Author: Brian Ashworth November 22, 2016

This is a guest post written by Kylie from grohelps

For anybody that is looking at starting their very own home vegetable garden there are a number of important factors that you should be looking at getting to grips with before you begin.

After all, you will want to avoid making mistakes since it then leads to it becoming harder to grow those vegetables and actually being rewarded for all of that hard work that you are then putting into action.

So, these are some of the key factors that you really need to think about before you become too involved in your vegetable garden.

1. Size and  Location

It is important that you think about where your vegetable garden is going to be located as you must think about the quality of the soil, how much light it gets in that spot, and what the drainage is like.

In other words, you cannot just go and start growing vegetables anywhere that you want since that can lead to disaster.

Also, you need to plan ahead and understand what you will be growing as this then determines the size.

Alternatively, if you are aware of your limitations in the space that is available then you should then measure the space and spend time researching the different vegetables that can fit according to the space that they need in order to grow.

2. Planning Ahead.

You really do have to spend some time planning your garden and this means knowing what is going to be growing, where they have to be positioned, how they will grow together, and even when the produce is going to be ready for eating.

Some vegetables compliment one another in the ground while others fight against one another and restrict their growth.

Planning makes sure that you get the maximum number of vegetables in the smallest area possible.

3. Preparing the Bed and Soil

Vegetables are only going to grow in the correct soil and it is therefore very important that you prepare the bed correctly before you start planting.

You need to break up the soil, perhaps even turn soil over, and remove any weeds.

You might also want to also incorporate some fertilizer and work that into the soil so that the plants are able to get a real shot of those all important nutrients as they start to grow and develop as plants.

4.Selecting the Vegetables to Grow.

Next, you have to really study what you are going to grow and there are a number of deciding factors that will help you out.

First, learn about the vegetables that give you the best return for the effort that you put into getting them to grow.

Also, think carefully about what your family likes and take full advantage of those vegetables in the space that you have available.

You also have to think about what is the easiest to grow since this does also vary and if you are new to it then you do not want something too taxing.

5. The Care and Maintenance

This point is all about care and maintenance of your vegetables and the plot. As you can imagine, there are a number of things for you to think about with this and we will look at each point individually to help you to really make sense of it all.

Plant Supports for the Vegetables

You have to be aware of the fact that some vegetables are going to require some support to help them to grow.

This includes the likes of peas, runner beans and a number of other vegetables that tend to grow to a reasonable height. If you do not support them then their growth will be restricted.

Fertilizer.

If we can go back to fertilizer as it does play an important role throughout the duration of the growth and development of the vegetables.

You need to understand the kind of feeding that different vegetables prefer and also how often they need to be fed.

This will more than likely increase when they are at the part of developing the actual vegetables, so you have to be aware of the growth cycles so they can be fed at the correct moments.

Watering

Water is important if you want impressive vegetables, but you also need to understand how much water the different vegetables like when they are growing.

Some such as leeks love to have their roots soaked while others are not so happy with that.

Understanding the watering cycle for different vegetables can also make it easier for you to plan the garden in the first place.

Weeds

Vegetables hate weeds as they are just going to compete for the various nutrients that are in the ground and they can also start to fight against the roots and inhibit the growth of the plants themselves.

It is important that you weed the vegetable garden on a regular basis to keep on top of this issue.

Mulching

Mulching is something that you can use in order to boost the fertility and overall health of the soil and the best part is that you can even use old food scraps from your kitchen and throw it into the soil.

The plants are going to extract the nutrients and this will then boost their growth.

6 Protecting Your Vegetables

Protecting your vegetables is also just as important because you can easily get to a point where they have been destroyed and you are left with nothing in return for all of your hard work. Once again, we will look at several points individually.

The Problem of Pests

Different vegetables can be affected by different pests and that just means that you need to be aware of the most common issues for the plants before you go ahead and start your vegetable garden.

In addition, it is important to know that you can use organic insecticides to deal with the issue as at least then it is not going to give you any cause for concern with the health of the vegetables.

Dealing with Disease

One major problem with vegetables is that they can often be prone to different diseases.

As with the pests issue it is important that you know the main diseases that tend to affect the plants or vegetables so you know what to look out for in advance and how to deal with it.

Once again, there will be organic options for you to use that can be just as effective.

Dealing with Wildlife

Finally, there can often be a problem with wildlife and of course you then want to deal with them.

We are talking about more than just birds as well, so you might want to look at the idea of investing in some netting to protect especially the young plants.

Also, you have to think about the ways in which they are going to attack the vegetables and then counteract those problems.

As you can see, there are a series of things for you to think about when growing vegetables at home and the main thing is that you spend time getting to grips with the basics before you then go ahead and get started.

However, there is nothing complex here so keep that in mind and ultimately you should end up with some vegetables that you can be proud of.