Planning your kitchen garden
Pre-planning is necessary because there are many factors that may affect the manageability of your kitchen garden and your enjoyment process.
The traditional design method of kitchen gardens is to arrange them in an orderly manner. Most families choose to plant in flower beds instead of rows. This method allows you to concentrate the compost where the plants grow, rather than waste it on the trails. Walking on trails also destroys the soil structure, so flower beds are really a better way. The flower bed needs to be small enough so that you can easily eradicate weeds and harvest all the plants without having to step on the flower bed. In addition, if you lay the flower bed between 8 and 12 inches, you will improve drainage and the soil will stay warm in colder weather, such as early spring.
Another popular style is to mix flowers with herbs and vegetables to grow edible kitchen gardens in an ornamental way. Many vegetables can also thrive in containers, so you don’t even need a kitchen garden to get these fresh vegetables.
When planning your kitchen garden, location is another consideration. Many people tend to hide their kitchen gardens in dark corners. However, vegetables need sunny open spaces to thrive, so if you are not willing to invest in a better position, you will not harvest better vegetables. In addition, consider the location when planting. You can save space by growing vegetables that mature at different times. In this way, when the vegetables next to you become more and more mature, you have already harvested a batch of vegetables. When the vegetables need the most sunlight, they have enough space to get them.
Grow your kitchen garden
Prepare the soil
Preparing well before planting will save you a lot of time and energy. Break up the compacted soil (this will help drainage), remove rocks and weeds, and try to pull out as many weed roots as possible to prevent weeds from growing again. This is also a good time to improve the land.
Companion plants in the kitchen garden
Some plants will benefit each other when they are planted together. Similarly, some combinations of plants can inhibit the growth of one or two types of plants. Here are some combinations to avoid:
- Potatoes-inhibit the growth of tomatoes and pumpkins
- Beans-inhibit the growth of onions
- Broccoli-inhibit the growth of tomatoes
- Carrots-inhibit the growth of dill
This is not to say you can’t grow these plants together in the same garden, just don’t let them be next to each other.
Water often
Vegetables need to be especially careful when watering. Even watering will make the vegetables grow better. If you have a large kitchen garden, you may need a hose. This will ensure that your plants are watered evenly, rather than just letting the leaves wet.
Rotating crops
Assuming you plan to grow vegetables for more than a year, it is important to rotate your vegetable crops. Crop rotation prevents pollution in the soil and retains micronutrients. Rotation is not very difficult, but there must be advance planning and basic knowledge of vegetables.
Allium
Including onions, garlic, leeks, shallots, and leeks.
Mustard
I include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and kale.
Cruciferous plants
Including turnips, turnips, kohlrabi, and feathers.
Gourd
Including cucumber, squash (from zucchini to squash) and melon seeds.
Beans
Including peas and beans.
Solanaceae
Including tomatoes, peppers and eggplants.
How to grow perennial vegetables?
Perennial vegetables should be grown separately. If you have prepared four flower beds for your rotating plants and one for your non-rotating perennials, this is very suitable. See if this isn’t the early plan that comes in handy?
Best time to grow vegetables
Suppose you have a few colleagues or friends who come to your home or office to play, but they are filled with zucchini or cucumbers? If you grow all the vegetables at the same time, they will basically mature at the same time. The solution is to continuously plant a small amount of seasonal vegetables throughout the growing season. In this way, you can enjoy your vegetables for a long time in summer.
Vegetables can be grown in containers
Vegetables grown in containers include: tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, carrots, lettuce, lettuce, beans, peas and cucumbers.
Vegetables can grow into ornamental plants
There are many vegetables, in addition to being delicious, they are also very beautiful. These include: peas, French (green) beans, runner beans, lettuce, kale, red cabbage and ruby beet.
It makes sense to manage a kitchen garden by yourself and grow some vegetables. You can not only enjoy food, but also the joy of planting. After learning these basic knowledge, start your planting road.
