Articles and Tips:

Preparing soil for planting vegetables

How to plant vegetables

When to water

Tropical plants from seed

Gardening for kids

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Seeds and Plants

First you have to decide what you want to plant. Your decision depends on the length of your growing season, the amount of sunlight that your garden gets and where you will be doing the planting - your planting space. Is it in planters, in a garden bed or a combination of both.

Most people tend to plant tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and lettuce and there are many varieties of each to choose from. Then you must decide should I buy the seeds or buy pre-grown plants. I like to plant pre-grown plants for tomatoes, pepper and cucumbers because it gives my plants a head start and I'll be able to receive an earlier, longer harvest. If you plant seeds, follow the directions on the package with regards to soil depth and spacing. Particularly for ground vegetables like carrots and radishes. Allow enough space to enable the plants to spread and receive sufficient airflow.

If you are planting pre-grown vegetables, dig the hole deep enough so that you can place the plant in the hole and cover the top with a little soil to cover the roots.

You may also want to re-read my discussion on Preparing soil for vegetable planting.

Here are some general facts and tips about a few vegetables to plant:

Tomatoes
Require 6-9 hours of sunlight.
For short growing seasons I suggest that you buy pre-grown plants. If you wish to start the plants from seed, then they should be started indoors.
Plants that mature earlier are ideal for gardens with less sunlight or if you wish to harvest tomatoes earlier. A few examples are Early Girl and Cherry Tomatoes.
Plants that take longer to mature include Beefsteak.
Plants can be planted when the temperature nears around 18-24 degrees Celsius during the day or no lower than 5 degrees Celsius at night or at least not until the danger of frost has disappeared. If you are unsure, ask your local greenhouse for advice.
Stake the tomatoes with tomato cages or using wooden stakes.

Lettuce

You can begin planting lettuce seeds once the last frost has disappeared. I like planting lettuce because it harvests early and if you keep planting in stages, say a row every 2 weeks, you will be able to enjoy fresh lettuce for the entire summer.

I usually let the lettuce plants go to flower because I like to dig the flowering plants with the flowering seeds into the soil in the fall. By the time spring comes around, when the temperature is warm enough, the seeds will sprout and all I have to do is transplant the seedlings into a neat row. In this way, nature tell me when it is time to start planting lettuce.

Cucumbers

They should be planted the same time as tomatoes. I prefer to plant them in bunches and have them climb up a trellis. It keeps the skin looking clean by not lying against the ground and they seem to grow better and bigger.
Require about 5-8 hours of sunshine.
Ripe for picking when you can see the veins appear. If you pick them too green they will be too crisp. If you wait too long and they start turning yellow, then the cucumber will be too hard to eat and bitter tasting.
Note that cucumbers require a lot of space since they tend to spread but if you create a trellis or two, you can contain them within a confined area.

Peppers

They should also be planted at the same time as tomatoes.
Peppers do well both in planters and in the garden. 
They also require a lot of sun.
If you are planting hot and sweet peppers in the same garden, plant them as far away from each other as possible or they will cross-pollinate. It doesn't seem to matter if you plant bell and banana shaped sweet pepper together.

Herbs

Herbs also do well in garden such as Basil, Lemon Balm, Oregano and Dill. I like Dill because it can be planted almost anywhere and it is very versatile. Lemon Balm and Oregano tends to spread by root and seed over the years so it needs to be contained.
 

Jerry Baker's Garden of Herbal Delights In this 88-minute program, Jerry Baker introduces you to the fast, fun, and wonderful world of herbs!

When to water

You should water vegetables every day if it doesn't rain. It can be done very early in the morning before 8am or in the evening.