Planting a Vegetable Garden

Planting your own vegetable garden is one of the most rewarding improvements you can make to your home. You will literally reap benefits by eating fresher, more nutrient-rich vegetables. You'll save money compared to buying supermarket produce that simply cannot compare to home-grown flavor. And you'll even save space as there's no need to fill your fridge with veggies when they stay fresh right on the vine.

On these pages, we'll show you everything you need to know about planting a vegetable garden. Important factors to consider are how you will arrange your garden, how you will propagate new plants to introduce into your garden, and how to care for your plants whether they're in the ground or inside waiting for the right time to be planted. Every climate and every palate has a garden to match.

Transplanting Vegetable Seeds from Indoors

Earlier harvests and extended seasons give gardeners more choices. By starting your own vegetable transplants indoors, you can reap maximum benefit from the growth conditions your climate has to offer. Transplants allow you to plan for a supply of what you want when you want it. Our guide teaches you the best way to arrange your transplants, and we'll help you pick the perfect time to transplant seeds to your garden.

Caring for Vegetable Seedlings

Many plants will only thrive if you provide special care in their early development. Just after sprouting is when plants have the most specific requirements for temperature, light, and moisture levels. We'll show you how to pamper your seedlings so they're ready to survive cool nights and the unpredictable elements outside in your garden.

Direct Seeding in the Vegetable Garden

Certain vegetable seeds sprout and grow very well directly in your garden soil. Learn which plants like to grow straight from seed, learn optimum seed spacing and soil depth, and learn the proper amounts of water, shade, and soil nutrients to meet your seeds' needs. Our direct seeding guide will help you prepare your garden's soil for maximum success with this easiest and least expensive method of planting your garden vegetables.

Starting New Vegetable Plants from Parts

Vegetable Spacing Guide

Every hungry little plant must compete with everything else in your garden for water, light, nutrients, and root space. Knowing how close you can arrange your plants is crucial to maximizing your garden's productivity while still achieving robust plants and vegetables. We'll explain how each plant gets along with its neighbors and how you can eliminate competition with a little planning.