Topic: rules for basic vegetable gardening

[mrestofus]

I was thinking the other day about what basic rules that should govern how you plan,plant and a design  a vegetable garden. Since most newbies might find it helpful there first season to follow some basic rules so they get on right path instead learning  the hard way and not knowing why they fail.
1. tall plants should planted on the be north side of the garden, if you live in the northern hemisphere and south side if you live in the southern hemisphere. this prevent them from block sun from other plants.
2. there are hot weather and cool weather crops.  Cool weather crop do not like hot summer weather and hot summer crops do not like cool weather of spring and fall(autumn) .
planting each at the wrong time will lead to pro results.
3. quality seed is important buying poor  quality even if it is cheap is a sure way to  fail.
4. quality. well made tools are important they make job easier since they are less likely to break.
5. a good quality vegetable gardening book is important to help you understand growing and many other important concepts.
6 have weeding plan stick to it. since once weeds get out control it gets very hard to get them back under control and it may seem overwhelming.
7, clearly define the difference between you planting areas and you  walkways. since if prevents you damaging your crops so do not walk on them and moving important loads of material to different parts of garden.
8. have plan on how your plants will get watered if there is no rain.
9. pest control is important be it other humans(thieves and nosy neighbors), mammals, birds and bugs/insects. Prevention  of damage requires the proper counter measures be they chemical,physical or biological. The saying is  very true" know your enemy.
10 is most obvious rule. Do not grow vegetables you and your family or those you may want give excess produce to don't like to eat.

[tim]

Add "Patience"!!

[tonybloke]

still after tips for your world-famous book, eh, mrestofus / greatgardener / gridgardener / etc / etc?? ;)

[tomatoada]

What a lot of odd comments.

[cornykev]

 ??? :-\ :P  ;D ;D ;D

[reddyreddy]

still after tips for your world-famous book, eh, mrestofus / greatgardener / gridgardener / etc / etc?? ;)

Phew, thought I was the only one to notice!!

[Digeroo]

Get a good book
The Vegetable and Herb Expert by Hessayon is my gardening bible.

[mrestofus]

Digeroo Hessayon's book is not bad but it does have a lot serious errors.

[dtw]

Can you name a couple?

[Flighty]

Over five and a half million copies of The Vegetable and Herb Expert have been sold and I doubt very much if there are any serious errors in it!

[Unwashed]

Hessayon's quite old-hat - he's terribly into his chemicals.  The biggest problem I have with his approach is that he just tells you what to do without explaining the principles, so you can't make informed decisions for yourself and choose another way of doing something.

[tonybloke]

Please remember not all folk want to explore the 'why's and wherefore's', they just want the 'how amd when' approach.
True, some of us like to experiment with different styles / approaches, some of us even go further and get a horticultural education, but hey, we all different, and have different wants / needs.
 ;)

[tonybloke]

If you read his 'be your own gardening expert' (published 1958) you should get quite a bit of knowledge about soils, and the why's and wherefore's, (he even gives 1/2 a page to 'no-dig')
he has got his doctorate in soil ecology, and has been awarded an OBE for services to horticulture.

[kingston boy]

Its funny you know as i've been agreeing and disagreeing with these comments. But after have Hessayons book for at least 15 years,i still use it for reference. His use of chemicals were the accepted ways when the book was written so just read it and modify the old ways to your ways. How many times have we spoken to the next plot holder and have said 'oh, i dont do it like that'. The rules are the though ,plant it and care for it.
I use old ways of blood fish bonemeal sulphate of ammonia and seaweed exrtacts etc. Generally get good results.