How to Establish a Wildly Successful Backyard Vegetable Garden
These are the key considerations to take into account when establishing a backyard vegetable garden.
Sun, Shade an Aspect
Many plants need exposure to full sun or partial sun to reach their greatest potential across any given season. Make sure that your vegetable patch is facing in a direction (south) that will allow this, even if your backyard vegetable garden needs to become your front yard vegetable garden. A garden with the wrong aspect will not enjoy success.
Wind Protection
If exposed to excess wind, protect your backyard vegetable garden by planting hedges or shrubs or building fences to minimize the effect of this. Filtered wind breaks liked slatted fences afford the best protection.
Soil and Drainage
The most valuable part of any soil is its topsoil so protect this at any cost, especially if the establishment of your backyard vegetable garden follows on from the construction of your home.. Clay soils are more fertile than sandy soils but don’t drain as well. Sandy soils can be improved by adding manure and compost. If you need to import garden soil to improve the overall quality of your soil it may contain weeds that will need attending to. All vegetable gardens benefit form a moderate slope to allow good drainage.
Garden Structures
Enclose your garden with a fence to keep unwanted creatures like rabbits out. Establish a garden shed for the storage of your tools and other equipment and if its large enough a place to store some of your harvest. Build or purchase a glasshouse or a polytunnel to enable you to continue growing some crops when outdoor temperatures drop too low.
Compost
Every backyard vegetable garden needs a well constructed compost area, preferably in a warm area lit with sunlight where composting happens most effectively.
Water Supply
A key component of any vegetable garden is its plentiful water supply. This may be from a hosed tap or rainwater tank. Wherever its origin, make sure that you use it regularly but responsibly and position your garden close to the point of access (tap) to enable easy watering to all areas of your garden.
These considerations are the core fundamentals of any really successful backyard vegetable garden. Get these right and you are off to a fantastic start.
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