Can I Reuse Potting Mix?

With gardening season around the corner, it's time to dig out the flower pots and seeds to start a new batch of vegetables and flower to grow in the yard. One way I save money with my garden is by reusing many of the supplies I used last year such as old trays and pots, stakes, frames, and string. And what about re-using that potting mix? That's a good question!

I won't reuse potting mix in my container vegetables "as is" for several reason. For starters, most of the nutrition has been depleted which means that it won't support a new plant without adding fertilizer. There's also the problem of the organic material in the potting mix which break down over time into fine particles which lead to compacted soil and drainage problems. And for people like me who garden organically, reusing potting mix for the same type of container crop may lead to a build up of pests and disease.

This isn't to say that old potting mix has no value. Here are a few ways that I reuse potting mix in my yard.

Recharge and rotate it

Old potting mix can be reused for container gardens as long as it's been recharged and not used for the same plant. I recharge my old potting mix by dumping it into a galvanized bucket, breaking up the clods with my hands while also removing the roots, and then replacing a third of the mix with finished compost. The recharged mix is then used to grow a different food crop or flowers.

Toss it in the compost

Potting mix that I don't recharge for use in another container is thrown in the compost bin when it turns into rich humus along with everything else. The high temperatures of composting will kill any pathogens in the potting soil making it safe to reuse once it's broken down along with the rest of materials in the bin.

To loosen up clay soils

Another great use for old potting mix is to improve soil texture in areas where the soil is heavy with clay. Since I have quite a bit of clay in my yard, I often turn over the soil with spent potting mix and new compost. The combination of the organic material and vermiculite in the potting mix along with the compost improves drainage which makes it possible to grow flowers and vegetables in beds that used to be too soggy for plants to grow at all.

As base material in a large container

A final use for old potting mix is as a base material for super sized flower pots. When I recently bought a 30 gallon ceramic flower pot, I filled the container two-thirds of the way with old potting mix and topped it off with the newer stuff. This is more than enough to provide nutrition for new plants and a great way to save money too. If your garden soil is overall poor these tips can help you improve it!

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4 Ways Composting Saves Money

The Financial Benefits of Composting

Why do you compost? For many people, composting is all about reducing waste. Compost diverts organic material away from the landfills and into our yard where it can be used to fertilize our flower and vegetable beds. From a practical standpoint, compost also saves us money. Here are four ways that composting saves me hundreds of dollars a year.

Lower trash pickup costs

Yard waste can fill up a trash can in a hurry and if your city is like mine, the more garbage we put out, the higher the cost of collection. Composting our yard waste and vegetable scraps means saving money on trash pickup.

Free soil amenity for vegetable garden

Commercially prepared compost runs between $75-100 for a cubic yard, even more if you buy it in bags. The compost bins in my yard produce nearly 3 cubic yards of composted material a year which I use to improve the soil in the vegetable beds. Improving the beds with homemade compost means you can get by with less water and less fertilizer than beds without compost.

No need for a garbage disposal

I don't have a garbage disposal and never felt the need to own one because all my vegetable scraps go straight to the compost bins instead of down the drain. Garbage disposals are expensive, use electricity, and take a lot of care to keep them functioning properly. Composting diverts your kitchen scraps away from the drain and back into your yard where it will benefit your plants.

Free mulch

If you have chickens and rabbits like we do, the animal waste and soiled bedding can pile up in a hurry. I use my composter to convert their waste products into nutrition rich mulch which I scatter around my rose bushes and privacy hedge. Mulch made from chicken manure and bedding acts as a slow release fertilizer while also keeping down the weeds and preserving ground moisture.

Dont know where to start ? Here is an detailed about starting a compost pile

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Why the Ph Level in Soil Important

The pH level in your garden soil can greatly affect the growth and quality of your plants. All plants, trees, shrubs, flowers and fruits or vegetables obtain their nutrients from the soil and need specific combinations of nutrients in order to do so. Nutrients like Potassium and Nitrogen help plants grow, produce flowers or fruit and fight diseases.

pH levels are graded on a scale of 0 to 14. 0 through 6 indicates acidity while 8 through 14 indicate an alkaline or base substance. Pure water is considered to be neutral at a pH of 7. Testing kits are available to test garden soils at home to determine the starting pH level and what will need to be added for the best plant growth by type.

