How to plant your own vegetable plot

Choosing the plants
• List your family favourites, then consider adding a few veggies that are hard to find or expensive at your market. And remember, unless you're going to make preserves, you'll only need enough to eat over the summer.

• Look for varieties that are disease-resistant and early-harvest (a real plus with Canada's short growing season).

• For small spaces, choose compact dwarf bush hybrids, and pass on corn.

• For more choices, buy directly from seed companies; most now have online shopping. A combination of seeds, homegrown seedlings and nursery plants may work best. Some vegetables thrive when sown outdoors; other varieties do better and yield faster when whole plants go into the garden.

• Keep co-planting, or companion planting, in mind (for example, for pest control, plant basil close to your tomatoes). Marigolds keep bugs away and borage will attract bees.

Tip - Along with your garden plan, keep a notebook recording the varieties you plant, when you harvest them, what works and what doesn't – as a guide for next year. Snap a quick photo of your garden, too, to remind you where you planted.

Spruce up your veggie garden
Veggies aren't the only things you can eat – edible flowers look beautiful in your garden and on a dinner plate, too.
Nasturtiums: their sharp, peppery flavour and bright petals perk up summer salads. (rheanna grew 'Jewel mixed' nasturtiums from seeds her mom sent from Newfoundland.)
Violas: sweet Johnny-Jump-ups and violets are lovely sugared and served on treats such as cakes and cookies.
Zucchini blossoms: these mellow-flavoured beauties are big enough to batter and deep-fry whole, or to cook up in frittatas, toss with hot pasta or slice into salads.
Borage: these flowers have a crisp, cucumber-like flavours

Keep all those delicious veggies (and flowers) healthy and happy –without hurting the planet. Learn how to pestproof your garden organically.

Page 2 of 3 - Find out how to conserve water while watering your veggies on page 3