Vegetable Garden Seeds

Vegetable Garden Seeds
I got the vegetable seeds for a garden, now what? (3 questions)?

I got melon, cantaloupe, watermelon, strawberries, green pepper, tomato, cucumber, carrot, sweet corn, spinach and lettuce.

1. Till the soil to achieve a fine granular texture. Add compost or manure, and a cheap fertilizer, then rototill that into the soil until you have blended soil, compost, and manure completely.

2. I recommend short rows with wide spaces in between for easy hoeing, fertilizing, picking weeds and harvesting.

3. I suggest a 7 foot fence made of chicken wire to surround the entire garden. I wouldn’t worry about your dog and cats, rabbits and deer are more the problem. They eat young plants and ruin Tomatoes by biting into it then leaving it.

Vegetable Garden Seeds

Four Important Tips On Planting A Vegetable Garden

Planting a vegetable garden is not a difficult process, but does involve a little planning and preparation on your part.  There is definitely some time involved in the whole gardening process, but the whole process is very rewarding in many ways.  The main thing is take time to enjoy your garden, and your garden will reward you with many healthy, great tasting vegetables.

The first tip is location.  For a vegetable garden you want a location that gets at least 6 hours of sun light a day.  Also you want to make sure there is plenty of drainage.  These two things are very important when considering where to place your garden.  The vegetables must have plenty of sun to be healthy.  Also if the soil is soaked with water all the time, this will kill your vegetable plants quickly.

The second tip is preparation of the soil.  You need to remove the sod and loosen the top soil before planting a vegetable garden.  This is easier done with a tiller.  It can be done with a shovel also, but is much easier with a tiller.  You can either rent or buy a tiller at many stores.  

Too help with better quality soil, it is best to buy bags of top soil from a garden center and mix with your soil.  This helps loosen up the soil and gives the soil more nutrients for the vegetable plants.  Mix one bag of soil with the same amount of black dirt.  So basically a ratio of one to one.

One caution here on soil preparation.  For carrots, a tiller does not loosen the soil deep enough.  If you plant carrots without loosening the soil deeper than using a tiller, your carrots will be about two to three inches long.  Either use a plow before tilling, or dig with a shovel about twelve inches deep to loosen the soil where you want to plant carrots.

The third tip is decide which vegetables you want to plant in your garden.  Look on the seed packets to decide which months to plant your garden for your time zone.  If you don’t know what I’m talking about, don’t worry, just look on the back of the seed packet and depending on where you live, it will tell you what months to plant your garden for that vegetable.  

Some common vegetables and a good assortment of vegetables for your garden is Tomatoes, green beans, carrots, onions, potatoes, peppers and cucumbers.  If you have any problems deciding, go to a co-op store or garden center, and they should be able to answer your questions.

The fourth tip is when planting in rows, an easy process to get the seeds planted at the proper intervals and depth is to use toilet paper when planting.  Use a hoe in your garden to make the row at the proper depth following the instructions of the seed packet.  Take a roll of toilet paper and roll it out on your row, damping the laid out toilet paper lightly with a spray bottle.  Spread the seeds on the toilet paper at the proper intervals following the seed packet instructions.  Cover the seeds and T.P. with dirt at the proper depth.  

After planting a vegetable garden, you have to remember there is still plenty of work to be done.  You now have to water, weed and watch for insects.  Vegetable gardens do take some commitment, but it is well worth your time once you start getting those great tasting vegetables that you have grown.

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What seeds should I start indoors if I want to plant a vegetable garden in Massachusetts?

I live in Massachusetts, and would like to have a small vegetable garden this summer. What seeds should I start indoors? I was thinking of planting:
tomatoes
cucumbers
peppers
onions
I’m not sure what else right now. Thanks for the help!

Tomatoes and peppers can be started inside.

However, if you’re new to gardening, I highly recommend buying small plants from your local garden store or nursery when it’s time to plant. You’ll want to plant those around the “last frost date”, which is probably in early May for you. They are tender plants, and frost can kill them.

Cucumbers and other squashes, and beans, you’ll want to plant the seeds directly in the ground the same time you plant out the peppers. (they grow quickly, and don’t like transplanting particularly)

Onions – I would by onion “sets”. if you go with seeds – it’ll be a couple years before you harvest. Plant the sets in the ground as soon as you can get a shovel in. (like now). They like cool/cold weather, and don’t care about frosts. Ditto for garlic and shallots. You could also sow leafy greens directly in the ground about 4-6 weeks before last frost date.

Starting seeds indoors can be tricky, and I would gain experience in the garden proper before attempting that. But if you’re determined to try – you need your SUNNIEST window. Start 4-6 weeks before you plant to plant out. Keep the soil carefully moist. If they don’t get enough light, they get thin and leggy. About a week before you plant them outside – you need to “harden them off”, which is a process of acclimating them to the outside. Take them outside and give them a few hours of direct sun. Increase the time in the sun each day, bringing them inside at night. After about a week of this, they can be outside all the time, and are ready to plant.

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