Vegetable Gardening
Soil Preparation
Soil preparation is the very basics of a good garden. A few years back, not a lot of people tried planting vegetable gardens, especially not in the city. What with the busy lifestyle, constrained spaces, and pollution, it seemed inconceivable that a vegetable garden would survive. So, they have lost touch with the earth, and gardening was a forgotten activity. True, soil preparation is not the easiest part of growing a garden in the backyard, but it is one of the most important.
Because of the sorry state of the economy these days, more and more people are starting to grow their own food. They start a garden in their back yard or even use containers to grow their favorite vegetables. They have to start anew and grow their own vegetables where they live, even smack in the middle of a busy city.
If you are familiar with this situation, or even lived it, you understand the importance of knowing the basics before you start. If you want to be successful and harvest a good crop, you need to know soil preparation: the basis of vegetable gardening. Whether you plan to use a plot of land in your backyard or start a vegetable garden in containers, soil preparation is always the same and plays a main role in your gardening success.
There are three types of soil that you need to be familiar with; sand, clay and silt. Sandy soil is loose and helps the roots of plants breathe because it lets the air pass through easily. Clay soil absorbs water faster and keeps it inside longer, a soil composition that has more clay particles in it would be ideal for places that are too hot and where the soil dries up quickly. Silt is a fine mixture of sand and clay particles.
When preparing the soil for your vegetable garden, dig up the soil and break off the lumps. Take out the rocks, roots, and weeds while you're at it. Check if you have just the right mixture of sand, silt, and clay before you begin planting your vegetables. Ideally, silt and sand should both be 40%, and clay should just be 20%, this is to make sure that the water isn't trapped inside too much that the roots will choke. Also, if the water is trapped too long inside the soil, the roots will rot.
One good way to test whether the composition of your soil is good is by scooping out a handful and forming a ball with it. The soil should hold the shape of a ball without too much difficulty. If the soil cannot hold the shape, you might have too much silt or sand in the mixture. If the soil holds the shape but does not crumble easily when you poke it, it might have too much clay in it which you need to balance out with a little silt or sand.
Once you have finished cultivating the soil, pick the vegetables you want to grow. Keep in mind that some vegetables don't grow well when you plant them too close to certain other types. For example, potatoes shouldn't be planted too close to squash or tomatoes because this inhibits their growth. They can be planted in the same garden; just don't plant them beside each other.
After you have planted your vegetables, you'll have to learn about how to water them properly. They need to be watered consistently. If you have a large garden, you might want to consider using a soaker hose. A soaker hose has many holes along its body that waters your garden by letting the water seep through its holes. Planting vegetable gardens require manual labor (yes, actual work), and a lot of patience; but you will find that the rewards are very well worth the effort, especially for people who are concerned about their health. Growing your own vegetables assures that there's the least amount of poisonous (and in the long run, carcinogenic) particulates in the food you eat.
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