The pH level of the soil needs to be above 5.5 for Nitrogen to be available for plant growth. For plants to receive Phosphorus this level needs to be 6.0 to 7.0. Bacteria in the soil also help the plants receive and use the available nutrients. While many plants love and thrive in acidic soils too much acid will kill off the nutrients and eventually the plants themselves.

Soils that are too high in acid will not absorb pesticides or fungicides that are applied to control bugs or disease. When pesticides and fungicides are not held in the soil they eventually end up in the runoff and contaminate nearby watersheds and rivers.

All plants have recommended pH levels for obtaining the best growth. Peanuts like a pH level of 5.3 to 6.6, while soybeans do best between 6.0 and 7.0. Walnut trees and asparagus will do well up to a pH of 8.0, considered alkaline. Orchids and blueberries, to the other extreme, can flourish in an acid soil with a level as low as 4.0. Unfortunately, most weeds thrive fairly well across a range of pH levels, but crabgrass and wild mustard can be killed at an acid level below 6.0 on the scale.

A pH range of 6.0 to 7.0 is best for most plants. Test your soil and know what pH level your plants will growth the best with. Plants that require more or less acidity than others should be planted far enough apart for them to thrive. Remember that too high an acid level can cause more damage than good, even for acid loving plants. In addition to damaging plants, high acid levels in the soil can damage any concrete borders. Too high an alkaline level or acid level can corrode steel and this should be considered when setting up trellis.

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Preparing for Your First Organic Garden: Soil Considerations

So you've decided to try your hand at organic gardening. While it will be hard work and time consuming, the rewards far exceed the cost. It pays however to enter into the art and practice of organic gardening with an open and informed mind.

One of the first things to consider when starting your organic garden is the characteristics of your soil. This will help determine which plants will thrive in your garden, how you need to care for them, and what you need to do to alter the environment to create the best garden you can. Thankfully, most everything you need to know can be described in four characteristics: drainage, existing vegetation, color and texture. This article will give you an introduction to these characteristics, and what they can mean for you and your garden.

Drainage

A soil's drainage is it's ability to move water through the soil, and away from the plants in question. Most plants require a well drained soil. While there are some exceptions, most plants do not do well in a situation where their roots are constantly inundated or flooded with water. Therefore it's important to determine the drainage rate of the soil in your proposed garden. The most effective way to do this requires a shovel, a watch, and three buckets of water. Start by digging a hole in your garden, approximately 1 foot deep. Take the first bucket of water and fill the whole, and record how long it takes for the water to completely drain from the hole. Wait five minutes and fill the pit again with the second and third buckets, recording the time it takes for complete drainage in both the second and third case. Then average the results.

The faster the drainage rate, the more well drained your soil is. If the rate is between 0 and 4 minutes, the soil is considered to be excessively well drained and plants may require more frequent watering. If it takes between 5 and 15 minutes to drain, it's still considered to be well drained, and most plants will thrive in this environment. Soils that take between 16 and 30 minutes to drain are considered moderately well drained, and still may be considered good choice for a number of different vegetation. If the soil takes longer than 30 minutes to drain it is most likely bordering on a poorly drained soil, and some alterations may be needed to encourage proper drainage.

Existing Vegetation

It is important to remember that your garden is a complex system of interactions between the plants, animals, soil, water and air. Look at the area that you want to use for your garden now. What is thriving there? Is it primarily grass? Or does it have a robust selection of weeds? Also, you'll need to dig down and look at the first six inches of soil. What kinds of bugs and worms do you find there? Are the roots strong and pliable? These are both signs of a healthy and vibrant soil.

