TIPS FOR GROWING VEGETABLES

1. Draw out a design on paper first to estimate the size in feet that you want your garden to be.This allows you to see how much space you have for the plants you want a and allows plenty of growing room for each crop. 2. Leave room between the rows for weeding, watering and harvesting the crops. 3. Make a list of seeds you need to purchase well ahead of time. If you want to start some plants indoors, you need to allow at least two months germination time before planting outside. This is necessary for tomatoes, peppers and eggplant. 4. Plants like lettuce, carrot, beets, swiss chard, and kale can be sown directly into the garden after the last frost is past. For those in a zone like 5 or 6, you can generally plant by the last week of May depending on where you live. 5. Planting some flowers around the edges of your vegetables will draw the benaficial insects like Bees and predator wasps needed to keep the pests low. Plants like clover, mint, sunflowers, and geraniums all help your vegetables as good companion plants. What to do before starting your seeds Before you begin read the back of all the seed packages first. It will tell you How deep to plant the seeds, how far apart to space the seeds and how wide the rows should be. The days until you should be able to harvest is also usually on the packet of seeds to give you a general time you can expect to produce vegetables. Once the seeds have germinated you can check for large healthy plants and pull out the weaker small ones to allow room for the strong plenty of room. Plants like tomatoes need at least 24 inches in between each plant for proper room to weed, water and pick the fruits. Some larger varieties need a tomato cage to add support. They require air and bright sunlight most of the day with at least 2 feet on both sides of the row to ensure this. Hills of cucumbers should be at least 3 feet apart with 5 to 6 feet of space to give the vines room to grow. You could also grow them up a fence or trellis vertically. This works for pole beans and peas too as sometimes they can grow to 10 feet in length. Beans like bush varieties are smaller and require 10 to 12 inches of space with a path on either side to allow picking. Runner beans need a support structure to grow up. Use poles with chicken wire at least 5 or 6 feet high. Squash like zucchini is a type of summer squash that needs to be picked when ripe and at least 8 to 10 inches. It can be canned in jars, frozen in slices or shredded and cooked fresh. They don't store well for long periods like the winter squash. For planting zucchini you need to allow plenty of room as they get quite large. Allow 2 or 3 feet space for each hill of two or three plants. Acorn and Butternut squash are winter varieties that do store well in a cool place like cold storage room or cellar. They grow on vines and require plenty of room to spread.