Home gardeners know the many benefits of growing their own fresh produce. It's not only fun and easy, but the pride you'll feel when serving and eating your own vegetables is definitely worth the effort. You'll know whether herbicides or pesticides have been used. Best of all, it costs just a fraction of what you'd pay to shop for produce at a local market.

These days, vegetable gardening is almost as popular as shopping for produce at the market. Backyard, patio and rooftop gardens can produce a bounty of crops. The vegetables usually taste better, and are far cheaper than buying at the store. If you've grown flowers or herbs, you can use the same degree of care and effort to plant and pick healthy vegetables.

Finding the right space is the first step to a planting a successful vegetable garden. First, determine the size of the garden, and then look for the best spot. Find an area that has rich soil, good drainage and plenty of air circulation. Your garden will need as much direct sunlight as possible, and should be sheltered. There are all kinds of wildlife that will be interested in sampling the treats in your garden, so you'll have to protect the plants. Even rooftop gardens are prone to pests. Put up a fence to surround the garden and use traps to catch smaller animals.

Proper soil preparation is necessary for a successful garden. A healthy vegetable garden must be carefully cultivated, and you should apply organic materials. Till, turn or plow the area to help control weeds and mix mulch into the soil. Spading a small garden is usually enough to do the trick. Mulching is also required. Plants will only thrive in soil that has been enriched with the nitrogen, minerals and other nutrients that are present in organic material. Compost is the most popular and beneficial type of mulch that you can use. Simple sheep manure is another inexpensive application that will do wonders for your plants.

The type of fertilizer and application depends on the types of plants you'll be growing. Leafy plants like lettuce, cabbage and spinach usually grow best with more nitrogen. Root crops like carrots, beets, turnips and even potatoes with thrive with more potash. Beans and tomatoes require less fertilizer, while celery, onions and potatoes need a larger amount.

The overall success of your garden will also depend on the arrangement of the plants. No one vegetable is guaranteed to thrive in every type of garden, so it's best to plant several different varieties. It's best to arrange your vegetable garden by the amount of space required by the plants. For example, lettuce, spinach, beets and radishes are all compact plants that can easily share a single bed. Varieties such as corn, potatoes, pumpkins and squash need room to spread and thrive. Tall plants like corn and tomatoes should be planted at the back of the garden, providing shelter and allowing sunlight to reach the smaller plants.

After you've fully prepared your garden beds, you'll need to be sure that the weather is just right before you begin planting. Most tender plants, like peppers and tomatoes, can be killed by frost. However, peas, lettuce and other seeds will do quite well when sown in the cool springtime soil. If you'd like to get a head start on your garden before the danger of frost has passed, you can always start the plants on a windowsill or hotbed. Then, simply transplant the young plants when it's safe to do so.

When the vegetables have all been planted, make sure that you water them on a regular basis. All types of vegetables have different watering needs, so check with a gardening guide. As a rule of thumb, however, you can count on about an inch of water per week.

Weeds can present a real problem in vegetable gardens, and must be dealt with promptly and properly. More than just eyesores, weeds can actually rob your vegetables of precious light, water and soil nutrients. They can also attract insects and disease to your garden. It's not necessary to use herbicides to control weeds. Simply pulling weeds as soon as they emerge will prevent them from spreading. Choosing varieties of seeds that produce disease-resistant plants is another viable option.

Planting and cultivating a vegetable garden can be a lot of work, but the rewards you'll reap are absolutely delicious.