COUNTRY GARDENING
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Six steps to a successful vegetable garden By Trisha Gedon Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service thick slice of tomato, picked fresh from the vine, is a great addition to almost any sandwich. Throw on a leaf or two of garden-fresh lettuce and you’ve got yourself a winning combination. But before you get to enjoy that wonderful taste sensation, there is some work that needs to be done in the garden to help ensure gardeners can grow the tastiest vegetables possible. 46 — Oklahoma Country
The first thing you need to do is choose the site, said David Hillock, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension consumer horticulturist. “You may not have a lot of options in your landscape, but with a few soil modifications, you should be just fine,” Hillock said. “Choose a site that is well drained, gets full sunlight and is away from trees and large shrubs. If you’ve got
smaller shrubs in your yard, these can be used for a windbreak. Just make sure they aren’t too tall to block the sun.” As any gardener knows, water is one of the foundation blocks of successful gardening. Make sure the site you select is close to a water source. Once you’ve got the site picked out, sit down and think about what you want to grow. Be sure to consider the length of