DEREK FELL'S ADVICE TO THE BEGINNING VEGETABLE GARDENER

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If you're using a nutrient- poor compost (one made, say, mostly from leaves or grass clippings), you're going to have to resort to the use of a commercial fertilizer. That's not as bad as it sounds, however. As long as you use a slow-release fertilizer in combinationwith a composting program, you should obtain satisfactory results without grossly upsetting your vegetable patch's balance of nature.

NEGLECT: A GARDEN'S WORST ENEMY

Only weeds and pests thrive on neglect. Spend a few minutes in the garden every evening?before sundown?pulling weeds and looking for signs of pests, and you'll discover that the plot will almost take care of itself. Leave the vegetable patch unattended for a week or two, however, and you'll find it much more difficult to catch up later.

Mulching, of course, helps enormously to control weeds. And if you can maintain a layer of compost between the rows of vegetables throughout the season, you'll find that the decomposing material will nourish the earth, promote even soil temperature, and limit weed growth as effectively as any mulch.

PEST CONTROL

I've found that a regular daily inspection of my garden enables me to spot pest problems early. If you develop this habit (and you should), you'll automatically find yourself picking off enough potentially harmful insects and egg clusters?especially those of bean and Japanese beetles, tomato hornworms, and cabbage loopers?to prevent these particular pests from ever getting a chance to overpopulate the vegetable patch.

Last summer was a dry one for me, so slugs weren't a problem. (I had a lot of ducks around, too, and I know that they were a big help in "policing" the slug population.) The season before last, however, my garden was utterly plagued by the slimy little villains. And, as a last resort, I did have to buy?and use—some slug pellets to bring the situation under control.

In general, though, I hate to use pesticides. (I'm a great believer in protecting young seedlings with wood ashes.)

THERE'S MORE

Naturally, there's more?much more?for the beginning gardener to learn, if he or she wants to be a spectacularly successful horticulturist. (That's why people like myself have written books about vegetable gardening!) Still, I believe I've touched upon the most important of the "fine points" that enabled me?after an early disaster?to become a better gardener. Here's hoping this discussion will help you grow bigger?and better—vegetables this spring!

THE FEEL FAMILY GARDEN

For several years now, I've been harping on the virtues of keeping gardens small and manageable to achieve high productivity. And-as a result?I've had to practice what I preach . . . by keeping my own vegetable patch to a mere 12' X 20'.

I'm happy to report, however, that this practice has paid handsome dividends . . . especially this past season, when I boosted my usually high yields even further by means of succession planting. Here's how it went:

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