Easy to Grow Vegetables

Easy come, Easy Grow

Getting a three year old to eat their vegetables is much more trouble than actually growing the vegetables themselves. Why then is there a prevailing myth that vegetable gardening is difficult? Perhaps is it because youth treated as indentured servants to the gardening chores have leveled the lingering resentment towards vegetable gardens in general. Or maybe sheer ignorance is a more likely culprit.

Know how vs. knowing how to grow vegetables

It is true that anyone can plant a seed. The steps are easy: dig a hole, insert seed, cover, water and wait. When these simple actions are followed and nothing happens, or the results are poor it can be frustrating.

Would be gardeners across the country have began a long and happy gardening career in this way. More often than not however the novice gardener falls is the know how verses knowing how trap. After a few failed attempts easy growing vegetable gardens are proclaimed a myth. The hobby is abandoned to those lucky soles with the green thumb to monopolize.

The road to easy

The truth of the matter is that knowing how to stick a seed in a hole is only a very small part of a successful and easy vegetable garden. A little bit of real know how goes a long way to turning the easy growing vegetable garden your reality.

Vegetable selection

The first and probably most important tidbit of easy know how is the process of seed and plant selection. Just because you plant it, does not mean it will grow. An Eskimo is in for a real sad garden if he decides to plant a citrus grove. There is a reason oranges are associated with Florida and Arizona. Citrus need heat and sun to grow well.

This is the same for almost any garden vegetable. Do yourself a big favor and find out what veggies are suited to your climate. After you have the short list of climate appropriate crops do a bit more leg work to find out which ones are likely to do well in your garden spot. If your garden area is small, then large plants or crops that need space like viney squashes or corn are not a good fit for your garden even if they fit your climate.

The last word on seeds is that to opt for quality seeds. This is the only way to ensure quality plants. Seeds from last year’s clearance rack are not poised for grand growing success.

Growing spot selection

Now turn your sights to your garden spot. Before you rush out and plant your seeds you’ll need to tend a bit to the spot of ground you have chosen to dedicate to the garden. First off is a very easy step of determining sun exposure. Vegetables need at least 7-8 hours of sun exposure each day to grow well. If your garden spot gets less than this, sew it with shade loving flowers and foliage and put the vegetables some place else.

Next take a good look at the soil itself. You don’t need to add expensive chemical fertilizers to make the soil ready, but you might need to add something. Clay or overly sandy soils are unlikely to yield a bumper crop. You can add sand and compost to clay, or just straight compost to sandy soils. These amendments will really help your seeds come to life.

These two steps are simple but they are vital steps in planting and reaping the rewards of an easy vegetable garden.