How to Vegetable Garden

Why do you want to know how to start a vegetable garden?

Starting an article on how to vegetable garden by asking the question why you want to know how to start a vegetable garden may seem very strange but it is a very relevant question.

There is a great surge in interest in growing vegetables and fruit for family use and this has to be a good thing if not only to save money, fuel and reduce our carbon foot print. However, a vegetable garden is a long term commitment. You need to give up time for planning, regular hours to work your vegetable plot, prepare the ground, plant seeds and plants and maintenance such as weeding, feeding and watering. If you are prepared to give the required commitment of time and effort you will be well rewarded, if not you will get disappointing results and be put off growing your own for life.

Having decided that you are prepared to commit to a vegetable garden the first consideration has to be where these precious food crops will be grown. So what are your choices?

Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a large garden with ground that can be made available for cultivating food crops. If you have a large garden then you are one of the lucky ones and only have to decide which part of the garden to give over to growing vegetables.

Grow your own fresh vegetables

All is not lost for those with small gardens, there are options to consider. Garden allotments were very popular years ago when, by necessity, families grew as much as their own food as they could. Allotments went out of fashion when food was regularly and easily available from supermarkets at reasonable prices. But, the combination of rising food costs and a desire to eat food that has not been sprayed with a concoction of chemicals or flown half way around the world, allotments have become extremely popular once more. So popular in fact that many have long waiting lists with people willing to pay the small annual rents required.

Maybe your small garden only has a paved or patio area where you can grow crops or the only possible growing space is shady and not ideal for vegetable growing. This is where container grown vegetables should be considered. Good cropping can be achieved by using containers and those containers do not have to be expensive to buy. Recycle large tins and boxes, anything that you are happy to have sitting on your paved area. The resulting mix can be interesting and just think of harvesting those delicious home grown vegetables and taking them straight into the kitchen. Tomatoes are a good example of what can be grown in hanging baskets for example and in a sunny position given food and regular watering will crop well.

Having decided that you wish to learn how to vegetable garden you probably have other questions at the back of your mind such as how much does it cost to start a vegetable garden and is it really cheaper to grow your own? Assuming that you have garden space of your own that you can free up for vegetable growing the starting costs do not have to be unreasonable. Yes there are basic tools that you will require and probably soil improver of some kind but apart from seed and / or plants you can keep your start up costs at a minimum. In fact it is not a bad thing to start small and if you enjoy your vegetable gardening the first year, enlarge your ambitions and vegetable garden and crops the following year. That way you have not wasted money and know that vegetable growing is for you.

As for the “is it cheaper to grow your own than buy from the shop” it depends upon how you cost the task. For example, a packet of tomato seeds is cheap in comparison to buying tomatoes off the shelf in summer. That packet of seed will produce many plants and, grown well, will produce many pounds of excellent tasting fresh tomatoes. To produce those tasty tomatoes you have to commit your own time. If you give that time for free then the tomatoes grown yourself are very cheap. Charge yourself for your time and you may think that shop bought is cheaper.

However for me there is absolutely no contest. There is nothing like the enjoyment and satisfaction of growing and picking ripe tasty fruits that have only travelled a few feet and never seen a chemical.

Starting a vegetable garden with little or no knowledge can be daunting thought but remember that we all had to start somewhere. If there is one thing to remember about learning how to vegetable garden it is that none of us stop learning how to vegetable garden. Nature and each growing season will present new challenges but if you love the taste of fresh vegetables you will readily accept those challenges.

Enjoy your gardening and a warm welcome to all budding gardeners who have the desire to know how to vegetable garden.