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Vegetable Gardening Tips

Updated on February 15, 2014

Vegetable Gardening Tips

Here is a list of various vegetable gardening tips arranged by topic.

From here you will be able to link to my other vegetable gardening pages to get lots more information.

Let me know at the end of this page if you find something useful here, or if you have any other vegetable gardening tips to add.

The "polaroid" photos on this page and the photo on the left were all taken in my Mum's and Dad's fabulous vegetable garden.

Planning your vegetable garden

Silverbeet and potatoes

Silverbeet and potatoes
Silverbeet and potatoes

Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums
Nasturtiums

Zucchini

Zucchini
Zucchini

Trowel and Error: Over 700 Tips, Remedies and Shortcuts for the Gardener

Tips for growing vegetables

Tips for planting small seeds

For very small vegetable seeds, like carrot seeds, it can be hard to sprinkle the seeds out of the packet so that they don't all come out in one big lot. One option is to thoroughly mix some of these seeds with some river sand then sprinkle them out into position, sand and all.

Some other ideas are shown in the following video.

growing vegetables tips
growing vegetables tips

Tips for starting seedlings

Seeds can be started in seed raising mix in recycled toilet rolls. You can put these rolls into a recycled icecream container and then place the icecream container into another larger container holding water. This will provide a moat, protecting the seedlings from snail and slug damage.

Make sure you label your seeds - the type of seeds and the date. You could cut up a recycled plastic milk bottle into strips and write on the strips with a permanent marker.

Don't sow too many seeds all at once. It's a good idea to stagger your planting so that you can get a continuous crop all season.

Just because a shop is selling seedlings, it does not mean that it is the correct time to grow them. You should to check if it is the right time to grow them for your area before spending your money.

Saving Seeds: The Gardener's Guide to Growing and Storing Vegetable and Flower Seeds

Saving Seeds: The Gardener's Guide to Growing and Storing Vegetable and Flower Seeds (A Down-to-Earth Gardening Book)
Saving Seeds: The Gardener's Guide to Growing and Storing Vegetable and Flower Seeds (A Down-to-Earth Gardening Book)
Tips on how to save the seed from your garden. Not only will you save money, but you can choose to save seeds from the strongest varieties of vegetables. Some vegetables are a bit tricky to save seed from because they cross pollinate (eg brassicas). This book will give advice on how to avoid this cross pollination, as well as tips for harvesting and storing your seed.
 

Tips for working in your garden

watering your garden
watering your garden

Watering

Take care not to overwater or underwater your plants. Each vegetable will have different water requirements, so to make watering easier, it is best to plan to put vegetables with similar requirements closer together.

Remember that wind as well as sun can dry out the soil.

Mulching will minimize water loss from your soil.

The morning is usually the best time to water your garden. Watering in the middle of the day can result in too much water evaporating with the heat of the sun or it may scorch the leaves. Watering in the evening can increase the problems with mildew and fungal disease and with snails and slugs.

picture credit.

Using a watering can instead of a hose can minimize mildew and fungal disease on your plants because you can more easily keep the water off the foliage and only water the soil.

Bloem Easy Pour Watering Can, 2.6 Gallon, Black (20-47287CP)
Bloem Easy Pour Watering Can, 2.6 Gallon, Black (20-47287CP)
Available in 4 different colors. Easy to store.
 

Grass paths amongst the veggies, fruit and flowers

Grass paths amongst the veggies, fruit and flowers
Grass paths amongst the veggies, fruit and flowers

Soil tips

Avoid digging in your garden when the ground is frosted or very wet because it can damage the structure of the soil resulting in poor drainage and aeration.

Avoid stepping on your garden beds, especially when the soil is wet, as it can cause soil compaction.

To improve your soil's ability to retain moisture or to drain better, add organic matter, such as compost, to it.

Sweetcorn

Sweetcorn
Sweetcorn

Gardening tool tips

Hose the dirt off your tools after you finish using them. This will help them last longer. But make sure they are dry before you put them away to prevent the metal from rusting and wooden handles from rotting.

To preserve the wooden handles of tools, rub linseed oil into them at the end of the season.

Wipe the metal parts of secateurs, shears etc. with an oily rag after using them.

Buy brightly colored hand tools (or paint the handles or tie a bright ribbon on them) so that they show up easily in your garden when you have put them down.

Gifts for Gardener - My favourite gardening equipment and wishlist

Gifts for the GardenerOn this page I am featuring a selection of gardening gifts that I would love to receive, or that I have found so helpful, I am sure that other gardeners would love them too.

Health and safety tips for working outside

When using potting mix or perlite etc, use outside and make sure the contents in the bag are moist or wear a dusk mask to avoid breathing in dust from the bag which may carry legionaires disease.

Wear a sunhat, sunscreen and sunglasses and work in the shade if possible. If it is hot, make sure you drink plenty of watering to keep from becoming dehydrated.

Tips for resolving problems in your vegetable garden

working

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