Soil Color

Another great indicator of the quality of your soil is its color. In fact, the color can indicate how well its drained, its organic content, and even it's overall chemistry. If your soil is black, dark brown or a dark red, that indicates that the soil is well drained and has a relatively high organic content. If the soil is blue green or gray that is usually a sign that the soil is poorly drained and may have an anaerobic chemistry. Finally if the soil color is primarily yellow, the soil is probably very poorly drained. Also be a look out for mottling and streaking in the soil-- that may be an indication of seasonal drainage problems.

Soil Texture

Finally take a look at the texture of the soil. The texture of the soil can give you an indication of the soil type, it's overall drainage. For the most part, soil texture can be defined by three different extremes - sandy silty and clayey. What's more, the soil texture can be easily determined simply by picking up a handful of soil.

Start by running your soil between your fingers. Does it feel gritty to the touch? Then it's primary composition will be sand. A smooth feeling is indicative of silt, and clay has a slightly sticky texture. Next is the ball squeeze test. Take a small amount of soil, moisten it, and roll it into a small ball. Apply some pressure. If it breaks apart with a slight pressure it has a loamy or sandy texture. If it stays together but changes its shape easily than it has more silt than anything else. Finally if the soil holds it's shape with even moderate pressure it probably has more clay in it than anything else.

While it's not the only thing to consider when putting together your organic garden, understanding the characteristics of your soil is probably the first step in bringing out the best in your new organic garden.

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Garden Soil Versus Midwest Weather

In the Midwest of the United State, garden soil has little or no sand. Each year the rainy spring cause the soil to compact and the hot summer cause the soil to crack. I have found adding plant material to the garden helps offset the unwanted soil conditions.

Plant material in garden

Both plant material and decaying plant material is used in my home vegetable garden. For my garden, items made from plants such as paper, cardboard, and lumber are cut up and used. In addition my source of plant material is the Privet hedge.

Compared to other hedge bushes the Privet hedge is inexpensive. By the first of June the hedge has a new growth of one half foot to a foot. I trim the new growth and use the cuttings in the garden. After the June rains I trim the hedge a second time. It's easy to have an increasing supply of cuttings by starting new bushes from the established hedge.

The privet hedge will grow new shrubs. After the shrubs reach two to three feet in height I transplant them. To do this, I dig down 2 to 3 inches and cut the connection to the established bush and then plant the new shrub in a different location. It's best to transplant in early spring, but I have successfully started new bushes during the summer and fall. I have observed the new Privet hedge bush prefers the light, but will grow in shade.

Hedge clippings for top of soil

I add hedge clippings to the top of the soil during the growing season as the plants are reaching their full height. For vines I add clippings before the crawlers start.

Hedge cuttings put on top of the soil keep tomatoes from touching the soil and the tomato bottom will not rot while ripening. My cucumbers and muskmelons ripen better when growing on plant material. Since sunlight doesn't reach the surface of the soil, I see little cracking of the soil during the hot days of July and August.

Hedge clippings for root air pockets

At the end of the garden season, I dig up the garden and add clippings under the soil. By doing this the clippings make air passages so the needed oxygen can reach the next year's new roots. This also will start the decaying to compost process and nutrients are added to the soil.

I also aerate the soil by adding worms. In the area I live, during the spring, worms are sold as fishing bait. I purchase these and release them in my garden.

Hedge clippings for fertilizer

I help the hedge clipping start the decay process and then the clippings turn into compost. The compost is used in place of fertilizer.

A simply way to make compost is to put clippings into plastic garbage bags. Start by adding 1/2 foot of clippings to the empty garbage bag. Then sprinkle on top a liter of garden soil and add a 1/2 liter of water. Continue adding 1/2 foot of clipping, soil, and water until bag is almost full. Then tie bag closed and leave sit for 2 months. The clippings will start the decaying to compost process. At any time after the decaying process starts I use the compost in place of fertilizer.

Each spring I add the compost, by putting it on top of the garden before the planting of the seeds and vegetable plants. Also I find it helps to add compost after the plants growth is completed and before the plant's production of edible food starts.

