you want the best garden you should be creative. You could put a small waterfall in the background of your vegetable garden along with tall wheat grass to make it look magical. Try to imagine some pumpkins in front of the waterfall with tall wheat grass. It’s quite hard to explain, but just imagining what it looks like excites me!

Guidelines for Indoor Vegetable Gardening

May 10, 2009 by Vegetable7 3 Comments

Many people want to have a garden of their own, but don’t have a lot of garden space like a “dream garden” has. Even if you have such, the weather sometimes just doesn’t work out. So, what should you do then? This is the best time to go for an indoor vegetable garden!

Photo Courtesy of GardenGrowth.com

That’s a really cool thing, by the way! With indoor vegetable gardening, you’ll no longer worry about the weather. No matter what growing season it is, the fresh vegetables you wanted are not impossible. Plus, it will turn into a great hobby, especially those who feel bored whenever they are home more than a few hours. You don’t need a lot of money or time for this kind of activity! The only things you need are a caring attitude, and a little patience! Ok, and some dirt and/or water.

The well-known vegetables that thrive indoors are miniature cabbage, tomatoes, and certain types of carrots, peepers and lettuce.

To be able to make a successful indoor vegetable gardening, let’s get down to the list of things required, other than a caring attitude and patience.

The basic essential for houseplants are containers or planters. Containers, like a simple old cans, or a plastic bin work. You know, items that can be found in your house, and be creative. But, a ready-made pot can be bought in the market can also be used. In fact, you can recycle any the empty containers in your home.
Keep in mind that each container should have some holes to allow excess water to drain. You can use any sharp tools to make holes in your container. You should make holes at the sides and bottom part. But don’t forget to put a tray or something under it to catch the water. This is where self watering planters come in handy.
The type of the soil that you will use for indoor vegetable gardening should match the specific vegetable’s needs that you are growing. Not a big deal, just know what your vegetable likes. But for the most part, your plant will thrive in well drained soil with a little compost mixed in with it.
Either you yourself should mix the soil, or buy one from the store. The only thing you should remember is that the soil should drain well and be light in weight. Clay soil is not recommended because it does not drain properly, aside from that, it is very heavy. Professionals suggest having a mixture of soil, mulch, and sand for beneficial results. Once again, soil used in a garden is not suggested. So, don’t go out to the yard, and throw soil in your container.
It’s not a big deal to put the soil into a container. Just don’t pack it down too much. Packed soil will mess up the development of roots. There should be some space left at the top of the container, so you can water without spilling it everywhere.
How would you select seedlings for indoor vegetable gardening? If you wanted to do everything from the start, seeds would be a good choice. Grow what you like to eat, and what grows well indoors.
Like other outdoor growing plants, houseplants also need to be watered. Keep in mind that the the watering amount should be on target, and not too much or not enough. When it comes to watering your indoor vegetable garden, keep an eye on the container. You want to keep the soil moist, without overwatering.
The big selling point of indoor vegetable gardening, other than getting around the weather, is less weeding, if any, and less garden pests to worry about. With reducing outside elements, you control a lot more of the growing conditions. You can grow a lot of vegetables successfully with indoor gardening.