Many of us are long-time gardeners. Some, looking at
the rising cost of vegetables, have decided, for the first time, to venture
into this rewarding pastime. Here are a few tips for first-timers:
1. Know
your geography: It is of paramount importance to know your growing season,
which varies by altitude and latitude. A growing season is calculated as the
date between the last frost in spring till the first frost in fall. Do not
plant outside the growing season.
2. Choose
a site: The ideal site for a garden should receive at least six hours of
sunlight per day, have adequate drainage (as rain is common in the spring) and
can be watered easily.
3. Prepare
the bed: About a month before planting, clean the garden area of old leaves and
dead branches. With a spade, turn the topsoil over. Soil rotation breaks lumps
of hard dirt, allows for aeration and brings nutrients deep into the soil.
4. Indoor germination: Many
plants require indoor germination, depending on the species. They need to be
germinated indoors, before being transplanted at the appropriate time. To
determine which seeds require this treatment, please look on the seed labels,
or do an on-line search. Typically, paper-cups, yogurt containers and ice-cube
trays make excellent starters.
5. Wait
for the soil to dry: One mistake to avoid is the transplanting of seedlings
when the garden is too wet. Pick up a large handful of dirt and roll it into a
ball. If the ball crumbles when pressed with your fingers, or shatters when
dropped a distance of three feet, the soil is dry enough for transplanting.
6. Choose
the correct seeds: Here are some of the best vegetables to grow in the
springtime: Peas, Spinach, Lettuce, Radish, Beet, Potato, Tomato, Cucumbers,
Rhubarb are all planted at this time of the year. The correct seeds to plant
depends on the growing season and the site’s properties.
Mohan Ashtakala (www.mohanauthor.com) is the author of The Yoga Zapper, a fantasy, and Karma Nation, a literary romance. he is published by Books We Love (www.bookswelove.com.)
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