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Tips for Preparing a New Garden Site

Home gardening can be a relaxing and rewarding hobby. However, before digging in and planting vegetables or flowers, gardeners must prepare the site to grow the biggest, colorful flowers and best-tasting vegetables. Taking time to plan and prepare the site gives the new garden the best possible start and plants will yield wonderful results as the garden area matures. A well-prepared site allows plants to become established more quickly and develop strong root systems. Healthy plants are naturally more resistant to pests and disease.
 

The procedure for preparing a garden site is the same whether the gardener plans to start from scratch or expand the size of an existing garden. The ideal time to begin preparing a new site is a few seasons before planting; however, several weeks will also do. Soil amendments need time to break down and begin enriching the soil, even those added to improve water retention and drainage.

If a gardener cannot prepare the new site well in advance, a new garden site can still benefit from some immediate preparation before planting. The key is to use fully aged manure and compost that are already broken down. The site chosen should be large enough and provide the right growing conditions for the plants a gardener wishes to grow. Plants vary in the site conditions they need, so determine the sun exposure, soil type and water needs of a plant before choosing and preparing the site. Some plants require a sheltered location away from wind and frost.

When preparing the site, remove all sod before tilling the area, because grass will sprout again even if turned under the soil. Once sod is removed, the gardener can mix in organic matter, such as compost or manure, to improve soil fertility. Organic matter also helps sandy soil retain moisture and nutrients, while helping improve the drainage for heavy, claylike soils.

To ensure the new site is ready for planting in the spring, plan and prepare the site in the fall before winter weather sets in; this allows organic materials time to break down. If the gardener did not prepare the site in fall, he or she can still do so in spring; however, it must be done as soon as the ground can be worked, usually after the ground thaws and dries out a bit. A good time to start preparing soil is about the same time seeds are started indoors.

The new site requires maintenance. In summer, if plants fail to thrive or show signs of stress, gardeners should test the soil and make any necessary adjustments. This helps get the next year's plants off to the best start.

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Five Tips to Start Off Your Spring Gardening

The snow has not started to melt yet, but your mind is already thinking of spring. Many dream of the crisp air, the blue skies and flowers in bloom all around. Whether you consider yourself a gardening aficionado or a landscaping master, here are a few tips to kick off the gardening season in full swing.

The soil is still very wet? Don't start planting just yet. It may be tempting to start planting once the snow on the ground has melted, but it may not be the greatest idea. It is best to wait until the soil is moderately dry to start gardening. The soil should be moist but crumble in your hands when trying to make a ball with it. If you want to start even when the soil is a bit wet, try using raised beds.

Start your seedlings indoors. For those living in colder weather, it is a good idea to start seedlings indoors and then transplant them into the garden once they have grown and are strong. One should try to ease the plants when moving them outdoors by taking the pots outside and setting them in a sunny place a few hours at a time, until it is time to transplant them into the ground.

Rotate your crops. Rotate vegetable crops every year to avoid depleting the soil from nutrients and prevent disease. In general, one should stay away from planting the same group of vegetables in the same area year after year. Different vegetables need different nutrients and rotating what you plant will allow the soil to replenish and regain nutrient balance. Likewise, some families of vegetables attract certain types of diseases into the soil, by rotating them you will avoid creating a chronic problem.

Don't waste your breakfast, use it as fertilizer. Coffee grounds and eggshells are great as fertilizers. Coffee contains nitrogen, which helps with plant growth. Just keep the leftover grounds from your morning coffee in a container and once you have a good amount, add them directly to the soil. Eggshells contain calcium, a nutrient needed to avoid deformed blooms. You can add the whole shells or grind them in a food processor and add them directly to the soil

Water your plants with chamomile tea and cooking water. Once you are done cooking pasta or vegetables, it is a good idea to use the leftover water to water your plants. It contains remnants of minerals and vitamins that can be helpful to your garden. On the other hand, chamomile tea can be very effective in preventing fungal and bacterial infections that are common in plants during the spring; just make sure that you cool down the water or tea before watering your garden.

