Although the times when a vegetable patch could be found in every back garden are sadly gone, there are many keen gardeners who are slowly replanting their vegetable gardens with some very good results. You don’t need a huge space to plant vegetables, and some people prefer the kitchen garden idea which originated from the French, and was designed for those who do not have enough room for a large vegetable garden, They will often combine seeds, and grow their vegetables in smaller plots with equally good results.
There are many advantages to planting your own vegetable garden, not only can you guarantee that your crops are free of pesticides and chemicals, making them more healthy for you and your family, you will of course also be saving money by growing your vegetables yourself. The other advantage to eating vegetables in season is that you are helping to cut down the growing problem of food miles, and of course there is nothing better than the taste of something you have grown yourself. When starting out planning your vegetable garden, organization is the key. You need to think about what you would like to plant, if you have the space and is it the right season. Begin by drawing out the area that you want to use for your vegetable garden, ensure it is to some sort of scale marking out the borders and paths, and then decide where you want each vegetable to grow, marking definite rows or numbers of each vegetable. It is advisable to start with a small vegetable patch and as your experience grows every year then so will your garden. Many keen gardeners plant far too much their first year and when it all becomes too much, they simply give up. It is also best to start with easy crops that harvest well such as potatoes and runner beans. More difficult crops can be planted at another time when you are more experienced and feel comfortable tending to these vegetables.
Researching your vegetables is also important, what vegetables grow well in your area is good to know. This saves you time and money by only planting what vegetables have a good chance of survival. Also knowing which vegetables prefer sunlight and which ones do better in more shade will assist your crops in the future. As a guide, a distance of 20 inches between vegetables has proven to be good and allows enough room for growth but adequate room for the different crops to shade each other. If you are limited on space then combining seeds might work for you, but learning which seeds can happily grow in the same space is essential to perfect growth. Often the packets will give you lots of advice and guidance on the seeds inside, it is always advisable to read this before planting and keep the packets for future reference. A good way to save money is to share seeds with fellow gardeners; there are often far too many seeds in one packet. Most importantly enjoy your gardening experience and try to involve the whole family; it will encourage your children to continue the tradition of vegetable gardens into the future.