Would you like to try your hand at creating a vegetable garden? Then arm yourself with work gloves, spade and rake because the work to be done is long: from preparing the soil to fertilizing, from sowing to the final harvest, your efforts will be rewarded by the vegetables you bring to the table!

You too have been convinced by 0 km food products. So you have decided to make a small piece of land your own and create   a vegetable garden  so that you can watch your vegetables grow, harvest them and put your products on the table. Where to start? The first step is that of   preparing the soil  (and perhaps the most tiring!). You will need work gloves to avoid blisters on your hands, a spade, a rake, a pickaxe, a shovel and manure.

If you are a beginner   , do not be afraid. Follow the instructions step by step and maybe ask for advice from someone more experienced than you or read some books on the subject. And remember that you only learn by doing, so do not worry about making too many mistakes, especially in the beginning. However, if you are a professional in  gardening   , there may still be a trick you are missing or a plant you have not yet dared to grow. This could be the right time.

How to start a vegetable garden from scratch

Preparing the soil

Contrary to what you might think, the soil must be prepared at the beginning of winter. In fact, before sowing, which takes place in spring, the earth must be moved, fertilized and rested. At
this point, it is time to roll up your sleeves. First, you must dig the ground, turning over the earth where you want to create your vegetable garden and removing the roots of weeds and weeds. Also, remove as many stones as possible so that later working of the soil will be easier. Nourish
the soil with   fertilizer   : the best fertilizer is horse manure, but it is also the most expensive; otherwise, use   compost   , which is excellent for fertilizing because it makes the soil very friable.
Crush the larger clods of earth with the pickaxe and rake, then mix them well with the fertilizer added to the soil. Ultimately, the soil surface must be as uniform and level as possible.

Before sowing

The efforts did not end there.  Just before sowing,   the   garden soil  must be worked once again. Weeds and weeds, if still present, must be removed, as well as large and medium-sized stones. Work the soil until it is crumbly and well leveled. At this point, you can organize your vegetable garden. Think about what crops you want to grow and divide   the land  into areas of different sizes. Seedlings and seeds must be placed in furrows spaced apart from each other, transverse to the slope and following the flow of water. How is the spacing of the furrows determined? Just imagine what vegetables you are going to grow and how big the plants will be just before harvest. Another important aspect is   the positioning of the seedlings in the furrows   : if it is spring or summer produce, you must insert the seedlings in the furrows to avoid water dispersion, but for winter produce, you must place them on the mounds of earth you have prepared in the furrows to avoid possible water stagnation.

What should you grow?

There are vegetables that are easy to grow and others that are more challenging. If you are new to using spades and rakes, it is better to focus on the easier things.
Tomato is one of them   .  It needs good sun exposure and soil acidity between pH6 and pH7. Dig a hole for each seed, keeping a distance of at least 30 cm between holes. Since it is a climbing plant, provide a structure that supports its growth.

Zucchini must be sown in spring, in the period from March to May.   Place  two or three seeds in each hole and make sure that the holes are at least a meter apart. Zucchini need a lot of water, so water them every day and in a few weeks you will see the first sprouts!

I can’t imagine a vegetable garden without   carrots  . On Ohga we have already told you how to grow carrots. You have to sow them in the period from January to October. In this case too, make well-spaced holes in which you will place a few seeds in each one. Make sure the soil is always moist and water as needed, especially when the plants are still in the growth stage.

Lettuce will add a decorative touch to your vegetable garden: its leaves are actually very beautiful, broad and of a bright green color, or in some varieties tending from yellowish to red   .  Excellent for salads. Lettuce is rich in folic acid and vitamin A and requires well-fertilized soil. The seeds should be planted at a depth of between 8 and 16 centimeters and watered daily.

Spinach  is rich in iron and calcium and must be grown in soil well fertilized with compost. Water it abundantly and maintain the distances between seedlings.

But there are also many other vegetables available to you. On Ohga, for example, we explained how to grow strawberries and how to grow an orange tree.

When to start?

Of course, if you   want to start a vegetable garden from scratch,   the best times are always the spring and summer months. In fact, the rise in temperature facilitates the germination process, that is, the emergence of sprouts from the seed. However, you must pay attention to the planting times indicated for the specific plant you want to grow, as some prefer different seasons.