"No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden." - Thomas Jefferson

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How to Prep Your Vegetable Garden Soil for a Low Water Year

Ongoing drought conditions in the West mean that vegetable gardeners like myself have to use every trick in the book to keep our veggies alive. Choosing low water vegetable plants is one way to get by with minimal irrigation. So using a drip irrigation system instead of watering overhead or by way of furrows.

What you do with your soil also makes a big difference in the amount of water your vegetable will require. Here are a few of the ways I'm prepping my garden soil for a low water year.

Improve soil texture

Since I live in a high mountain desert that gets quite hot and dry during the summer, the best gardening soil for me has always been a compost-rich loam that leans towards having a bit more clay in it rather than sand. Well amended soil helps retain moisture and encourages vegetable plants to grow deeper roots, which will help them survive summer drought when the watering has to be scaled back.

Remove weeds

Because I'm an organic gardener, part of my soil prep includes turning over all my beds and running the soil through a sieve to remove weed and quack grass roots. Weeds will rob garden soil of both nutrition and moisture which is why it's especially important to stay on top of the weeding during a low water year. For non-organic gardeners, you can treat the garden plot with Round Up (following instructions) before transplanting your seedlings.

Flat surface planting

Even though seed packets recommend planting certain seed varieties in mounds or on furrows, this style of planting results in water rolling away from the plant's roots before it has a chance to soak in the soil. This year, all my large vegetable plants (tomatoes, squashes, peppers, cukes, etc) will be planted in slight depressions which will concentrate the water to the roots instead.

Mulching

Mulching is especially critical during a drought year since it slows down evaporation, shades the soil, and keeps down the weeds. I've been saving our used animal bedding (straw and wood pellets) all winter to use as a mulch for when my plants can go in the ground. A three-to-four inch layer of organic mulch means that I will be able to get by watering every other day instead of daily.

In nearly 40 years of having a vegetable garden, last year was the first time ever that I ran out of well water halfway through the growing season. Paying attention to how the garden soil is prepped is the first step in creating a vegetable garden that can handle the low levels of irrigation water available in a drought year.

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The Importance of Testing Your Soil

Garden Plants Are Only as Healthy as the Soil in Which They Grow

All gardeners know that their plants are only as healthy as the garden soil, so it is important to conduct a soil test to determine if any amendments or other steps are needed to grow healthy, productive plants. Measuring the content of the soil is not difficult and is essential for beautiful and bountiful garden.

Most plants prefer a specific type of soil, such as azaleas that prefer a slightly acidic soil. Other plants, like geraniums, thrive in soils with less acidity. To ensure the plants a gardener chooses to grow have the best soil for their needs, gardeners must select the right plants for the soil or amend the soil to for specific plants.

A soil test determines the pH of the soil, which measures acidity. Depending on the results, the gardener can choose plants the grow well in the soil available or amend it to accommodate desired plants. Soils with a high pH are alkaline; however, gardeners can lower the pH by mixing some sulfur into new planting beds or around existing plants. A low pH means the soil is acidic, and adding lime to the soil and mixing it in well raises the pH level,

The best time for gardeners to test the soil is in the late fall or early spring. Testing at this time of year gives the gardener time to make any necessary adjustments before planting the garden. Some amendments to the soil require a few weeks to become effective. Wet soil samples can give gardeners a false reading, so soil samples for testing should be taken when soil is fairly dry.

Most garden centers and hardware stores carry a variety of soil testing kits. Some kits may only test the pH, while others test for pH and nutrients. Soil test kits are inexpensive and relatively accurate. The key to getting the best results is to collect a good sample and follow kit instructions carefully. Testing the soil more than once can help a gardener verify results.

Soil test kits that include both pH and nutrients test for essential nutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. Once a gardener has the soil test results, he or she can take steps to correct nutrient deficiencies or abundances. Testing the soil and making necessary adjustments can save a gardener from making a garden planning mistake. A soil test can also save money and time by preventing gardeners from choosing the wrong plants.

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How to Rotate a Garden Crop to Follow Seasonal Rains and Periods of Drought

How to Plant for the Weather

If you live in the West like I do, the ongoing drought and low water table means that gardeners often run out of well water long before everything has been irrigated in the the vegetable garden. While one solution is to not plant anything at all, a better solution is to adopt low water practices to keep your vegetables alive.

