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How to Make Vegetable Gardens
- 1). Walk across your lawn and look for a location that receives sunlight. In fact, most vegetables will not be able to produce healthy vegetables if the area receives less than six hours of sunlight per day. Plant your vegetable seeds or transplants in the early spring after the last frost.
- 2). Dig a 6-inch hole in the yard to conduct a soil pH test using a test kit. Check the soil's pH six months before planting to ensure that it is within the correct range of 6.0 to 6.5 before planting your vegetables. It takes up to six months to alter this range. Collect the soil at the bottom of the hole and follow the directions according to the kit. Spread lime over acidic soil or soil that has a pH of less than 6.0. Apply sulfur to alkaline soil or if the soil pH is above 6.5.
- 3). Till the garden area to break up the first 4 to 6 inches of topsoil to help the vegetable plants establish strong root systems. Remove any weeds in the area by digging them up. Be sure to plant right after removing the weeds on bare soil, because bare areas in the garden become breeding grounds for weeds.
- 4). Make a starter fertilizer for your vegetable plants. Use a fertilizer that has a NPK amount of 10-52-17. NPK represents nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. Starter fertilizer has a high phosphorous percentage, because it helps the plants grow strong roots. Mix up 2 tbsp. of fertilizer in a 2-gallon container.
- 5). Create a hole that is twice the size as your vegetable plant's root ball and at the same depth as it is planted in the container. Place your plant inside of the hole. Pour 1 cup of fertilizer solution inside of the hole. Pack soil around the base of the plant.
- 6). Space your plants according to the label. If you are growing plants from seeds, space them as the directions suggest. For example, cucumber seeds should be planted at 1 inch deep and 12 inches apart. Press stakes into the soil to mark your vegetables. Make a sign that indicate the vegetables planted in each row.
- 7). Water your planting area. Avoid allowing your soil to dry out. Keep the soil moist, so vegetable seeds can germinate and plants can remain healthy.
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