There are many benefits to growing your own vegetables. It's easy and fun to do. You know whether or not pesticides have been used. The initial cost is a fraction of what you'd pay for market produce. Best of all, you can revel in the pride of reaping the rewards of your hard work.

It seems that vegetable gardening is becoming every bit as popular as shopping at the local market. In your backyard vegetable garden you can produce a bounty of crops. The vegetables usually taste much better than market varieties, and cost far less. If you've ever grown flowers or herbs in your home garden, you can just as easily plant and pick healthy vegetables.

In planting a successful vegetable garden, the first step is finding the right space. You'll need to decide how big you want your garden to be, and then choose the best spot on your property. Look for an area that has rich, deep soil, proper air circulation and good drainage. Choose a spot that has maximum exposure to the sun, and shelter wherever possible. Remember, you're not the only one who will want to harvest the tasty treats in your garden; there are also all kinds of animals hungry for a taste. Even if you have a rooftop garden, you need to protect your plants from wildlife. Surround your garden with a fence or set traps for small animals.

The soil must be properly prepared before you plant. Carefully cultivate the soil and apply beneficial organic materials. You should plow, till or turn the soil to incorporate mulch and control weeds. Spading is usually sufficient for smaller gardens. Mulching is required while preparing your beds, because plants need the minerals, nitrogen and other nutrients found in organic materials. Compost is the most popular and beneficial type of mulch used by modern gardeners, but simple material like sheep manure is every bit as beneficial and more cost-effective.

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.

Once your preparations are complete, the time and weather must be just right before you can begin planting. Lettuce and peas can be successfully seeded in the cool springtime soil. On the other hand, most tender plants can be killed by frost, so be sure the danger of frost has passed before you plant young tomatoes, peppers and other vegetables. You can always get an early start by planting seeds on a windowsill or hotbed, then transplanting the seedlings when the weather permits.

After you have planted all of your vegetables, be sure to water them regularly. Different varieties of vegetables have individual watering needs, but on average most plants will need the equivalent of 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.

It can be a lot of work to grow your own vegetables, but your effort will be worth every penny you saved and every delicious bite of produce that you grew yourself.

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Columnist Phillip Blunzon is an author for several Internet magazines, on family parenting and family fun subjects.