Every time I see a pumpkin, I remember not Halloween but my grandmother. She used to grow her own veggie garden with lots of pumpkins in her backyard. She used to make pumpkin soup. Now that I’m living far from her, I wonder if I can grow my own veggie garden, too. Here’s what my granny told me:
- Place your vegetable garden near a water source and with access to sunlight. Vegetable crops need a lot of water and sunlight everyday.
- Plant only vegetables that you and your family like. My family likes pumpkin, okra, tomato and eggplant. All of these can be seen in my grandmother’s vegetable garden.
- Fertilize your garden. If you want to use commercial fertilizer, always remember to follow the label instructions. My grandmother used organic fertilizer because according to her, her veggie crops thrive better with organic than commercial fertilizer…and most of all, she can save money when she uses organic fertilizer.
- Choose the best location for your garden. If you have a spacious backyard, that is better. Make sure to put your garden away from a pathway, so that family members can’t accidentally step on the crops. If you have dogs at home, it is best to put a fence in your veggie garden to prevent dogs from getting into the garden and destroying the crops. My grandma’s dogs loved to dig and destroy her crops, so she put a fence in her garden.
With food prices getting expensive nowadays, having a vegetable garden can provide a family with fresh vegetables at no cost at all! And if you’re creative in the kitchen, you can make different kinds of vegetable dishes, too. My grandmother can make different dishes from those vegetables she had in her garden, and one of my favorite is her pumpkin soup.
Growing a vegetable garden is so much fun! Not only will it can keep you busy, but it is also rewarding to feel that you have grown your own crops. So, plant a garden today and enjoy this healthy, fun and rewarding activity!
