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The Unique Challenge of Vegetable Gardening Next to the House

Perhaps you have a small yard with limited garden space or you have a large lawn that you are not willing to till up. Whatever the reason, many people find themselves vegetable gardening next to the house rather than at a location down in their yard. Vegetable gardening next to the house can create some unique challenges that traditional gardening does not bring.

Looking for Light

One of the basic needs a plant has is light. When you find yourself vegetable gardening next to the house, making sure your plants get enough light can be tough. The house creates an unmovable shade causing your plants to get less exposure to light than they would in the middle of a large yard. There are ways to get around this loss of light when you are vegetable gardening next to the house.

Take the time to track the suns movements in your yard, writing down whether or not the plants on the side of your house are getting direct sun each and every hour of daylight. If your plants are in containers, position them so that they will get the maximum exposure to light each day.

If your plants are in a bed that is directly situated against your house, you might be able to give them more sunlight each day, by creating reflectors. Placing a mirror or aluminum foil covered piece of cardboard in an spot where it will reflect light onto your plants can extend the amount of sunshine they receive. Just be careful not to direct too much intense light at your plants or you can burn them.

Watch the Water

Vegetable gardening next to the house can create watering issues. Your plants may not receive enough moisture when it rains because the rainwater is blocked by the eaves of the house. If you notice that your plants are relatively dry after a rain storm, dont count on nature to water your plants. Get out the watering can or hose and make sure you keep your plants watered every other day.

Vegetable gardening next to the house can also create moisture issues in the house. The extra water that will be next to your foundation can seep into your home. Watch that you arent spilling unnecessary amounts of water onto your slab or even against the windows of your house, or you could deal with mold, foundations problems and even condensation between your windows.

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heirloom vegetable garden
Buying plants at big chain stores with garden centers may help you purchase plants at a more affordable price, but chances are the people that work in those stores know very little about gardening. Perhaps you have a small yard with limited garden space or you have a large lawn that you are not willing to till up. For most small home garden plots the wait probably will not be than long, as few chemicals were probably used. Cover your plants with a frost cloth or even an old sheet. An orange tree will survive in the warm California zone, but would die if it faces a New York snowstorm. If you dont want to buy a packet of fifty tomato seeds because you only want to plant three of that variety, work out a trade with a gardening friend.

northwest vegetable gardening
Many crops dont do well in the heat of the summer. You can fend off many of the bugs and diseases that like cucumbers as much as you do by following some simple cucumber gardening tips and understand how they grow and produce. You have no way of knowing if the plants you buy have been treated with a pesticide or given a chemical fertilizer. When you garden in the desert, you have to deal with the effects of hot sun on your plants. Most big food growers incorporate methods that produce high yields of produce without thought to future generations. If you plant corn where you had your beans last year, you can be confident that if there is any residual bacterial disease left in the soil from your beans, it cant hurt your corn.