Growing Salad Vegetables
| Growing Salad Vegetables Growing Radishes Growing Spinach Growing Celery Growing Lettuce Growing Carrots Growing Cucumbers Growing Onions Growing Tomatoes Watering the Garden Organic Gardening |
A small patch of land, approximately six square feet in size to accommodate three rows of vegetables, a modest knowledge of the garden's soil type, and a willingness to invest a small amount of time on a daily basis serve as the basic beginning gardener's tools.
Garden preparation, which consists of clearing the soil of weeds and rocks, and insuring it can provide balanced nutrients to the vegetables, starts the process.
Generally speaking, soils are divided into three types, clay, loam and sandy, depending on their organic content and their water draining capacity. Nutrient rich, loamy soil is perfect for a salad vegetable garden.
Additionally, all gardeners need to be aware of the soil pH level, a measure of the soil's acidity or alkalinity. Inexpensive and easy to use kits that measure soil pH levels are available at most garden stores.
One of the great gifts associated with growing a salad vegetable garden is that most of the common salad vegetables are considered companion plants, or plants that grow well together due to similar soil, nutrient and watering needs.
Having weed free, loamy soil with a pH level in the 6.5 range (slightly alkaline) translates into perfect conditions for all nine vegetables listed in the box on the right.
Celery might be the most finicky vegetable on the list, but like tomatoes, well worth a shot at growing. The links in the box also provide further details about the needs of each individual vegetable.
© 2009. Patricia A. Michaels