The Editors of the National Gardening Association

Before you reach for the insecticide sprayer to attack pests in your vegetable garden, try some of these lower-impact methods to reduce problems from harmful insects and diseases. Often, a pest problem in a garden can be averted before it actually becomes a problem. Plant your vegetables in the proper locations.

Whether you're a novice or experienced gardener, embrace water-conservation methods even if you don't live in a water-restricted area. Conserve water as you garden, and you'll help save this precious resource and save some money, too.Keep these water-saving pointers in mind when tending to your garden: Grow plants that perform better under low water conditions: Some drought-resistant food crops you might try include herbs and hot peppers.

When deciding where to plant your vegetable garden, assess sun exposure, soil quality, and water access. Choosing a garden site that's best for growing vegetables is based on good old common sense, as these tips reveal: Keep it close: Plant your garden where you'll walk by it daily so that you remember to care for it.

Putting together your perfect landscape starts with making a wish list customized to your needs, planning out your landscaping, and purchasing plants best suited for your landscape plan and hardiness zone. This Cheat Sheet can help you keep track of these details.Creating a landscaping wish listMake a wish list when you begin landscape planning and use your imagination to customize it around your needs.

Everyone loves good food, and food grown in your own vegetable garden is simply the best. You just need a few essential elements for a successful vegetable garden: a properly sized site with a good selection of veggies, fertile soil, and plenty of sun. And to keep your vegetable garden productive, you can use a few easy methods to prevent pests and other problems.

You can break down the essential elements of a successful vegetable garden into five words, all starting with the letter S. Here’s a foolproof formula: Selection: Grow what you like to eat! While the easiest vegetables to grow are bush beans, lettuce, tomatoes, and squash, grow vegetables that you know you and your family will enjoy.

You need lots of room when you grow vining vegetables like cucumbers, melons, squash, and pumpkins. Don't have the growing space for vining vegetables? No worries; you can plant the smaller, bush (nonvining) varieties of some of these plants. The vining vegetables belong to the cucumber family (Cucurbitaceae) of plants.

Tomatoes require a long growing season, so your best bets are to buy plants or start seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your last frost date. Either way, you want a stocky, 6- to 10-inch tall transplant ready to go into the garden after all danger of frost has passed. To jump-start tomatoes, preheat the garden soil by laying a plastic sheet over the garden bed, pull it tight, cover the edges with soil, and let the plastic heat the soil for 2 weeks before transplanting.

Staking garden plants, tying them to a trellis, or growing them inside wire cylinders reduces disease problems because it allows for better air circulation and keeps the fruits off the ground where they may be attacked by pests or become sunburned. Some vegetables, like peas and beans, have climbing habits that require some type of support.