Question: We want to start growing some of our own vegetables this year but are not sure how to get started.
answer -- Begin by selecting a site, ideally close to the house, easy to water and in full sun. The ground should be well drained and free from root competition from trees or large shrubs. If drainage is dicey, plan for raised beds.
Compile a list of vegetables that are family favourites. Consider also small fruits such as strawberries, raspberries and rhubarb.
Make a plan. Create a rough sketch of the plot and begin lightly pencilling in the locations of the family's chosen edibles. Locate the tallest plants, such as pole beans and corn, at the northern end of the plot to avoid shading other plants. The shade they cast, however, does create useful spaces for cool-growing salad vegetables in summer.
Smaller plants like root vegetables, cabbage, broccoli and leeks can be grown in closely spaced blocks if the soil is fertile and humus-rich.
Some vegetables can be grown using very little space -- pole and runner beans on bamboo-pole teepees, for example, or cucumber and climbing zucchini on wire fencing or on netting.
Fast-growing, short-term plants like radish, lettuce and spinach can be grown alongside newly germinated pea rows, between emerging rows of corn, and around young squash or broccoli plants. They'll be harvested by the time their larger companions require the space.
As long as the ground is not soggy, the new edible garden area can be defined and dug over now. Remove rocks and debris, and begin preparing the soil for planting by digging in purchased or homemade compost. Lime the plot, except for areas where potatoes and strawberries will be planted.
--Canwest News Service
