HOW TO GROW A VEGETABLE GARDEN

Step1
Grow only those vegetables you enjoy eating. Give priority to those prized for incredible flavor when eaten fresh from the garden: sweet corn, beans and peas, tomatoes and young spinach, among others.

Step 2
Prepare a plot of flat ground that gets full sun nearly all day. Break up and turn the soil and add compost or other organic material. A full day of blazing sunshine is especially important if you grow vegetables in the cool weather of early spring, early fall or winter.

Step 3
Figure out how much growing space you have and plant accordingly. Lettuce, for example, can be grown in a solid mat, but tomatoes need to be spaced about 2 feet (60 cm) apart. Give pumpkins at least 4 feet (120 cm) of growing room. Growing requirements are provided on seed packets, in books on growing vegetables or ask a Grangetto’s Expert.

Step 4
Choose crops that require less room if you have a small garden or grow vegetables in a container. Lettuce is a great pot plant, and 'Patio' or 'Tumbler' tomatoes will grow well in a hanging basket. Plants that climb and vine, such as cucumbers and pole beans, can be trained up a trellis to take up less room horizontally. Tuck herbs and parsley into flower beds.

Step 5
Schedule plantings around the two main growing seasons which vary by region: cool (spring and fall) and warm (summer). Common cool-season vegetables include beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, lettuce, peas, potatoes, radishes, spinach and turnips. Warm-season crops include beans, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, melons, peppers, pumpkins, squash and tomatoes.

Step 6
Sow some seeds directly in the ground as they grow best that way: beans, beets, carrots, chard, corn, lettuce, melons, peas, pumpkins, squash and turnips. Starting seeds is, of course, much less expensive than planting seedlings sold in flats, packs and pots.

Step 7
Start with nursery seedlings of certain other crops unless you are an experienced vegetable grower. These plants tend to do better when set out in the garden as seedlings: eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. Squash and cucumbers are among a few you can plant just as effectively as either seeds or seedlings.

Step 10
Shop for seedlings when your soil is prepared and you are ready to plant. Grangetto’s carries seed packets as well as seedlings through out the year.

Grangetto’s Experts are on staff to help you grow your garden. Visit us today

Tips & Warnings

• Plant cool-season seedlings during late winter if you live in a warm climate, such as the Southwest, Southern California or the South.

Keep extra seeds in an envelope in a dry, cool place, such as a plastic storage box in the basement. Many vegetable seeds can still sprout after a year or more in storage