Vegetable Gardening for Dummies – A Novice’s Guide

You’ll want to make sure the soil has a pH of above 6.  If you need to raise the pH level then mix organic matter and lime juice to create a pH around 6.5 to 7.5.

You must remove any perennial weeds.  Rake the soil two weeks before planting and mix in fertilizer or a compost into the soil.

1. Prepare a planting bed about four feet wide by removing all perennial weeds and roots and digging in plenty of aged manure or compost.
2. Starting asparagus from 1-year-old crowns gives you a year’s head start over seed-grown plants because the asparagus seeds take about two years to grow.
3. Get the year crown from a reputable nursery.
4. Plant them immediately if possible; otherwise, wrap them in slightly damp sphagnum moss until you are ready to plant.
5. To plant asparagus crowns, dig trenches 12 inches wide and 6 inches deep
6. Place the crowns in the trenches 1½ to 2 feet apart; top them with 2 to 3 inches of soil.
7. Two weeks later, add another inch or two of soil.
8. If you want to grow from seeds then soak the seeds in water for two days before sowing in mid spring and make one inch deep and drill 18 inches apart.
9. For the first 2 years of planting water regularly.

Don’t harvest any spears during the first two years that plants are in the permanent bed. The vegetables need to put all their energy into establishing deep roots.

During the third season, pick the spears over a four-week period, and by the fourth year, extend your harvest to eight weeks. In early spring, harvest spears every third day or so. As the weather warms, you might have to pick twice a day. 

Cut asparagus spears with a sharp knife or snap off the spears at, or right below, ground level with your fingers.

1. Start seeds indoors 8 to 10 weeks before last spring frost date.
2. The temperature must be at least 21.11 celsius for seed germination, so keep them in a warm area for the best and fastest results.
3. The peppers should be placed 18 to 24 inches apart in a row.
4. It’s best to start growing pepper seeds indoors in a dish for the first two months before transferring the seeds to the garden.
5. The peppers need about 5 hours of sunlight a day.
6. The seeds are ready to go in the garden when they are about five inches tall.
7. When you first transfer the seeds make sure it’s on a cloudy day or the location you planted them in has shade in the afternoon.
8. You don’t want to scorch your plants by exposing them to intense sunlight after they have been transferred from the house.
9. Cut the peppers from the plant when they have ripened.  They should turn a deep colour when they have matured.

Harvest with scissors or pruning shears in about 2 to 3 weeks.

Beets need an open site with fertile, well-drained light soil with a pH around 6.5 to 7.5. Add lime to the soil if you need to increase the pH level.

Wait until the soil reaches 10 celsius before planting, and in zones with low moisture and rainfall, soak the seeds for 24 hours before planting.

1. Plant seeds ½ inch deep and 1-2 inches apart.
2. Make sure soil remains moist for germination.
3. Thin the seedlings to leave 2 to 4 inches of space between plants.
4. Don’t overwater or you will have excessive leaf growth but if watering is neglected the roots will split and turn yellow.

It takes about 50 to 70 days for the beets to mature and they can be hand picked.

Prepare the seedbed by raking the soil to a fine texture. The soil should be deep, moist and free-draining. Avoid sandy and shallow sites. Keep the soil weed-free by raking of using a garden hoe. The soil pH levels should be about 6.0 and 7.0.

1. Broccoli can germinate in soil with temperatures as low as 4.44444 celsius.
2. Plant seeds 1/2 inch deep, or set transplants slightly deeper than they were grown originally.
3. Space your plants 12 to 24 inches apart with 36 inches between each row.
4. Provide consistent soil moisture with regular watering.
   Water regularly, about 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week.

Cut sprouting broccoli when the heads have formed. The stems should be about 6 to 8 inches long. If you do see yellow petals, harvest immediately.

Make sure the soil is well drained, because heavy soil will cause the carrots to grow slower and make the roots rough. Rake the seedbed to a fine texture about 3 weeks before sowing. Keep crops weed-free by mulching and picking the weeds by hand.

