How do you start a vegetable garden?

According to Martha Stewart, planting and maintaining a vegetable garden is a rewarding experience. Start your own with a sunny, well-drained spot, an edger, a pitchfork, a hoe, vegetable seed packets, garden stakes and string.

1. Choose your site

   Pick a spot close to the house that gets at least six to eight hours of sunlight, where the water drains well. To determine water drainage, dig a hole 10 inches deep, fill it with water and let it drain. Wait a day, and then repeat. Water left in the hole after four hours indicates poor drainage.

2. Prepare your site

   Stake the ground at the proposed corners and tie a string around them as a guideline. Edge out the plot with an edger. Turn the ground over using a pitchfork, a section at a time. Remove rocks, debris and organic matter from the soil.

3. Decide which vegetables to plant

   Choose easy-to-grow plants that you enjoy eating, and buy seed packets. Reference each vegetable's packet for its individual space and sun requirements. Make a layout. Design your garden for easy access to full-grown plants. Reference the back of the seed packet for the depth requirements, and plant the seeds. Water them in, and keep the soil moist until they sprout. The number of days depends on the type of vegetable planted.