How To Plant a Summer Vegetable Garden

When you grow your own vegetables you have many privileges that you would not have with store bought veggies. They are organic, fresh, they taste a lot better than store bought veggies and you know what kind of products are on them.

Harvesting your own, super-fresh vegetables and fruit is one of the best things about summer. It’s so easy to do, and nothing tastes better than “home grown”!

Spring and early summer is the time to plant summer veggies like peppers, squash, pumpkins, tomatoes, melons and strawberries. 

1. Selecting the site
1. Full sun (at least 8 hours) of direct sunlight each day
2. Needs to have access to regular water; best to avoid overhead watering if possible
2. Preparing the site
1. Amend the soil (use E.B. Stone Tomato & Vegetable Planting Mix)
2. Mix in E. B. Stone Sure Start fertilizer (vegetables and fruits take a lot out of the soil, so add plenty each year)
3. Turn the soil well to about eight inches as you mix in amendment and preplant fertilizer
3. Planting your seedlings (remember to grow only what you like to eat!)
1. Dig a hole twice as deep and one-and-a-half as wide as the roots
2. Mix ¼ cup of Sure Start in bottom of hole
3. Plant at same level as plants’ soil
4. Firm soil around roots
5. Create a “well” of soil around plant to hold water as it soaks in
4. Plant about 30- to 36-inches apart (strawberries much closer—8-inches—and pumpkins and melons farther, about 4-feet—they’ll spread even more)
5. Provide sturdy supports for tomatoes (show tomato cages)
6. Protect from slugs and snails at planting time if necessary—they love little seedlings!
7. Water thoroughly every three days for first few weeks; then once a week throughout the spring at summer
8. Feed with E.B. Stone organic fertilizer every 6- to 8-weeks, following directions.

Enjoy your own veggies and fruits with real, home-grown flavor! Share all your extras with your neighbors!

You may also like to learn about How to Plant Tomatoes >

View our Plant guides for care tips for specific plants >