Best Tips for a Successful Vegetable Garden
Have you ever planted a tomato plant with the expectation of getting a ton of fresh tomatoes for your summer salads only to harvest about 6? Have you ever planted beans because your friend said they were easy only to see dead leaves and not one bean on it! Have you ever planted cucumbers next to anything else only to find that it took over your garden and now you have nothing except 8” cucumbers in your garden?
I raised my hand on all of the above, because just about every mistake you could make when it comes to gardening I’ve made!
Am I an expert? Nope. Have I learned from my mistakes? Yes I have. I’d love to share what I’ve learned with you so hopefully you won’t make the same mistakes, and instead you’ll have a great healthy garden.
Give Me Some Room Please!
When planting your vegetable garden please pay attention to the little tabs that are stuck in your miniature plants. Or, if planting using seeds please read the back of the seed packet. If you are like me, you probably have ignored those all together and instead just stuck the stuff in the ground. Big mistake! Take heed of the spacing requirements. If it says plant 3’ apart do it. Learn from my errors. If you plant them closer than the packaging says your plants will grow so large that they block the sun from other plants, or their large leaves or vine nature will spread and cover other plants that you have, thus killing them.
Enlighten Me
Once again it’s important that you read your packaging on your seeds or seedlings. Plants require different amounts of light from full sun, to partial shade and everything between. If your plant is a full sun plant and you don’t give it enough sunlight it will not thrive. A plant that needs little sunlight that is exposed to full sunlight for 12 hours a day will die because it has been given too much light. Make sure you check your yard to see which spots receive certain amounts of sunlight and for how many hours a day it gets before planting your garden.
All Dirt Is NOT Created Equal
I used to think that you could just go into a backyard, dig a little hole, plant a seed, and a garden would grow. Boy was I wrong! There are so many variables of dirt in different parts of the country. It’s important to know what type of dirt you have. I don’t have the space to write about how to make sure you have great soil here. To find out all about types of soil, compost, preparing the soil, mulching, and more you can find tons of info here. My kids actually helped me to prepare the soil for our first square foot raised garden from the book “Square Foot Gardening” using a mixture of several organic fertilizers, vermiculite, and peat moss. This year we’ll use the compost we’ve made over the year to add to it.
Tips From Victoria Davis on How To Grow A Garden (almost age 5)
Want more tips on growing a successful garden? Just listen to my daughter, she’ll tell you. If you want a dose of cuteness or need to smile today, you’ve got to check this out! This is totally unscripted. She’s speaking from the heart about our garden. Enjoy! “How to Grow A Garden by Victoria Davis.” 
What gardening mistakes have you made? What will you plant in your garden this year?
Have a Fit day!
Annett @FitWithAnnett
Olympian, Body Transformation Coach
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