Some of the changes I will make to my vegetable garden this year include flat plantings, heavy layers of mulch, a drip irrigation systems and choosing low-water summer vegetables varieties. I will also start early and rotate my crops so that they can follow the weather. Here's how it's done.

Early plantings
As soon as the ground is workable in the spring, plant your first batch of quick growing spring veggies such as salad greens, spinach, radishes, turnips, and green onion starts into the ground. Replant these same vegetables every 1-2 weeks until the seeds stop sprouting.

Early, staggered plantings lets you take advantage of spring rains and a higher soil moisture content to keep your garden alive. Once the weather heats up and these veggies start to droop however, they should be harvested and the plot allowed to sit fallow for the rest of the summer.

Start a limited selection of summer crops indoors.
During a drought, it's best to limit your summer veggie selections to ones that are low water tolerant or have high yields in proportion to the water used. Roma and cherry tomatoes are good selections, so is are peppers, okra and Cumshaw squash. These vegetables should be started indoors at least 8-10 weeks before the last spring frost. An early start means that they will have an established root system by the time the water has to be scaled back in the summer.

Late planting
In a traditional garden, plantings are staggered from early Spring to late fall for a continuous supply of produce. During drought years, skip the summer rotation (except in low water plots) and wait until late fall when the temps are slightly cooler to plant the last rotation of veggies. Low water fall crops such as Swiss Chard, Kale, spinach and turnips can be sown directly into the empty beds that had earlier held your spring veggies. Stagger these plantings for a steady supply of produce until the first hard frost.

Managing a vegetable garden in periods of drought is a bit of a balancing act. Water-wise irrigation practices along with matching vegetables to the weather is what will produce the highest yield with the least amount of irrigation water.

 

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How to Sterilize Potting Soil

Keep Your Houseplants Healthy

Houseplants are an attractive and healthful addition to any home, and quite often, shortly after purchasing a new houseplant, it becomes necessary to transplant it into a new pot. Houseplants sold in stores are sometimes already considerably root bound, and once the roots have filled the pot it's time to provide a little more legroom. Besides a new container a couple of inches larger, you'll need potting soil before beginning the transplanting process.

Potting medium sold in stores provides the right combination of nutrients and rich organic material to help your houseplants thrive, but potting soil sometimes comes with more than plant lovers bargain for. Soil-borne fungi and insects are sometimes included at no extra charge, but these are freebies you really don't want to bring home.

Just because potting medium is labeled as sterilized doesn't mean it won't contain something extra. Bagged potting soil might still contain harmful fungi, soil-borne diseases, or destructive insects, and it's a good idea to sterilize potting soil before using to ensure it's truly sterile. The following information provides step-by-step instructions on how to sterilize potting soil. When you sterilize your planting medium, you ensure the health and well being of your houseplants, and beginning with healthy soil is the first step in maintaining vigorous abundant houseplants.

Warning

When potting soil is heated, it produces a strong unpleasant odor. Be sure to provide adequate ventilation by opening a nearby window and turning on an exhaust fan. Keep children and pets out of the room.

In addition, the temperature of the medium you sterilize should not exceed 180 degree Fahrenheit during the heating process. Higher temperatures can produce substances that are toxic to plants. If the temperature exceeds 180 degrees Fahrenheit, discard the soil appropriately, and start over.

Easy Oven Method

To sterilize potting medium in the oven you'll need a large oven-safe roasting bag, a large baking sheet or roasting pan, a meat thermometer, 5 cups of fertile potting soil, and one cup of water. You'll also need a potholder or oven mitt, and a cooling rack.

Begin to sterilize the soil by placing approximately 5 cups of loose houseplant medium in a large oven-safe roasting bag, and thoroughly mix in about 1 cup of water. Place the bag on a baking sheet or in a roasting pan, and loosely affix the opening so steam can escape. Stick a meat thermometer through the bag, and into the dirt. Set the oven to a very low temperature, and turn it down when the thermometer reaches 170 degrees Fahrenheit so it doesn't exceed 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Try to keep the temperature constant for about 30 minutes to ensure safe and adequate sterilization. After you sterilize the planting medium, carefully open the bag after 30 minutes of continual 170-degree temperatures, and allow it to cool to room temperature before using.

