By Nick Cumberland

With spring upon us, the time has come to start buying those seedlings, getting the gloves ready, and diving into your summer garden. With the proper planting techniques and soil mixture you will be sure to have a plentiful garden bounty all summer long. A garden is also a great money saving technique for the rising cost of produce at the local market. Even if you have never planted a garden before, a little patience and the proper now how will make your first try a great success. Trying to decide which types of vegetables to plant is a personal decision. Many plants thrive in our moderate climate and will flourish leaving you with a bountiful harvest.

Gardens vs. Potting Plants – Gardens provide a greater supply of space, but may also limit growing due to inadequate soil mixture. Bugs and disease are also more prevalent with a traditional garden. Potting limits your space and may also cost more money in the long run, but the plus side of potting is the ability to control soil mixture and not seeing half eaten vegetables at harvest time. Gardens take less attention due to the ability of plants to absorb moisture from the ground while potted plants require frequent watering during the extremely hot days of summer.

Fertilizing – Plants need help with mineral replenishing during the growth cycle. A water-soluble mixture will help your plants mature and increase productivity. Potted plants are more susceptible to this problem due to the limited amount of soil. Miracle Grow is always a good choice for this purpose.

Types of Plants – Limited variety is one thing gardeners are not going to face. Tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, watermelons, strawberries, and peppers are some of the more popular choices among southern gardens. Fresh herbs are always a great idea, because of their amazing aroma and great flavor they add to cooked dishes. Dill, cilantro, and lemon herbs are just a few of the varieties that can thrive.

Sun Exposure – Before going to your nearest garden center, investigate the sunlight certain areas of your yard receive. One of the major problems for growing vegetables is the lack of sun exposure. Most of the above mentioned varieties require full sun, which means 6 – 8 hours of sunlight. So pick the most sun-exposed area in your yard for these vegetables. Most plants will have a tag or label describing the amount of sunlight required. Also make sure to bury your plants at the proper depth. Tomatoes are very problematic if the root system is not planted deep enough.

Don’t be intimidated by the task of planting your own garden. With a little research and effort you can develop a green thumb in no time. Not only are homegrown vegetables more flavorful than store bought varieties, your grocery budget will thank you.