With spring approaching, many people again suffer from an attack of green fingers. They can’t wait to grow fruit and vegetables in their own vegetable garden. Yet this often remains a romantic idea. Creating a vegetable garden is more work than you would expect. That is why the idea of a vegetable garden often fails after a first attempt. Too bad, because vegetable gardening can be a lot of fun if you do it the right way! To ensure that your vegetable garden is a success, we give you 7 useful vegetable garden tips.
1. Don’t plant too many varieties
Don’t plant more species than you can handle. It seems very nice, all those seed packets, but the plants that grow out of them all have different needs. This can be too big a challenge for a beginning vegetable grower. So start with 5 to 10 varieties that you can really do something with. Plant e.g. herbs that you can use in your food. These are relatively easy to take care of and by incorporating them into your food, you will enjoy your harvest.
2. Sow wisely
Most crops need space. Do not sow them too close together, otherwise you will have to thin out or prick out the sprouted plants. If you have no space in the ground you can plant the seeds in a pot or container. A growing table can also be a good option if you do not have a garden, but a balcony for example. In a growing table your plants have enough space and you don’t have to bend down to take care of them all the time. A win-win! You also have less trouble with weeds or snails when using a propagator.
3. Sufficient daylight
Your plants need light to grow. If they don’t get this light, they’ll start looking for it. The result is that you get elongated, weak plants. So it is important that you lay out your vegetable garden in a place that is well lit. If you use pots or growing tables, you can move them regularly so that they always get enough daylight.
Source: Shutterstock4. Watering
Giving just enough water to your plants is often a difficult task for the novice vegetable grower. It is especially important that you don’t give them too little water, because then they will dry out. However, you should also not give them too much water; then the roots will rot. Feel the soil with your fingers from time to time. At a certain point you will get the hang of it.
Preferably water your plants in the evening. It is better to water them all at once than every day.
5. Weaning
It is time to wean when, in addition to the sprouted leaves, leaves have started to grow on your plant. These can be recognized by their different shape. You can choose to wean with a weaning spoon, but you can also just try it with your hands. Be very careful, otherwise your plants won’t survive the move. Preferably move your plants to a container or pot containing vegetable soil. This is soil where extra nutrients have been added.
Source: Shutterstock7. Thinning
When weaning does not work, it is sometimes necessary to thin them out. You then choose a number of seedlings to continue with. The rest you throw away. This sounds like a waste of your plants, but none of your plants will survive if you plant them too close together. They’ll all be unable to get enough food from the soil.
8. From the inside out
You can’t suddenly move your sprouted plants from the inside out. This is best done when the weather gets a bit softer and you like to sit outside again. When the weather forecast is good, you can start to get your plants used to the outside air. You then put them outside during the day and bring them back inside at night. Most plants can be taken outside completely from mid-April until the end of May.
