Home Vegetable Gardening Rules to Live By

By Michael C Podlesny

Home vegetable gardening is not only fun but rewarding as well. The more effort you put in the greater reward you will get out. The big question is what is more effort? Well that could be having a couple of tomato plants growing in pots on a window sill, or could be a half acre plot of land converted into a mini-farm. That is one part of what makes home vegetable gardening so great! You get to pick and choose exactly what you want, where you want it, and how you want it.

There are though certain rules (if you will), more like guidelines, that you should follow if you want to see a greater chance of success with your home vegetable garden.

Sun
Most, if not all, vegetables (and herbs) that you can grow in your own garden will require at least 6 hours of sun. So when setting up your garden make sure that it will situated in such a way so that the plants will receive ample sunlight.

Location
If you live on property that has a septic tank, make sure you locate your garden so that it is not near it. The last thing you want is your gardens growing in that area and in that environment. If you have a house that is a bit older (built before 1980) then chances are it was painted at some point with lead based paint. Situate your garden away from the house so as not to take any chances.

Your Hometown
Although you might like eating some rare eggplant that you buy at your grocery store, there is not guarantee that you can grow it. Talk to people at your local garden center to find out which plants are indigenous to your area. They will have the greater chance to survive and thrive.

Write it Down
One of the most important items in a gardeners repertoire and often overlooked is a notepad, diary or binder (with loose leaf paper). In there you can write down what you planted, when, how often you watered and so on. This gives you an exact detail of what works and what didn't. As you write everything down, over time you will have a manual on how to grow a great garden at your home. You wouldn't drive from Atlantic City to Los Angeles without a map (or GPS), and you don't want to grow a garden without your trusty manual.

Simplicity
Above all the advice that you will read anywhere on the Internet, in books and watch on TV, you want to keep your home vegetable garden simple. Do not grow more than you need or can handle. So that means that even though you might have three acres of land, don't start a one acre farm and grow everything you see. You may not have the time to nurture it properly and in that case all you are doing is wasting time, effort and resources. Start off small and add on as season go by until you get to a point that feel comfortable for you.

Just remember that home vegetable gardening is meant to be fun and enjoyable. Follow these rules and guidelines above and it you will be rewarded with a bountiful harvest.

About the Author
Mike is the author of the book Vegetable Gardening for the Average Person: A guide to vegetable gardening for the rest of us. He can be reached at his wesbite: AveragePersonGardening.com where you can sign up for his free newsletter and he will send you a pack of vegetable seeds to get your home vegetable garden started.

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