2021 Spring Home and Garden

2021 Spring Home & Garden LINCOLN DAILY NEWS April 22, 2021 Page 17 S pring has arrived at last, and it’s time to start thinking about new plants in the garden. But maybe you want to try your hand at growing vegetables. In that case, we can look and see what other gardeners in the world suggest to do to get started. 10 Things I Wish I’d Known Before Starting a New Vegetable Garden Ben Vanheems is a vegetable gardener in the United Kingdom who presents a series of videos on growing vegetables. In this video, he presents some of the things he wishes he knew when he started gardening. Vanheems says that “the first thing to consider when starting a new garden is light. Most vegetables, fruits and herbs will grow best in full sunshine.” Some crops can also be grown in partial shade. Vegetables need to be fed plenty of organic matter, meaning garden compost and manure. “Over time your soil structure will improve, becoming better draining and a healthier environment for roots,” says Vanheems. Planting too soon can spell trouble if you get hit with a sudden late frost. This means finding out last and first frost dates to help further define your actual growing season. Garden planners are useful for helping to keep track of growing dates, and when you should be sowing, planting and harvesting your chosen crops. See the NWS Keeping Track of the Last Freeze “Seed beds - that’s the area you sow into - should have a fine, crumbly texture. Sowing undercover into plug trays and pots is a great way to get a head start while temperatures outside are still too low,” says Vanheems. Some vegetables can be picked regularly. Harvesting certain crops will allow for more to follow before the season is up. Quick-maturing Plants: 5 Fast Growing Vegetables to Try the ground bare not only attracts weeds and leaves the soil prone to erosion, it’s also a wasted opportunity to grow another crop… CONTINUED u You can start an amazing vegetable garden