Important Note

Once you sterilize the soil, you must sterilize the pots and saucers before using to ensure the soil remains sterile. Soil-borne diseases, fungi, and insects can live in small amounts of soil and debris remaining in previously used and inadequately cleaned pots and saucers.

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Best Vegetable Garden Fertilizers for an Abundant Harvest

Feeding Your Vegetable Garden so that it Feeds You

Our grocery budget has increased more and more due to the recession, increased fuel charges and shipping charges. All of these factors have raised the price of food substantially in the past year causing families to search for ways to cut their food budgets. Our family began planning a vegetable garden this winter in hopes of growing more of our own food for this summer. In addition to saving money, by having our own vegetable garden we will eat healthier and better-prepared meals. My father has planted vegetable gardens for years so I asked him what we should look for in a fertilizer for vegetable gardens. He said that he has used many fertilizers over the years in his vegetable garden but his top five best fertilizers for vegetable gardens were these.

The best all-purpose fertilizer for his vegetable garden was the Slow-Release All-Purpose Fertilizer by Gardener's Supply Company. This fertilizer is 100% organic, which we love, so there are no harmful chemicals to taint your vegetables. The slow release formula keeps a steady concentration of nutrients in the soil to enhance the growth of vegetables all season long.

Gardener's Supply Company also has the best tomato fertilizer for huge, plump and delicious tomatoes. This fertilizer also uses slow release to keep a constant level of nutrients in the soil to enhance root growth and fruit production. This fertilizer also contains phosphorus to enhance fruit production and is organic so that your tomatoes will be healthy as well as beautiful.

For beginner gardeners like ourselves, my father suggested we use Jobes Organic Vegetable Fertilizer Spikes. They are pre-measured, easy to use and provide great fertilization for a vegetable garden. Since they are stuck into the ground, they fertilizer vegetable plants at the root and promotes microbial action at the roots. In addition to being convenient, easy to use and an excellent fertilizer they are also OMRI™ certified for use in organic gardens.

Osmocote® Vegetable & Bedding Smart-Release® Plant Food by The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company is a good all-purpose fertilizer for vegetable gardens. The formula is a slow release, multi-nutritional formula providing a balance of nutrients to vegetables all season but must be repeated approximately every four months. The benefit of this vegetable garden fertilizer is that you can also use it with trees, shrubs and perennials for those who wish to have one convenient product for all of their fertilizing requirements.

Another all-purpose product from Scotts is their Scotts® All-Purpose Flower and Vegetable Food. This food may be used on flowers and vegetable gardens making it a convenient product for gardeners. The slow-release formula protects from burning the plants and maintains a steady flow of nutrients into the soil. This vegetable fertilizer is relatively inexpensive if you are searching for a quality product with low cost.

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How to Plant a Vegetable Garden

If you've dreamed of having healthier, readily available fresh foods for your family to eat whenever they'd like, you may have started wondering how to plant a vegetable garden. Planting your very own vegetable garden allows you to control whether harmful chemicals are used on the foods you eat, allows you to have fresh vegetables for cooking or eating raw during harvesting season, and saves you money both in the summer and winter, because you can freeze or can the vegetables you grow and use them throughout the year.

Planting a vegetable garden is not difficult either, but there are a few steps involved. First you have to plan the location of your vegetable garden, then you need to prepare the soil for your vegetable garden, then you will plant your seeds or starter plants. From then on, it's just a matter of caring for your vegetable plants and keeping the weeds away. And before very long you will find yourself outside picking fresh vegetables right off the vine.

Planning your Vegetable Garden

The first thing you'll need to learn about how to plant a vegetable garden, is that location is very important. Vegetables need five to six hours a day of full sunlight, so where you place your vegetable garden plays an important role in how successful that garden will be.

