Fruit And Vegetable Garden
A fruit and vegetable garden is the ultimate solution to food self sufficiency. Planning for this kind of garden is very important. Without proper planning, a “combination” garden can be a burden and not a pleasurable and rewarding pursuit for you and your family. What you need to plan for first is the variety of fruits and vegetables you want and need to grow in response to the specific needs of your family. If you are living in a rural area this can be taken rather lightly as space is not an issue. But if you are in a tighter, suburban or urban setting, there are dramatic limitations to what you can plant and how you can “zone” these plants to maximize the space available to you.
Lay outing the land for where you wish to put your garden is important. Trees must be planted on the southern end of the property so that the shade that it gives will not obstruct the access of sunlight of the vegetables planted around it. Always look ahead of what you readily see. Fruit trees will likely grow tall and wide, so making necessary allowances in its distance from other plants is the key in maximizing space and consequent yield of the garden.
You must also be on the lookout for the terrain and the possible drainage problems in the garden. Be careful to consider elevations and placement of plots and trees so that neither will cause problems for each other. Vegetable plots must be positioned in a considerable distance from fruit trees and fruit bearing shrubs. These plants can easily usurp the nutrients in the soil that your vegetables would need just as much. It is advisable for vegetable beds to be elevated at east 8-10 inches off the ground level as a precaution for flooding, pests and diseases that can access the vegetables easier when it is kept on ground level.
Make sure that the alignment of the fruits and vegetables are going north to south and not east to west. This is a fairly common mistake for people who are just starting out in gardening. This will ensure uniformed and consistent exposure of the plants and trees to sunlight.
A fruit and vegetable garden is a healthy source of organic fruits and vegetables. It is also a good way to recreate outdoors, nurturing and tending plants to maturity and enjoying the natural bounty of your own backyard.
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