The word “Horticulture” means “the art of garden cultivation”. Many of us long for a beautiful garden, but have little or no idea how to achieve our dreams. Good gardens are not simply a matter of choosing plants and arranging them together. A gardener needs to be able to combine many different skills and various fields of knowledge, from planning and designing of the garden space and hard landscaping to managing the soil and exploiting texture, form and color in selecting plants for the garden.

Watering

Irrigation is a must to grow a vegetable garden. It is ironic that in dry environments, one of the most common causes of plant death is excess water.
1. As a rule, two to three times more water than is actually needed is applied to plants. Watering a plant only when necessary promotes good plant health and water conservation – both worthy goals for the home gardener in any environment.
2. This can be accomplished by scheduling regular times to water them
3. Watering schedules are dependant upon climate and weather.
4. The best way to water vegetables is to irrigate thoroughly, let the soil dry out between applications. The water should reach six to eight inches deep to the roots of the plants. Use a probe or your fingers to check how deep the water is reaching.
5. The best time of day to water is in the early morning because it gives the leaves a chance to dry while the temperatures are warm.

Some common ways of watering:

Furrow Irrigation – Suited to straight row planting
Sprinklers – large gardens
Drip Irrigation – Most efficient watering methods as water is applied only where it is needed – near the roots of the plants.

Fertilizing

Gardeners often add a large amount of fertilizers thinking that fertilizers are the only food for plants to grow fast and to make them more productive. Actually they prepare their own food by photosynthesis and Fertilizers are salt materials that provide nutrients for the plants to use in manufacturing their food. So some organic manure should also be added to plants as inorganic fertilizers burn plants and add unneeded salts to the soil.
Organic fertilizers actually help in increasing the soil fertility.

Fertilizer Composition

Plants use many different types of nutrients for healthy growth, but the three most important elements are Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K). Complete fertilizers contain all three of the essential nutrients in varying percentages. A caution about complete fertilizers — they can cause phosphorous buildup. Always read the instructions carefully and apply as recommended.

Types of Fertilizers:

1. Liquid fertilizer – Dissolves completely in water to quickly provide nutrients to leaves and roots. It can be applied to leaves and soil in watering, or will flow through drip systems.
2. Foliar fertilizer – Sprayed on leaves. Nutrients are absorbed directly into the tissue and put to use immediately. Use only when weather is cool as it may damage leaves when used in hot weather
3. Time-release fertilizers – Encased in tiny round capsules that dissolve slowly over a period from three to fourteen months. As the capsules dissolve, the nutrients are released to allow for constant feeding rather than the cyclic ups and downs of other fertilization methods.
4. Special-purpose fertilizers – Contain specific fertilizer blends suited to particular plants. They may be more expensive than other types.
5. Natural organic fertilizers – Created from materials derived from plants or animals such as manure, bone meal or fish emulsion. They release slowly, are generally low in nutrient content and tend to be less balanced.