Planting for Production
In the vegetable garden, you are putting your hard work, time, money and landscape to the production of produce. Getting the most from your work and your hobby is what many of us are looking for. The topics of increasing production, using spacing, and growing in the greenhouse are discussed in this article. Implementing many of these ideas or just reviewing how you plant your garden will result in the best production you have enjoyed yet.

Posted Thursday, April 6, 2006

In the greenhouse, planting your vegetables a few weeks before you are going to be ready to plant in your garden will help boost your vegetable garden before the last frost ever hits. Starting seeds in the greenhouse in peat pots or in small cell containers, you will find that your plants will grow healthy and larger because you are going to extend your growing season. If you were to take these same seeds and plant them in the garden after the last frost your plants and vegetables would be very far behind those that are growing in the greenhouse. This is especially good for those grow zones that do have very short growing seasons. Everything from your tomatoes, cucumbers, and watermelons, even your sunflowers can be started in the greenhouse and transplanted to the garden yearly.

Starting seeds in the greenhouse, you will also find the best results with growing more plants with less waste of seeds, when you learn about the seeds that you are planting. If a seed needs scratched or soaked before planting then this is what you should do. If a seed is recommended to be planted directly into the soil without any preconditions you just need to find out how deep it should be planted . This is generally found on the back of seed packets. By following the directions for all types of seeds and starting your seeds earlier your production will boost at the end of the season because your plants will already be established as the growing season nears.

Even the plants that are in your greenhouse can still benefit from spacing when planted in the garden. The plants that you have been growing in the greenhouse are some of your favorite vegetables so getting the most out of them is important. Learning to precisely plant seedlings in the garden is going to increase what you yield. One thing to remember is that you do not have to plant in straight lines. If your plants need three inches, measure three inches in every direction and plant another seedling, this is going to increase your use and the production from the soil that you are working. Following the direction of your tape measure, a number of inches in every direction from any given spot is easier when you create some type of cardboard template that you can set on the soil, and then plant in the corners of that template that are a certain number of inches apart.

What are some of the spacing needs for vegetables in your garden?

Broccoli should be planted fifteen inches apart for maximum growth in a limited space.

Cabbage can be planted anywhere from fourteen inches to twenty inches apart depending on the variety you are growing.

Celery is a vegetable that you can plant just six inches apart for the maximum production of this vegetable that grows down.

Cucumbers can be intertwined and grown twelve inches apart, be sure to put the base of the plant twelve inches from any other base cucumber in the garden for best growth.

Lettuce seedlings can be planted just six inches apart for increased production.

Onions, depending on the size variety you are planting, can be spaced from three inches to five inches apart.

Tomatoes need a little more space than other plants, requiring eighteen inches of space in the garden from other plants.

Potatoes are a favorite in many gardens. Planting potatoes in the garden about nine inches apart for many red varieties and planting potatoes about sixteen inches apart for many of the white baking varieties will increase your production.