Establishing a vegetable garden

Tired of vegetables from the supermarket that are tasteless and deteriorate within days of purchase? Remember how the tomatoes and fresh beans and peas from Grandad's vegie patch used to taste? Are you wary of genetically modified food? Growing your own fresh vegetables is not difficult and apart from the wonderful taste, you will also know exactly what has gone into and on to your food.

Location
The one really vital requirement for a successful vegetable garden is a sunny location. Choose the sunniest spot you can find. If the only sunny area is paved, or on the deck or balcony, then plant your vegetables in pots (refer to our info on sowing into containers). There are quite a few varieties of vegetables developed expressly for this purpose and container vegetable growing is becoming easier and easier.

The Soil
The soil in a vegetable garden needs to be well-draining with a good structure (nice and crumbly) that allows rapid root growth and easy access to nutrients, water and air. The incorporation of organic material such as household compost (best because it's weed free) and composted animal manures helps to create suitable conditions for growth. It should be dug over to break up clumps of soil (never dig when the soil is wet & sticky as this will cause clumping). If, however, you find digging difficult, or are faced with a compacted, poorly-drained site, then building up a "no-dig garden" with layers of straw, hay and compost above ground level will allow you to grow wonderful vegetables without the heavy work of digging over the bed. Whatever way you go the top of the soil should be friable to allow the emerging shoots to break through.

The degree of soil acidity (i.e. the pH) can affect nutrients available to plants. Most vegetables thrive in soil with a pH between 6 and 7. A simple pH test with a soil testing kit (one is available from the Global Garden shop) will indicate if your soil is too acid or too alkaline. Soils with plenty of organic matter added may need the addition of garden lime to raise the pH. For maximum growth, natural fertilisers may need supplementing with artificial fertilisers to ensure that the plants have all the nutrients they need. Don't over-fertilise. The use of a variety of organic materials will probably produce perfectly satisfactory results. Water well before sowing.

Sowing
Now you are ready to open your packet and sow those miraculous little seeds!
It is usually best to sow in a straight line so that you can easily distinguish your vegetables from any weeds which may also sprout. The job may be made easier for small seeds by mixing them with sand & applying with a shaker to better control the sowing rate. Sow the seed according to the directions on the packet. A general rule that works for many seeds is that you plant them at a depth that is twice the diameter of the seed with a minimum depth of 1 cm. Water with a fine spray initially. The seeds need moisture to develop, so keep them moist but don't drown them.

Coping with Pests
One of the great advantages of the home vegetable garden is the option of producing pesticide-free produce. You may have to settle for produce that is not as visually perfect as the shop-bought stuff and steel yourself to doing plenty of picking off and squashing of pests. Looking at your growing crop every day not only gives satisfaction but can enable you to quickly detect any harmful insects and physically remove them. The other options, of course, include choosing products with low toxicity eg Pyrethrum insecticide, trying biological control eg Dipel (for caterpillars) and using companion planting. (Marigolds are very good). Snail bait is something that you may need to use. (Multiguard is much safer than other baits.) A snail beer trap can be very effective - bury a container level with the ground & fill with beer. Slugs & snails find it irresistible & then drown happily.

What to Plant
The choice of vegetables depends on the tastes of those who are going to eat them. Don't waste garden space producing wonderful crops of, say, chokoes, if no one in the family will touch them with a bargepole! Like all sensible producers, cater for your market, and sow seed successively to have an on-going supply. Tomatoes, beans, peas, broccoli, capsicums, lettuce, carrots and zucchini are all particularly easy & rewarding. You don't need a huge space at all, and a vegie garden can be very attractive.

Join us as we help you along the way to grow delicious, healthy vegetables for yourself, your family and your friends.
The Global Garden Shop stocks a good range of excellent seeds.