Vegetable Gardening

Step by Step to successful growing: Buying Vegetable plants - try to buy the correct varieties grown for planting each month in average situations. Soil preparation - soil should be dug over properly to achieve success in the garden - the addition of well-rotted compost is always very beneficial. Fertilizing - a good complete fertiliser added to your garden at preparation time is important. Planting - transplanting your plants correctly will save you time and money, giving your plants a head start. Watering - the all important, must do for all gardens. Purchasing tips - for best results buy plants in cell packs - each plant in the punnet is in a separate cell - just pop them out and pop them in - no root disturbance. Buying Vegetables Vege "combo packs" are specially designed to avoid wastage in your garden -no more ten cabbages, lettuces or whatever are ready at once. Combo veges contain six individually grown plants with a selection of nineteen combinations. A cabbage combo contains two plants of three different varieties maturing over a period of several weeks. A cuisine lettuce combo contains two plants of three different lettuce varieties. A combo stir fry mix - three veges suitable for stir-frying. Spring and Summer are fine for planting summer salad veges such as lettuce buttercrunch, lollo rosso, webbs wonderful, broccoli, cabbage coleslaw Charlie, Derby day, mini (these are a small hearting variety) cauliflower all year round, celery slowbolt, corn honey and pearl, sweet yellow. And don't forget to plant tomatoes such as moneymaker or potentate. Soil Preparation Soil preparation is very important for a successful vegetable garden. It is better to dig your garden over when it is moist, not soggy, If the soil is dry then we suggest a sprinkler is used for at least two to three hours, after a day or two it should be just right for digging. This is an ideal time to add a complete fertilizer to your garden bed. It can be simply sprinkled evenly over the soil, making sure it is mixed in well while digging over, two spade depths is ideal. Fertilising The average garden is used time and time again and for this reason plant nourishment must be replaced. Fertilisers are the easiest way to maintain fertility, they should however be applied carefully as too much could burn the plant - read the label! However don’t forget the well-rotted compost as well. A general or complete fertiliser is all that is needed for an average garden in order for it to contain the correct proportions of food for your plants to ensure continued healthy growth. Planting This is ideally done in cooler weather, if this isn’t possible then in the evening would be best. It is important to water the plants well before planting out, lift the plants carefully out of the pack separating them from one another, planting them in the ground at the same depth they grew in the pack and gently firm the soil around the roots. It is important to have the soil firm otherwise on a hot day the roots will burn off resulting in a dead plant, and the wind will blow them over. Watering Your garden will require much less water if the ground has been properly dug over, thus allowing plant roots to find water at a lower level. One good soaking once a week is far more effective and beneficial to the plants needs. An oscillating sprinkler is by far the best; it covers a wide area giving the ground a good soaking- without the water pressure causing the soil to compact. Purchasing Tips Vege combo’s are a great way to buy for the garden, with three different varieties per pack, it adds selection, saves wastage, is great for small gardens and no root disturbance so the plants are faster maturing.