It’s shaping up as a boom year for home vegetable gardens

Predictions indicate there will be more home gardens planted this year than there were during the boom of victory gardens during World War II, reports Janet Carson in Saturday’s HomeStyle section. President and Mrs. Obama are even planting a vegetable garden at the White House.

With the slow economy, families are looking for ways to cut costs, and what could be better than growing your own produce? You can pick and choose the varieties your family likes and encourage them to eat more vegetables. But don’t think you can throw a few seeds on the ground and give them a little water. Planning and care are important.

For novice gardeners, it is better to start small and build on your success. While the weather is cool and garden catalogs show so many things to plant, an acre garden may sound like a great idea. Then hot and humid July comes around, and air conditioning may seem more appealing than weeding or scouting for insects and diseases.

Find a garden spot close to your house with easy access to water. It needs a minimum of six to eight hours of daily sunlight; more is better.

Many of our soils are rocky and lacking in organic matter. Raised beds are an easy alternative and allow you to build up the soil easily. Mixing compost into existing soil is a great start.

Weed control is going to be a factor all season long. If the area has been covered in grass and weeds, don’t just till them under or you will multiply weed and grass problems. Try scraping the surface of grass and weeds or spray with a glyphosate product. Another option is to cover the area with black plastic to smother weeds, but this will delay planting. Invest in a long-handled hoe and walk your garden frequently.

Read tomorrow's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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