If you grow vegetables at home, it will not just taste better but it will save you money. Also, you may enjoy fresh seasonal vegetables without going to groceries. Growing fruits & vegetables at home may increase your daily intake. You will have more vitamins and nutrients every day. It improves your skin and helps you to fight body related problems.
At times, we are unable to grow proper plants. This may be because we do not know how to grow them. If the process is wrong then the outcome will not be satisfactory. You may lose the plant. Also, you may have to pay more to get it right. So, it is best to go with a proper guideline.
Steps on how to grow vegetables from seeds:
To have better growth you need to know certain important things. If you can achieve them in a proper way, the vegetables will grow out healthy. Steps you may follow to how to grow vegetables are elaborated below.
Prepare the soil
If you are planning to start a garden, then you should mix compost before. You can dig the soil and put the compost inside. It should be done 2 weeks before planting the seeds. You should check the ph of the soil whether it is acidic or alkaline. There are soil test kits you can buy from stores. You can use lime on the acidic soil to neutralize it. And for alkaline soil, you may use sulfur and rich compost.
On average, most of the vegetables can grow within 20 centimeters deep. Their roots can grow if the soil is well prepared. The plant you are planning to grow may need more depth. At that time, put the compost deeper inside around 30 centimeters. It will help the roots. It is important to water the compost before planting any vegetables. This makes the compost’s work easier. Understand the timing of vegetables. If you know what season what grows then you can get the most out of it.
Sowing
After the soil prepare is done, you will sow the seeds to grow vegetables. It is important that you understand that some seeds should be planted in a thin layer of soil. If they are sown deeper they may not germinate. Also, there are seeds that need depth for proper growth. If you plant them under a thin layer then they may not grow. It is important to water the seeds on a regular basis. This will help the plants to grow faster. Planting small seeds need good caring. If you water them aggressively, they might drift away from their position.
You can create good germination process. Try to come up with a combination of watering and depth of the soil that is suitable for the seeds. If the seeds stat to germinate, you can lessen the amount of watering. This will help the roots to grow. Also, plants will not rot due to watering. Remember that the soil of the plant should be moist but not muddy.
Fertilize
As soon as the growth starts, you need to fertilize the soil on a regular basis. The soil should be rich with organic matter. This helps to grow vegetables in a better way. But remember to analyze the soil need before using fertilizers. Vegetables that take a long time to grow may need extra fertilizers. You should not over-fertilize. If you do so, you may end up attracting pests. Also, there are chances that the growth of the plant may slow down.
Mulch
You should mulch the path between each row. Doing this will help to reduce dirt around the plants. Also, this discourages weed growth. It is important that you clean the pathway first before mulching. You must place a cloth under the mulch. This stops the weed from making their way to the plants. Avoid touching the mulch. If they are wet by any chance, the plants will rot away. The soil and plants receive nitrogen if you use mulch. Also, it helps them to stay cool in summer. Mulch is used to change the temperature of the soil. You can use this technique to extend the season for your vegetables.
Water the plants
It is important to water every day for the first 5 to 10 days. It helps to grow vegetables of fresh and good quality. As the days will pass by, reduce the amount of water in a slow manner. This will enable the roots of the plants to grow deeper. The roots will try to find more water if they receive less from above. This encourages strong roots. And at the end, this will provide you great quality vegetables. It is best to water when the upper 1 inch of the soil is dry.
If the vegetable plants are planted in-ground then you may water it once or twice a week. They will absorb water from the ground. So, they do not need much watering. But if it is raised beds, then you must water every day. As they consume more water and do not receive any from the ground.
Harvesting
It is important that you harvest the vegetable before they completely mature. If matured, the plants will stop producing. If you harvest before maturing, the plants will try harder to produce more vegetables. Some plants may mature faster than others. So, keep in mind that you may have to harvest every other day for this type of plants. Try to visit your garden every day. This will enable you to pick vegetable before they overripe.
If there are any sick animal around the garden, you should check. They may come in contact with the plants. This way there might be a spread of disease. In this case, discard the vegetables that came across the sick animal.
Final Words
In conclusion, I would say to grow vegetables is a hard work. Yet, a fun work too. You need to give enough time to get good results. And it is a different excitement of having vegetables from your own garden. So, what are you waiting for? Try to grow some vegetables for your daily consumption.
