Planting Vegetables

Planting Vegetable Garden Tips – Garden Soil Preparation

Growing vegetables and not sure when to start preparing the garden soil? Soil should be tilled in early spring or fall, when the soil is not overly wet. You can test the soil by grabbing some from the area you plan to plant, and try to form a ball with it. It should not be sticky. The ball should easily crumble. Here are the basic tools you are going to need for growing vegetables: Spade (for digging the garden), hoe (for weeding), trowel (for digging holes for transplants), rake (to break up and prepare the soil), and a ruler (to measure the vegetable garden bed).

Once the garden soil is ready, then you may want to consider adding some fertilizer or organic matter as well. According to the University of Illinois, fertilizer for a vegetable garden should be 5-10-5, 10-10-10 or 12-12-12. They also advise that the first number stands for the percent of nitrogen, the second number stands for the percent of phosphorus and the third number stands for the percent of potassium. Fertilizer can be found in dry or liquid forms. Do not use regular lawn fertilizer for your home vegetable garden. Lawn fertilizer could contain herbicide or improper nutrients for growing vegetables. Dig the soil 6 to 10 inches deep and rake 1 pound of the fertilizer in for every 100 square feet of your planned garden design. If you are not planting the garden right away, you will need to rake again before transplanting the vegetables to prevent weeds. These are important in green, root and fruit development as well as disease prevention. Organic options include a compost of peat moss or cow manure.

If you’re planting vegetable garden seeds, they generally are created on a raised bed. The raised bed is good to keep the soil fertile and for water drainage. Don’t forget to pull out any weeds you come across.

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