You’ve decided you want to grow your own fruits and vegetables- congrats! However, starting a garden for the first time can be very intimidating! Following the simple steps below to help you navigate the process and you’ll be enjoying the fruits of your labor before you know it!
- Decide what you’d like to grow
The first step to starting a garden is deciding what you’d like to grow in it. I suggest only growing foods you know you’re going to eat or that you regularly eat as snacks/ meals. My garden is a mixture of vegetable sides for dinners (zucchini, squash, green beans) and snacks for my kids (cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas, green peppers). Plan out which items you’d like to grow and remember there’s nothing wrong with starting small. Having a garden is an experiment year after year. You will learn what you like, what you don’t, and tweak your plan each year.
- Choose a location
This should be an easy step, as you need to pick a location in your yard that receives plenty of sun. My garden receives sun 8+ hours/day and has some small spots of shade as the sun rotates through the day.
- Choose your garden type
Next, you’ll need to decide if you’re going to be sowing your garden directly into a space in the ground or if you’re going to be using raised beds. Sowing directly in the ground is cheaper, as you don’t need to buy supplies to build beds. However, raised beds can be easier for weed control and have an overall tidier look. My garden is a mixture with the main garden being sown directly in the ground and a few raised beds for herbs, flowers, etc.
- Prep and test your soil
Once you’ve chosen your garden type, the next step will be to prep your soil. If you’re sowing directly in the ground, you will need to till up your ground to ensure it’s workable to plant crops. You will be able to tell be appearance if your soil is mostly clay, sand, etc or a combination. I suggest tilling (or mixing in if creating garden beds) in compost with your soil to create a good balance of nutrients. Most garden crops prefer a Ph of 7 (neutral). You can buy test kits to test your soil once you’ve created your soil conditions.
- Plant your seeds or seedlings
Be sure to read the seed packages or seedling (young plants) tags, to understand their ideal planting situations. Most packages and tags will include the depth you should plant at and the spacing between plants. Have fun getting your hands dirty- this is my favorite part!
- Nurture your garden
Once all your crops have been planted, now you need to nurture it daily. Most days this will only be its daily drink of water, however you will also have to weed from time to time, and some crops require pruning to get the most out of them. Enjoy your time in the garden as it is nature’s therapy. Involving your kids in the daily garden chores is a great way for them to learn alongside of you. It’s great to see the smile on their face when your first veggie pops up and is ready to pick!
- Enjoy!