Vegetable Gardening Tips
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
Nasturtiums
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.
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
Tips for working in 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.
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.
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
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.