1. Make sure the soil has a pH within 6.5 to 7.5.
2. Keep the soil moist to avoid root splitting.
3. Start off with preparing the planting bed and dig about 2 feet.
4. Sow your seeds about a quarter inch deep and 2 inches apart, in rows spaced at least 10 inches apart.
5. Water at a rate of 3 to 5 gallons per square yard every 2 to 3 weeks.
6. The carrots should be ready to be harvested 2-3 months after planted.

Roots can be pulled straight from the ground or dug out with a hand trowel.

The vegetable flourishes in temperatures from 15 to 21.11 celsius. It requires rich, fertile soil that is well drained with a pH of 6.5 to 7.5. Lime acid soils before planting if necessary.

1. Start growing the seeds indoor for the best results within 8 to 10 weeks of the last frost date.
2. Soak the seeds overnight to increase the germination rate.
3. Work a compost into the soil before planting.
4. Harden the seeds before transporting by reducing water and leaving them in the sunlight for a few hours a day.
5. Transplant the seeds 10 to 12 inches apart.
6. Directly sow the seeds ¼ inch deep.
7. Add mulch and water immediately after.

You can start harvesting the celery stalks when it’s about eight inches tall.

The soil must be at least 18.33 celsius for germination.

1. Plant the seeds in rows about an inch deep.
2. Soil should be neutral or have a pH of 7.0.
3. Cucumbers love water so keep the soil constantly moist and water regularly.
4. Cucumbers are best ready when they are between 7 and 9 inches long.

Cut with a large knife and harvest when they about 7 to 9 inches long or ripe.

The vegetables can grow below 20 celsius.

Before planting, rake in a slow-release general fertilizer to improve the soil. Use about 1-2 ounces per square yard of the fertilizer.

1. Temperatures of 14.44 to 21.11 celsius are needed for seed germination.
2. Sow seeds in early spring in trays or pots in a warm greenhouse or on a windowsill.
3. Soak the seeds 24 hours before sowing to help the germination process.
4. When leaves appear, repot the plants into 2 to 3 inch pots until they are ready to plant outdoors or undercover.
5. If you are growing eggplants outdoor, then sow the seeds 10 to 12 weeks before the last frosts are expected.
6. Space plants about 20 to 24 inches apart and pinch out the growth tip when plants are about 16 inches tall.
7. Feed the plants with a liquid general fertilizer until the plants are established.
8. Water with a high-potash liquid feed every 10 days once the first fruits are formed.

Eggplants are ready when the skin is shiny. Use a knife to cut the walks close to the stem.

Ensure soil is well-drained with plenty of organic matter. Garlic favors an open, sunny space so select a spot where plenty of light is available.

1. Garlic can be planted in the spring as soon as the ground can be worked, but fall planting is recommended.
2. Plant in the fall and you’ll find that your bulbs are bigger and more flavorful when you harvest the next summer.
3. In areas that get cold, plant garlic 6 to 8 weeks before the frost. In southern climates, February or March is better to plant.
4. Break apart cloves from bulbs a few days before planting, but keep the papery husk on each individual clove.
5. Plant cloves one month before the ground freezes.
6. Don’t plant cloves from the grocery store. Get cloves from a mail order seed company or local nursery.
7. Place cloves 4 inches apart and 2 inches deep, in their upright position (the wide root side facing down and pointed end facing up).
8. In the spring shoots will emerge through the ground.

Harvest as soon as the leaves and stem begin to turn yellow. Dig the bulbs carefully with a trowel and allow them to dry in the sun. Handle them gently because the vegetable bruises easily.

Note: If you delay harvest the bulbs can shrivel, and the chances of disease increases.

Enrich the soil with compost and fertilizer before setting out the seedlings.

The soil pH should be 6.5 to 6.8 to discourage clubroot disease, although a pH of 6.2 to 6.8 is fine if your garden does not have any clubroot.

1. Plant the seeds 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep into well-drained, light soil.
2. Mix 1 to 1/2 cups of fertilizer per 25 feet of row into the top 3 to 4 inches of soil.
3. Water the plants regularly but be sure not to overwater them.
4. Water about 1 to 1.5 inches per week.
5. Kale should get about 6 hours of sunlight a day.
6. After about 2 weeks, thin the seedlings so that they are spaced 8 to 12 inches apart.

