I had a whole bunch of vegetable planting seeds sitting around and I knew I needed to use them for something, so I planted my own garden! I knew what plants I wanted, and the results of my garden have exceeded my expectations! Garden's are great for people who like to be outdoors and enjoy getting their hands dirty.

I wanted to plant my garden because....

- I wanted to save money on fresh produce.

- I wanted to use up my extra vegetable seeds.

- I wanted to grow my own pumpkins for next year's Halloween.

The materials for this project are super easy to get if you don't already have them, so I hope you enjoy planting your own garden!

Step 1: Materials

You will need.....

- Mini pots
- Seeds (I used pumpkin, beans, carrots, and tomatoes)
- An area of soil that is reached by the sun
- Miracle grow soil
- Tomato plant cages

Tools

- A mini hand shovel
- A hose
- The sun
- A green thumb!

Step 2: Planting the Seeds

Put miracle grow soil into each mini pot, and make sure you fill it to about 3/4 the way up. Now, press your pinky finger into the soil so the soil reaches you finger's second joint. This is about how deep the seed should be. Place a seed into the hole you just made, and put more soil in the pot so you fill the hole. Do this with as many pots and seeds as you have.

I highly recommend planting pumpkins because they seem to be growing well for me. The bean plant grows quickly and produces tons of beans. My tomato plant hasn't shown any fruit yet, and the carrot seems to be pretty big. I planted six pumpkin plants, one bean plant, one tomato plant, and one carrot plant.

Step 3: Caring for the Seeds

Water the seeds daily making sure the water drains well, and make sure that the plants are getting an adequate amount of water. Check for any signs of sprouting. Usually, your plants will begin to sprout in the first week or two. Wait about a month before moving on to the next step, because we don't want the plants to be tiny when we plant them. Continue to water your plants until they are far too big for their containers or it has been about a month.

Step 4: Planting the Sprouts in the Ground

Using the hand shovel, dig a hole a little bit taller than the pot that your plants are in. Being careful not to break the roots, pull the plant out of the pot and place it in the hole you dug. Do this with all of your plants and make sure they are all about two feet apart from eachother. This is important because if your pumpkin plants grow as fast as mine, you will need alot of space! When you are finished planting all of the sprouts, put the tomato cages around the tomato, beans, and carrots. (These are the plants that are the most vulnerable to squirrels and rabbits.)

Step 5: Wait!

Now you have to wait until the plants grow and grow. Be sure to water your plants alot with the hose every day. Don't be afraid to water around the plants, because that encourages the roots to grow!

Check daily to see if your plants are producing any fruit. The beans blend in with the regular plant, so really look on that plant. Signs of a baby pumpkin are shown above. It looks like a green golf ball with an orange flower on top.

The bean and tomato plants will only grow to about two feet tall and the pumpkin plants seem to be growing about two feet tall and maybe three feet wide!

Step 6: Enjoy!

I hope you enjoyed planting your vegetable garden. Don't waste money and gas going to the produce station, and just grow your own fresh veggies! Questions and Comments are appreciated so please post them below! Thanks!

-Doctordv