Naish Artists

Our search for alternative art forms this month brings us back to a green fingered theme as we look at growing your own vegetables. According to this interesting editorial piece in the NZ Herald, having a vegetable garden can be good for mind, body and soul. If this is something you’re interested in doing for yourself, here are some tips that might help. Having a vegetable garden can certainly really help you in times of financial difficulty. Developing a garden won’t just reduce your food expenses but it may give you an opportunity to earn some extra money. You are going to find that starting a garden is not difficult but you will need to do some planning. It’s not as if you can toss a bunch of seeds in the back yard, and expect the right vegetables to grow.

You should decide where you want to install your garden before you start. A perfect location for your garden is an area that gets approximately six hours of sunlight a day. You should also be able to have straightforward water access. It needs to be close enough to be able to use a hose or carry the water with a bucket. You need to have a spot where the soil is suitable for growing plants. There must be waterflow and drainage that is effective, and no hard objects, like stones, and it should be free of silt. The area needs to be easy to access so you’re able to monitor any weed or pest growth. You really don’t want to put in all that effort only to realize that your plants can’t grow well.

When that is achieved, you really should decide what vegetables you want in your garden. In the event you carefully think of what you want to plant, your family can eat it plus you may also be able to sell it. It could be a waste to plant something that you don’t typically eat already.

When you have the plants you intend to grow, you will need to think about the arrangement. You want to find out how frequently certain plants will produce vegetables and place those perennials in the back of your garden. These are generally vegetables that are producing constantly throughout the year, and they should be placed where they will not be disturbed. Vegetation like spinach, carrots, radishes, beets among others that produce yield sooner than others, should be put together. As soon as they are picked, you can easily plant another crop in their place.

There is always one final thing you need to think about, and that is there are some plants that can’t grow next to other plants. Some plants are going to enhance the growth of other plants, while many will inhibit growth. Whenever you plant a crop that inhibits growth, such as potatoes inhibit the growth of squash and tomatoes, they shouldn’t be near each other. Broccoli can potentially inhibit the growth of tomatoes, while beans can end up being a problem for onions. It doesn’t suggest that you must never plant these vegetables in your garden. It is advisable to be sure that these plants are not next to each other when you plan your garden.