Preparing the vegetable patch

Growing your own vegetables is good for the environment because it uses less fossil fuels for transporting food, and it means that less land has to be cleared to make farm land so there is more space for trees and other nature areas. Also you can grow exactly what food you want and make sure no bad chemicals are put on them.

You can make a vegetable patch in any small space of land. Here is how.

First you need to weed a patch of ground and take out any old plants from the area that you want to grow your vegetables in. It is best to put it in a sheltered corner but with part of it in the light because different plants grow better in different places.

After you have done this and got lots of fresh soil, you need to put stones or logs around the edge to help separate it from the rest of the garden.

Next, get a big spade and push it deep into the soil. Lift up the piece of soil, put it in a different place and break it in to pieces. This helps to loosen the soil.

After you have done this all over your vegetable patch you need to make sure the soil is spread out and there are no holes. Then the soil should be all loosened up.

Then you can add compost over the top. Home made or from the garden centre. This will help the crops to grow better.

Now you can think about what you might plant. You could do carrots, cabbages, herbs, peas, or even some fruit bushes. It is a good idea to move where you plant your vegetables in the patch each year because different plants need different things from the soil. Plant seeds by digging a shallow hole, putting seeds in and gently covering them up. Then give them some water.

Your vegetable patch is done. Keep watching for the seeds starting to grow. Water it if the weather is very dry, and take out any weeds. When the plants get bigger you might have to take some out to give them more space.