What are the Best Tips for Planting Vegetables?

Some of the best tips for planting vegetables are to carefully consider the location in which the vegetables will be planted and to pick out vegetables that will grow well in a certain geographical location. For example, a person might not want to try planting a vegetable that does well in tropical weather if she lives in a cool climate. Other tips that may be useful for planting vegetables include taking care to prepare the soil beforehand and labeling all vegetables so it will be easy to keep track of what the plants are as they start to emerge from the dirt. Plant labeling may be particularly useful if a person is planning to have a very large garden.

Picking out vegetables to grow should be carefully thought out before a person plants his garden. He should probably not waste time planting things that he isn't going to eat or that he can't give to someone who will eat them. It is generally considered best to focus on vegetables that likely won't go to waste. Potatoes, green peppers, and onions are vegetables that many people eat a lot of. Tomatoes, although not actually vegetables, are also popular choices for vegetable gardens. These plants can usually grow in almost any climate, but a person should makes sure that she is planting them at the right time of year so her plants will have a better chance of coming up.

Not everyone takes much time to prepare soil before planting vegetables, but there are typically some benefits to doing this. Many people plow up an area before putting seeds or young plants in the ground to ensure that there is proper air circulation in the soil. It might also be a good idea for a person to do a pH test to determine whether her soil is either too acidic or too alkaline for certain plants. Many seed packets indicate what the preferred growing conditions are for that specific plant, and the pH levels may need to be adjusted before certain things are put into the ground. A pH tester may quickly determine soil pH, and the levels can usually be adjusted by incorporating lime into the soil to raise the levels or organic compost to lower them.

Labeling may be very important for planting vegetables, although many people who have small gardens do not bother with it. One reason for using labels in the garden, other than to keep track of what is planted where, is crop rotation. It is not considered a good idea to plant the same vegetables in the same spot every year because it could lead to plant diseases and problems with various pests. Keeping the labels in the ground even after the vegetables have been harvested will help a person to be sure that he does not put them in the same place again the next year.