How To: Plant a Vegetable Garden

One of the joys of summer dining is fresh, local produce. Nothing tastes better than a tomato or cucumber just off the vine. And it tastes even better if it’s from your own yard! Many feel overwhelmed by the prospect, but growing a garden doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be a wonderful learning adventure. With a little effort and patience, you can plant your own herbs and veggies to harvest all summer long. Here’s how:

TOOLS AND MATERIALSAvailable on Amazon
Garden gloves
Spade and/or shovel
Wheelbarrow
Hand tiller or garden fork
镘
Stones or bricks for walkway (optional)
Nutrients (plant food, compost, manure)
Stakes or cages
起始植物或种子
Fencing (optional)
PATIENCE!

DIRECTIONS

1. Make a Plan
衡量您希望种植花园的区域。大多数草药和蔬菜都像晒太阳一样，所以确保你选择一天至少8小时的阳光区域。想想你想要种植的东西，并做一点研究，以发现每个植物需要多少空间。（大多数起始工厂都有一个标签，可以告诉你他们会成长多高和宽。）制作您的花园情节的粗略草图以及您想要在哪里的植物。然后去购物！

2. Dig a Plot
如果您计划您目前有草的花园，您需要删除草皮。这可能是该过程中最难的物理部分。使用铁锹将草坪切成围绕您的情节周边的污垢。然后从一个角落开始，在草根的根部下工作，在草根下工作，一点点向上抬起。将块中的草皮取下一个独轮车，你可以稍后带走。

3. Prepare the Soil
使用铁锹，手工耕作或花园叉，通过花园情节，转动和松开土壤。如果您决定添加堆肥或其他修正案，现在是时候将其倒在该地区并将其工作到现有的土壤中。

Note:You may want to test your soil’s pH level before starting. You can buy a DIY kit at your local home improvement store, or ask your Local Cooperative Extension Office to do it for a small fee. Once you know the soil’s pH level, you can begin adding amendments to your soil—e.g., lime (to make it more alkaline) or peat moss (to make it more acidic)—to meet the needs of what you’re planting. Or you can just skip this step and take your chances, see how your garden grows, and make adjustments for next year. Gardening is very much about experimentation!

4. Make a Path
Once your garden is growing, you’ll need a place to step while you harvest your vegetables. Step stones, bricks, or many other materials will work. Or, you can just plan to leave a pathway unplanted, if you don’t mind getting your feet a little dirty. Just be aware that you may need to regularly move vining plants off the path and encourage them to grow in a different direction.

5. Plant seeds or starter plants
–Seeds:If you’re planting seeds, first mix some compost, manure, or slow release fertilizer into the area. Then, follow the directions on your seed packets for planting depth and distance from one another. Keep in mind that some veggies, like cucumbers and beans, grow very quickly and are easy to grow from seed. Tomatoes, however, take much longer, and generally do better started indoors in the late winter months. This can help you decide where to invest your money in starter plants, and what you can get by with on cheaper seed packets.

–起始植物：Dig a hole with your garden trowel twice as wide and deep as the root ball of the plant. Mix some compost, manure, or slow-release fertilizer into the soil around where the plant will sit. Loosen the roots without disturbing them too much and set your plant into the hole. Fill dirt in up to where the stem meets the soil the plant came in. Lightly pack the soil around the plant and water thoroughly. Repeat for all your plants. For plants that need support, like tomatoes or peppers, install stakes or cages when you plant, so roots won’t be disturbed after they’ve set in.

6.提供保护
If you have critters around (like rabbits and deer), who you fear may use your garden as a midnight snack bar, think about investing in some type of barrier. There are lots of options, from chicken wire to picket fencing. Just remember, bunnies can get through tiny spaces, and deer like to jump, so have realistic expectations for whatever you choose.

There are also a number of lighter-duty protection options to try, like planting marigolds around the perimeter or hanging pieces of Irish Spring or Dial soap on stakes. There’s no science attached to the claims gardener’s make regarding those repellents, but the anecdotal evidence might convince you to give it a whirl.

Veggie gardening can get as involved as you like. You can add edging, fencing, trellises, irrigation, netting, and more. But you don’t have to go that far to have a successful and enjoyable experience. Each season you plant, your knowledge and intuition will grow. As for the garden: Sunlight, water, and some regular TLC will go a long way to bringing a bountiful harvest to your summer table.