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Grow your own! Photo by Chrissi Nerantzi |
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How does your garden grow?
In a survey conducted by Garden-Share.com, vegetable gardening is the most popular gardening trend (20.6%), followed by small-space gardening (17.1%) and organic gardening (16.3%). To tie these all together, you can grow your own organic tomatoes or other veggies in a small space.
The economy, the price of gas and consumers’ concerns about the origins of the food they eat are spurring home gardening.
And then there‘s the personal satisfaction of growing your own food. While 43.6% of survey participants responded that “Yes, you can save money by vegetable, fruit and herb gardening,” another 28.2% said, “It doesn’t matter, it’s enjoyable.”
Tomatoes, though technically a fruit, are by far the favorite vegetable to grow. Peppers took second place with 8.1%.
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Want to give vegetable (and fruit) gardening a try? Here are some tips from Garden-Share.com:
Plan in advance. Decide what you want to grow and how much time and space you can devote to your garden. Tomatoes and berries are easy for beginners. Learn what works in each season.
Select a site and start small. A 3’ x 6’ raised bed and a few containers are a good beginning project. Consider one container each of cucumbers or zucchini, two to three of peppers or tomatoes and four to five plants of smaller crops like beans or lettuce.
Prepare the soil. You’ll need fertile, well-drained soil. Building raised beds allows the soil to drain faster and warm more quickly.
Check the light. Most vegetables need at least six hours of direct sun a day. If you get less than that, consider growing leafy green vegetables or root crops like beets, carrots and radishes.
Grow what you like to eat. Pick your favorite vegetables and have fun watching them mature.
Be patient. The time it takes from planting to picking can vary. For example, radishes take about three weeks, cucumbers about six weeks and peppers about 12 weeks. Anyone who has eaten freshly picked produce knows that a garden is worth the effort.
Have fun and share. Your garden doesn’t need to be perfect. Enjoy the recreation and share your experiences and photos on Garden-Share.com.
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