You will also need to plan your space wisely. Depending upon how many vegetables you want to plant, and how much of each vegetable you'd like to be able to harvest, you might find you need quite a bit of room for your vegetable garden. A family of four for instance, generally needs rows of vegetables approximately ten feet long to provide enough harvest for the entire family. So if you want to plant twenty different vegetables, you will need a lot of space.

Vegetable gardens can be planted in containers however, so this might be an alternative option for you to consider. Many vegetables can grow in one container too. Your best bet for the first time planting a vegetable garden is to start small. Choose maybe five vegetables to plant for instance, or try planting smaller amounts of many different vegetables.

Preparing your Soil

The next step you will need to learn about how to plant a vegetable garden, is that soil preparation is very important. There's a lot to learn in this area, so we won't cover it in detail here. But the basic steps involved with preparing your vegetable garden soil involve turning the soil, and enriching it with compost or other organic matter.

Vegetables need a lot of nutrition to grow well, so the better you prepare the soil before planting, the better chances you have of producing a bountiful crop.

Planting Your Vegetables

The third step in learning how to plant a vegetable garden is the fun part. You will plant your vegetable garden seeds or starter plants in the newly prepared garden soil.

Now, if you're planting your vegetables in traditional rows, you'll simply sprinkle seeds along the top of a row, then cover then lightly with a thin layer of soil. If you're using starter seedling plants for your vegetable garden, you will make a slight hole in the top of the row, put your starter plant down in the hole, then pack the mounded soil around it lightly.

Planting vegetables into raised garden beds is done the same way when you're using rows. If you decide you'd like to plant your vegetables in square blocks however, that's easily done in the same ways too. Alternatively, you can randomly place your vegetable plants and seeds, and you will get a more natural growth look from your vegetable garden when the sprouts begin to create leaves and produce.

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Preparing Your Vegetable Garden for Planting

Healthy Soil is the Key to a Bountiful Vegetable Harvest!

Once all the snow has melted and the ground has thawed, it's time to get ready for planting season! The days are longer and the temperature is warmer so it's time to get to the first of the garden work! Preparing your vegetable garden will take some time and energy, but will make planting day so much easier and the harvest more successful!

The first thing you need to do is clean out the garden. Remove any dead plants from the previous gardening year. Some plants and roots will have completely decomposed and you can leave those to enrich the soil. If there are any noticeable stems, leaves or roots from your plants you will want to remove those from the garden. It is also very important to make sure you have taken up all stakes and fences from your garden. Be sure to remove any tomato cages or any wire that you used for staking the plants upright. This will prevent any problems during tilling time. No one wants wire wrapped around the tines of your tiller!

Once your garden is clean you will want to start tilling. A motorized tiller works the best to loosen up the soil and mix the roots up. As you are tilling you will want to take any large clumps of soil and separate them. If you have enough time you may want to till the entire garden 2-3 times. That is not necessary, but will break up the soil more and make the garden bed a little softer.

After tilling, you will want to apply your fertilizer. Fertilizing can be done prior to tilling also. The tiller will mix the fertilizer deep into the soil, so you will want to watch how much you apply and be sure to have a good mixture of soil and fertilizer. Some plants vegetables like different fertilizer levels, so you will want to have your garden plan designed so you can fertilize according to which plants will be where.

Allow the fertilizer to settle for a few days and then apply a nice covering of water. By moistening the soil, the fertilizer will break down and the seeds will have a nice level of moisture in the soil. When soaking the garden you will also want to take special attention to any low or high lying areas.

After the water has been absorbed you will want to go in and level the garden. This will help during the growing season to prevent any areas that become too damp and the water will sit there, as well as high areas that will not receive enough moisture. If you garden is on a slope, you may want to consider building up the low side so that all the water does not run down and off the high side of the garden. If you would like you can form simple terraces to make for more level ground.

Once your garden is cleaned, tilled, fertilized, watered and leveled you are all ready for planting! Having a nicely prepared garden bed will make for a wonderful planting day! You will also want to round up all your gardening tools, seeds and staking material prior to planting day!

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