Static chambers coupled with GC methods were used to perform in situ monitoring of N₂O emissions from vegetable fields during the period from October 2006, to October 2007. The monitoring was conducted in vegetable fields with purple soils with a history of vegetable planting for more than 20 years in the hill region of Middle Sichuan Basin, China. Characteristics of N₂O emissions from the vegetable ecosystem were analyzed, and the effects of the factors influencing these emissions, such as nitrogen (N) application, soil temperature, soil moisture and vegetable planting, are discussed. The results of the analysis showed that the mean emission fluxes of N₂O in CK (no N applied) and conventional fertilization treatment (N application at rate of 150 kg N/hm²) were (50.7±13.3) and(168.4±37.3) μg·m^-2·h^-1, respectively. The N₂O emission coefficient derived from N fertilizer application at 150 kg N·hm^-2 was 1.86%. The N₂O emission rate from the vegetable field observed in this study was higher than the emission rate from the grain farmland reported previously. The increase in N₂O emissions from the vegetable ecosystem was associated with enhanced soil nutrients, frequent fertilization and irrigation practices. The seasonal pattern of N₂O emissions showed that 34% of the annual flux of N₂O emissions occurred in the winter and spring and that 64% occurred in the summer and autumn due to more favorable soil moisture and temperatures in summer and autumn. The seasonal differences in N₂O emissions from vegetable fields were attributed to the variations in soil moisture and temperature due to vegetable planting. The application of N stimulated N₂O emissions in the vegetable field. There is a significant positive relationship between the N₂O emission flux and the soil temperature. An exponential equation (F＝11.465e^0.032 (R＝0.26, P<0.01)) can be employed to quantify the relationship between soil temperature (T) and N₂O emission flux (F) in a vegetable field treated by conventional fertilization. A threshold range of water-filled pore space (WFPS) between 60%-75% has been observed for N₂O emissions in this study. The N₂O emissions from vegetable farmland can be reduced by optimizing the N application rate and time while limiting irrigation frequencies according to vegetable growth and antecedent soil moisture conditions.