Starting your very own vegetable garden? Don’t do it without reading these gardening tips for beginners! Planting at home is a universally winning prospect. A home garden gives the owner the ability to grow on their terms, save money, and continue pursuing a more eco-conscious purpose.
Plan Your Garden
You should start planning your garden long before the spring season comes around. Think carefully about every aspect of your garden, from the location and size to the types of seeds you want to plant. If you’re new to gardening, start small. When you get more comfortable with your plot, you can slowly increase the size. Also decide what type of planting system you’ll use: raised beds, traditional rows, square foot gardening, etc.
Consider the Location
A garden heavily relies on soil quality and sunlight to flourish. Most gardens need at least six hours of direct sunlight a day. Loose, well-drained soil will yield a healthy and abundant harvest. Be sure not to plant too close to your home to avoid the structure casting shadows over your plot. If you find that the location of your plot isn’t getting enough sunlight, adjust your plot’s location, position, or size.
Pick the Right Plants
Think of the vegetables you buy most often at the supermarket, because now you can start growing them yourself! The easiest vegetables for beginners to grow include lettuce, spinach, green beans, cucumbers, summer squash, radishes, carrots, bell peppers, and tomatoes. If you do your research, though, you can choose many more kinds of vegetables. Note that some vegetables grow better together, and others worse. This guide explains which plants are compatible to grow together and which are not.
Take Care of the Soil
Watering, staking, mulching, tilling—caring for a garden requires quite a bit of maintenance,. Here are the most important aspects of tending to your garden:
Watering: Consistent watering yields the most fruitful plants. Drip irrigation is the most efficient way to water your garden. If you don’t have a drip irrigation system, make sure to water your plants at the base, avoiding the leaves. Wet leaves are more likely to spread disease, so abstain from the sprinkler system.
Loosening the soil: This allows the water to absorb more readily. There are three types of soil, each with its own unique needs. Loam soil is ideal for gardens. Sandy soil benefits from the addition of organic material like compost or peat moss. Clay soil absorbs water more slowly than others, so make sure you don’t overwater this type of soil.
Plant the Seedlings (Timing Is Everything!)
If you plant your garden too early in the season, you could lose your beautiful seedlings to a frost. Plant too late, and they won’t get a chance to mature before winter comes along. Most seed packets come with planting schedules, but you can also research frost dates in your region. Before planting your seeds outdoors, allow them ample time to germinate. The best method for this is to place your seeds in soaked rockwool cubes with some vermiculite, a good growing medium for germinating seeds.