Remove the leaves with a knife when they are 4 to 5 inches long. Harvest regularly for constant growth.

The soil should be slightly acidic with a pH of 6.0 to 6.5.

1. Start seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your last frost date.
2. Transplant the seeds outside between 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after last spring frost.
3. Sow seeds ¼ inch apart and as thinly as possible in rows 1½ feet apart.
4. If the soil temperature is at least 1.67 celsius, then germination should take place in 6 to 12 days.
5. Fertilize 3 weeks after transplanting the seeds.
6. Make sure the soil is moist and well-drained.
7. Lettuce should be ready for harvest around 12 weeks after sowing.

Lettuce should be harvested at full size but just before maturity. You can harvest leaf lettuce by simply removing outer leaves so that the center leaves can continue to grow.

Soak the seeds 24 hours before planting to soften its hard coat. The soaking aids moisture absorption and germination. Okra can grow in many soil types, and the seeds usually germinate within two to 12 days.

If you live in a cooler climate, then you will want to start growing the seeds indoors four-to six-weeks before your areas final frost date. If you want to plant outdoors then you should warm the soil for several days before planting and space the plants 24 inches apart once the frost has passed.

Prepare the garden bed by using a garden fork to loosen the soil to a depth of 12 to 15 inches. Mix in a 2 to 4 inch layer of compost.

1. In warm regions, plant the seeds directly in the garden when the nights stay above 12.78 celsius and the soil has warmed to 18.33 to 21.11 celsius.
2. When soil temperatures are about 15.56 celsius, sow the seeds in rows about 24 inches apart leaving the same distance between plants.
3. Okra doesn’t need much water, so about 1/2 of water a week is sufficient.
4. When the plants grow about 4 inches, mulch to keep out weeds and conserve moisture.
5. Okra needs rich and fertile soil so every 3-to 4-weeks side-dress with compost.

About 50 to 60 days after planting some edible pods will start to appear. When harvesting, wear gloves because the pods prickly spines can irritate your skin. Harvest with a short knife while picking the pods.

Sprinkle wood ashes in the soil before planting. Peas are best grown in temperatures below 21.11 celsius. The pH levels should be around 5.5 to 7.0.

1. Sow seeds outdoors 4 to 6 weeks before last spring frost, when soil temperatures reach 7.22 celsius.
2. Plant 1 inch deep and 2 inches apart.
3. Water very little unless the plants are wilting.
4. Keep the soil weed-free by either using a garden hoe or picking weeds by hand.

It’s best to pick peas in the morning after the dew has dried because they will be crisp. Use two hands to pick the peas with one hand holding the stem and the other hand pulling the peas off.

Spinach contains many vitamins and is perfect to add in any salad or meal. It’s best to grow spinach in moist, nitrogen-rich soil.

1. Loosen the soil at least a foot deep before planting.
2. Sow spinach seed as early as 6 weeks before the last frost.
3. In warm climates, plant spinach in shade. The young plants will be spared the hottest sun and be ready for harvest in fall or winter.
4. Sow seeds 1/2 inch to 1 inch deep, covering lightly with soil.
5. Sow about 12 seeds per foot of row, or sprinkle over a wide row or bed.
6. Water regularly, sometimes twice a day.
7. In 6 to 8 weeks, you can start harvesting from any plant that has at least six leaves 3 to 4 inches long.

Cut the outer leaves when harvesting and pick off the leaves carefully.

The vegetables need about 6-8 hours of sunlight so pick a spot with lots of sunlight.

1. You’ll want to start growing indoors. Plant the seeds 6 to 8 weeks before the average last spring frost date.
2. Two weeks before transplanting seedlings outdoors, till soil to about 1 foot and mix in aged manure, compost or fertilizer.
3. Plant seedling about two feet apart.

You need to dig deep — plant so that 2/3 of the stem is buried.

• This allows the roots to sprout along the stem, making the tomato plant stronger.
• Water regularly, aiming for an inch per week.
• Tomatoes ripen at different rates and the best way to tell if it’s ripe is to see if the tomato is a bright colour and feel if it’s firm.

Leave tomatoes on the vines as long as possible. The tomatoes should ripen about 7 to 8 weeks after planting.