8 Steps To Planning A Vegetable Patch.
8 Steps to planning a vegetable patch
At GardenAdvice we want to make planning your veg patch easy so we have written 8 simple steps to ensure that you will get the most out of your veg patch.
1. Getting the right spot
You need to begin by finding a space in your garden. The area you plan to plant your vegetables is key as It can completely make or break the success of your veg patch. A space not to exposed to the elements with lots of sunlight is ideal.
2. What do you want to grown
Pick your vegetables; there are two different kinds of veg that you need to consider your slow maturing crops that take longer to grow vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, and spinach and your catch crops that will grow quicker in between your other crops, these include spring onions, radishes, and leeks. The Veg garden will get two lots of catch crop to every slow maturing crop this means they make the most of their veg patch.
3. Preparing the ground
You need to dig some soil out of your patch so you can use it for layering your veg patch. Fork the earth and make sure you have plenty of worms. If you don’t you need to get some lob worms. Lob worms will keep the soil aerated and alive; blood worms the ones in your compost bins will die in your soil and won’t be much good.
4. Getting the right the compost for your soil
You need to test your soil PH, the kind of soil you have will determine what kind of compost is best for you to use on your veg patch. For instance an acidic soil needs spent mushroom compost as it is full of alkali. If you have an alkali soil you need to use manure based compost as it will increase the acidity of the soil.
5. Layering up your soil
Layer your compost and soil with grow more fertiliser (link) this will insure you achieve the perfect soil balance.
6. Planning your patch
You need two plans for your veg patch as rotating the veg yearly is key to keeping pests from building up. Keeping your veg all in rows will also encourage pest as they find it easy to navigate its best to create a mixture of row’s and squares to discourage plants and pests altogether.
7. Sowing seeds
To sow your seeds create a well in the soil twice the length of the seed and then pop the seed in. Make sure the seed is covered tightly as air pockets surrounding the seeds will cause them to dry out and they won’t create roots.
8. Companion planting
This is a great organic way of keeping pests at bay and it will keep your veg garden looking pretty. Marigolds will attract lady birds and flies that will eat aphids.
