Growing Your Own Fruit and Veg For Dummies

The beginner's guide to starting a veg garden

If your soil is too thick and does not drain well or does not hold moisture well, the answer is compost, compost, compost. Thick soil also does well with the addition of some sand. Decide Which Plants to Grow Deciding which fruits and vegetables to grow will depend on what appeals to your diet, which plants will fit within the size of your garden, and which plants are appropriate for your hardiness zone. Could you grow something exotic that is hard to find at your local farmers market?

Is your favorite produce too expensive to buy from the grocery? Are you unsatisfied with the quality or taste of your favorite vegetables? For the cost of a packet of seeds usually a few dollars your garden will more than pay for itself with the amount of edibles it will produce—not to mention be superior in nutrient content, freshness and taste to!

Fresh fruits and vegetables--especially organic ones--are expensive to buy, but you could save a lot of money in just one season by growing some in your own backyard. Buying seedlings is more expensive than buying a packet of seeds, but it's a great option if you're a fledgling gardener or want to save time as many seeds need to grow indoors for weeks before they're ready for the outdoors. If you're starting from seeds, read the label on every packet.

Either way, the packet of seeds or starter plant will include directions about the spacing, watering, and thinning practices that are most suitable for that particular fruit or vegetable. You've got your gear, prepared your plot and soil, and bought your plants. Next comes planting them to ensure they'll get adequate sunshine and water as they grow.

See a Problem?

Different plants have different needs for sunlight. Sun worshippers include tomatoes, squash, beans, eggplant, corn, and peppers, while those less dependent on the sun are leafy vegetables, potatoes, carrots, and turnips. You can sow plants that need less sun in early spring or late summer when the sun is less vibrant, too. When choosing what to put where, remember to place taller plants on the north side of your plot to prevent shadows from forming and inhibiting the growth of shorter plants.

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After your seeds or seedlings are in the soil, you can use additional compost as mulch to improve water retention, help control weeds, and keep the roots cool in hot weather. Other mulch options include straw, grass clippings, untreated wood chips, gravel, or stone.

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Unfortunately, Mother Nature isn't always reliable enough to provide sufficient rainfall for a garden. Moreover, depending on your region, you might need to supplement it by watering your plants a little or a lot. Oddly enough if a plant is water logged, oxygen is unable to circulate to its roots and the plant will show signs of stress similar to dehydration.

Green leaves and stems that turn yellow or lighten in color could also be a sign of overwatering. To confirm the problem, reason that waterlogged plants do not respond positively to more water. Some water-rich fruits and vegetables, such as melons and cucumber thrive when they receive more water, while others, such as tomatoes, hate getting their feet wet too long.

Always water plants at soil level in the morning, as evening watering can make them more susceptible to disease and mildew. Sporadic deep watering is more effective than frequent shallow watering. Be diligent about watering and weeding your precious new garden and chances are, it will flourish before your eyes! Finally, start small and begin with plants that are easy to grow. This way, you'll avoid situations where the joy of your new hobby is replaced by frustration. There will be successes and failures, but half the fun of gardening is learning as you grow!

Growing Your Own Fruit and Veg For Dummies

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Psychology for Dummies, 2nd Edition Adam Cash. Dutch For Dummies Margreet Kwakernaak. Back cover copy Growing your own produce is the only way to enjoy delicious, garden-fresh fruit and veg all year round. Table of contents Introduction. Getting Going with Growing. Becoming a Grow-Your-Own Gardener.

Getting Down and Dirty with Your Soil. Feeding and Watering Your Plants. Becoming a Greener Gardener: Spotting Signs of Trouble. Looking After Leafy Crops. Growing a Selection for All Seasons.

Growing Your Own Fruit and Veg For Dummies, UK Edition

Planting Pods and Grains. Growing Your Own Fruit Salad. Fruit in a Flash: Growing Berries, Currants and Nuts. Caring for Slow-Growing Tree Fruit. The Part of Tens. Ten Tips for Planting a Herb Garden.

Description

Those not in the UK can still use this book with a little common sense as to figuring out what doesn't apply to you. Down to Earth Monty Don. To confirm the problem, reason that waterlogged plants do not respond positively to more water. I am in the US but read this book since oddly enough this book is easier to get a hold on then the Vegetable Gardening version. Mycelium Running Paul Stamets. We urge you to turn off your ad blocker for The Telegraph website so that you can continue to access our quality content in the future.

Ten Projects for Your Plot. He is the author of several gardening books and has won two Garden Media Guild awards. Save money and eat fresh with this hands-on guide to home-growing Growing you own produce is the only way to enjoy delicious, garden-fresh fruit and veg all year round. This practical manual gives you the lowdown on everything from finding the right tools and choosing which plants to grow, to nurturing your crops and bringing in your first harvest.

The easy-to-follow advic Save money and eat fresh with this hands-on guide to home-growing Growing you own produce is the only way to enjoy delicious, garden-fresh fruit and veg all year round. The easy-to-follow advice will help you get started straight away and become a confident and successful kitchen gardener. Paperback , pages. Published January 24th by For Dummies first published November 18th To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Feb 03, Tony Bradshaw rated it really liked it.

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As I a grow a garden, this book caught my eye in a second hand store. I had no idea it was a UK edition until I started to really get into and everything was meteric and the words were spelled in British fashion, and there were a cuople word choices that left me wondering.

Still, the climate in my backyard is almost the same as the climate in the UK, and I still learned a LOT from this book. I like how the front had a tear away calendar for what to do each month of the year, but the idea to get As I a grow a garden, this book caught my eye in a second hand store. I like how the front had a tear away calendar for what to do each month of the year, but the idea to get a notebook and number the pages up to 52 and write on each week of the year what to do is brilliant. I kept notes in three sections. This last growing season, I decided to plant perrenial fruits instead of having to completely redo my garden every year.

I love ahving the ability to replant and do things differently, but it is also a LOT of work to harrow the ground, sow new seeds, and then clean up. I've decided instaed I am going to plant fruits.

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That's the first category. The last half of this book really gave me the ways to have my fruits be productive, and I love the cooking thoughts for each item. I also read the sectino on growing veggies because I looked for ideas, confirmation on thigns I already knew, and wanted to know if there are any perrenial vegetables I can get going that I'd like. I've created a list of perennial veggies: Not sure if I'll make room for any of these in my garden, but good to know.

The last section of notes for me was about my butterfly enclosure. It mentions that butterfly caterpillars eat a lot of Brassicas, so I am making a list of brassicas to plant in my butterfly enclosure so the butterflies will lay eggs on them and we'll see those caterpillars eat and become large enough to get inside a chryslis to shed the final layer of skin to become a beautiful butterfly. I've put this book in my collection to reference to at my workbench in the garage, and I have some plannign to do like, do I put in a polytunnel?

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Growing Your Own Fruit and Veg For Dummies [Geoff Stebbings] on Amazon. com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Save money and eat fresh with this. Grow tasty veg – choose your favourite veggies from asparagus and broccoli to courgettes, sweet corn and many more • Grow your own fruit salad – get quick.

Again, a great winter time read to give me ideas and plans for my fruit garden that may include perennial vegetables and my butterfly enclosure. Jun 24, Vanessa Andujo rated it really liked it Recommends it for: New Gardeners, gardeners who are still learning.