- Keep it near the house - and near the hose!
The closer the garden is to the house - and hose - the better job you will do of planting, watering , weeding and harvesting. Ask us how we know!
- The more sun, the better!
Almost all vegetables need a minimum of 8 hours of sun a day. Very few will yield well with less.
- Stay clear of the leach field.
Yep, we figured you'd probably thought of that one your self!
- Flat ground and good, loamy soil are very helpful.
Yes, it is possilbe to garden on a slope and in poor soil, but why be hard on yourself?
Preparing the Ground
Who Planted All This Grass Anyway?
There are two basic methods of preparing new ground for a vegetable garden. The first is to turn the ground over, either by hand or with machinery. In most Maine communities, there are usually a number of folks with small tractors and rototillers who will, for a fee, upend the sod and soil for you. If you are preparing more than a few square feet, this is usually well worth the money! Here in Maine we have a VERY short growing season. Some vegetable crops require more time - and more heat - than our season provides. To be able to grow these crops, we need to give them a head start by planting them inside - either in your house or in a greenhouse like ours.
Looking for a good souce for seeds? We do not carry vegetable seeds, There are many other sources of information on vegetable gardening, from books and web sites to seed packets and your friends and neighbors. Just remember, there are as many opinions on the right way to do things as there are gardeners! Here are a couple of web sites with more basic information:
Hummingbird Farm
The second method is to pile a weed barrier (usually newspaper or cardboard) on the existing ground. Cover this with several inches to a foot of soil and/or organic matter. This is called 'Lasagna Gardening', because the material is applied in layers. If you have easy access to the right materials, this can be a fast and easy way to build a new garden. You can find more information here:
Lasagna Gardening 101.
Compost is the magic ingredient in vegetable gardening - indeed in gardening of any kind! Compost is Mother Nature's very own slow release fertilizer, adding mutrients and improving your soil's ability to hold moisture. You can buy compost, either by the bag or by the truckload, or you can make your own. For lots more information, Check out this Compost Guide.
One very effective way to fit more vegetable plants in less space - which means less watering and weeding and more eating! - is to plant in wide rows. We discovered this technique over 20 years ago and have used it faithfully ever since, especially for small veggies, like greens, beets, carrots, etc. Basically, instead of running one long row of, say, carrots, the length of your garden, plant them crosswise in a row as wide as is comfortable for you. Four feet is very common, but some of us who are ...ahem... vertically challenged may be happier with 3 foot wide rows. More information is available here:
Wide Row Gardening
Seeds versus Seedlings
Why CAN'T I Plant Tomato Seeds??
These long season crops include:
Other, quicker growing crops are usually grown from seed. These include:
And some can be grown either way, from seed, if you are frugal and patient, or from seedlings, if you are eager for fresh veggies. In some cases, such as lettuce, you may choose to do some of both - seedlings for early vegetables and seed for later on.
Some examples:
A few vegetables are grown from tubers (potatoes) or sets (onions).
but Maine is blessed with several outstanding seed companies:
Johnny's Selected Seeds
Pinetree Garden Seeds
Fedco Seeds
The Garden Helper
Hometime
Where Innovative Gardeners' Ideas Take Root!
Brian and Cindy Tibbetts
202 Bean Street Turner,
Maine 04282
(207) 224-8220
hummingbird@megalink.net
We'd Love to Hear From You!