Would like to start a vegetable garden but don’t have much space to work with? The solution is raised bed gardening. First, you don’t need special skills to get started. Putting together a raised gardening bed can be as simply as saying your ABCs. 

Raised bed gardening—what exactly is it?

This method of gardening is like growing vegetables in a container on a porch or deck. However, a raised bedded garden provides more growing space than a container.

Now, if you are going to set up you own raised bed, you have a few material choices to work with. There are concrete blocks, lumber, and paver stones. These are readily available at any home improvement center. If using lumber, select only the untreated variety. Treated lumbers contain chemicals, which can be harmful to a plants development and vegetable production.

An easier way to get started is to buy ready-made kit that can be put together quickly and easily. Check the classified ads in back of gardening magazines for these kits and plans. Search the Internet Using the keyword “raised gardening bed” for worldwide suppliers of such items.

One of the advantages of this gardening is that maintenance is simplified. How so? Starting with fresh, store-bought soil reduces the likelihood of weeds, destructive insects or nutrient shortages.   

A raised gardening bed is a favorite for folks short on space but big on ambition. Give it try, today.

If you love vegetables and the outdoors, fall is the perfect time to start your own vegetable garden. There are pumpkins, corn and many other fruits and vegetables that’ll grow during the fall season. So, what’s the best way to get started? Visit your local gardening shop, nursery or home improvement center and ask the staff which vegetables grow best during the cool down season.

Some Vegetables planted in the fall will spring up in the summer while other will take longer. Be sure you understand the growing cycle of plants your wanting to grow before sticking them into the ground.

As with any planting or gardening, there are steps follow. You first must till the soil and add soil amendments like compost or topsoil. Generally speaking fall vegetables are hardier than other seasonable plants and less likely to die under harsh climate.

Once you’ve decided on the vegetables you are going to grow, it’s time to get them into the ground. Dig out the proper size hole and pack firmly the soil around them.

Remember, all plants need food; water and care to ensure they thrive in their new environment. Weeding the gardening area regularly is necessary. Weeds rob the soil of nutrients and can choke the life out of a plant. In addition, keep the proper spacing between plants, so they don’t become crowded and compete for growing space.

After your crop is producing fruit, pick the vegetables as they ripen. Fresh vegetables are a favorite for many people. Growing them own your own has the added benefit of knowing its free of harmful chemicals.

Why start a fall vegetable garden?

One of the nice things about fall vegetable gardening is that you’ll spend less time than you would for other seasonable gardening. Because of that they are best able to handle the harsher weather of fall and winter.

Plants grow faster during long days of summer, and slower during the shorter days of fall. Knowing that, here are few ideas and tips to you can put to use today, to successfully grow the best fall vegetables.

One advantage to growing fall vegetables is that insects are less of a nuisance when cooler temperatures are present.  Garden weeds grow slower than they normally do during the spring and summer.  Moisture is less likely to evaporate as it does during the hot, dry and sunny days of summer. These reasons save you time, efforts and money when caring for your garden.

During the summer vegetable gardening is too harsh for many people.  The heat makes you miserable in a hurry and leaves you sore for days. However, gardening in the fall is enjoyable and refreshing. Getting work completed is easier and less demanding on your body. It is also a great way to get in some exercise without sweating buckets.

Not sure which vegetables to grow your garden? There are many to choose from including collards, lettuce, cabbage, turnips and broccoli to name a few. Not interested in any on that list? Visit your local gardening center, plant nursery of home improvement center for help. They point you in the right direction.

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 The Bean Plant

If you are planning a garden, knowing the full cycle of bean plant growth can enable you to maximize the bean growing season, optimizing the amount of crop you get for the effort that you put in. All types of beans, ranging from the common snap pea to soy beans, are a healthy addition to any diet. High in protein, the bean is one of the base ingredients in a vegetarian’s diet, as well as an excellent side dish for those with a preference for meat.

For those working a garden, the first stage of bean plant growth is the seed. High quality seeds have a much higher chance of the plant taking root, which will result in a higher yield in your garden. While these seeds may be slightly more expensive, the overall increase of bean plant growth is worth the investment, especially if you intend on having a larger garden.

To maximize bean plant growth, planting should be done when the temperature drops no lower than 61 degrees F or 16 degrees C. If the temperature drops below this level, your plants will not germinate, and may die.

Once your seeds are planted, the time it takes for the plant to reach the seedling stage ranges from three to approximately forty days, with the average being eleven days. A seedling is a very young plant that has just begun to break the surface of the soil. This phase of the bean plant growth cycle is vital, as a healthy seedling will mature into a robust plant. If your seedlings are dehydrated or over watered, as well as planted too early, your crops will suffer and the amount of beans gathered later in the cycle will be diminished.

From the point that your plant has become a seedling, it takes an average of at least fifty days for your plant to produce pods and be ready for harvest. This means that there is realistically only one grow cycle for beans in a year. Planting of beans should occur no earlier than march to ensure that your plants have had adequate time to grow during the season before fall frosts strike. Frost can serious harm bean plant growth, and care should be taken to avoid this. In colder climates, this can be tricky, as the time needed for bean plant growth is closely tied to when frosts end and begin.

The bean plant is an annual plant, which means that it can renew itself for at least three growing seasons. However, many gardeners will completely till the soil, killing the old bean plants and planting new each season to ensure that the bean plant growth cycle avoids frost from damaging their crops.