Vegetable gardening can be a rewarding hobby that saves money while producing fresh food, but many are reluctant to try due to perceived difficulties or costs involved.
There are numerous quick and straightforward approaches to starting a small vegetable garden. Below are a few pointers to help get you underway:.
Choose Your Vegetables Carefully
Garden success requires many things: space, light, soil, water and nutrients. Selecting appropriate vegetables to grow for your family’s consumption is key – add too many extra crops than they can consume and you may end up wasting food that needs to be preserved later. It can also help if they provide consistent harvests throughout the season such as beans or tomatoes.
As you plan the size and scope of your garden, take into account both household size and what crops you would like to cultivate each year. When choosing which vegetables to grow and maintain easily – such as carrots, potatoes, onions, beans squash and lettuce – keep in mind that many require regular tending so don’t plant too many at one time!
Ideal vegetable gardens should be planted in areas that receive plenty of sun. Vegetables thrive under intense sun rays; for the best results, aim for 8+ hours per day of direct sun light exposure. If limited sunlight is available, stick to leafy greens and herbs that can withstand shade conditions instead.
Vegetables thrive best when planted in loose, well-draining soil that’s rich with organic matter and air circulation (not too clay-heavy or compacted), with open pores for air circulation. To improve this soil mix in compost, manure and natural fertilizers – or have garden stores conduct an acidity and nutrient test of your garden bed before offering recommended supplements to enhance it further.
Before planting your garden site, weed it carefully with a hoe or other means such as spreading Preen for Vegetables around. Regular hoeing should dislodge any weeds before they have an opportunity to establish themselves with roots that become entrenched. If this task becomes tedious or cumbersome, consider alternative forms of control like mulches.
Deer, rabbits and groundhogs all show an interest in vegetables; therefore it is wise to set up a fence around your crop from day one. A 3-foot-tall 6-inch wide wooden fence may suffice against groundhogs and voles but larger fencing might be necessary to keep out deer.
Prepare the Soil
Soil preparation is key to cultivating a successful vegetable garden. Even without conducting a full soil test, making sure the ground is ready will help ensure your crops get off to a strong start. First ensure there is ample sunlight; most veggies require at least eight hours a day of sunlight to reach maturity and flourish. Second, remove any large trees or bushes nearby that compete for nutrients or sunlight with your veggies, producing potentially toxic substances which may damage them – be especially wary of walnut trees as these have been known to release chemicals that damage vegetable crops!
As soon as your soil is ready to plant, introduce organic matter such as manure or compost into it to give it an extra boost and improve its structure and enrichment while getting rid of weeds at the same time. Ideally, do this early enough so the organic material has time to penetrate into your soil before you plan on planting anything in it.
Another way to prepare the soil is with a thick layer of mulch such as straw or woodchips, which will reduce how much water needs to be applied, while keeping weeds at bay. Be sure to regularly weed; some more vigorous ones may need pulling by hand – early removal prevents potential issues from developing later.
Once your planting beds have been prepared, it’s time to add vegetables! Be sure to read all labels on seed packets or plant tags carefully so you know how much space each one requires; overcrowded plants will compete for nutrients and sunlight, leading to their demise. Remember to place taller veggies towards the back of the bed while placing mid-sized and smaller varieties as borders or along borders for maximum success.
After planting vegetables, it’s a good idea to add flowers around the perimeter of the garden for both beauty and to attract pollinators. Morning glories add extra charm by climbing chicken wire fences or barriers – making the entire scene more appealing for anyone passing by!
Build a Fence
No matter your motives – be it saving money on produce, experiencing fresh vegetables first-hand or simply increasing exercise levels – starting a small vegetable garden can be rewarding experience. There are some key things to keep in mind before even breaking ground on your first garden bed: selecting an ideal location depends upon what kind of produce you intend to grow, soil type available in your yard and available sunlight hours in your backyard.
For optimal results, choose a site without trees, shrubs or buildings blocking its sunlight. Many vegetables need full sun in order to thrive; otherwise they won’t grow. If in doubt, observe your yard throughout the day over multiple days until you know which spots receive more light.
Start by sketching out your garden layout on paper. Although this may bring back memories of geometry class, planning out where to place tall vegetables such as peas and cucumbers trellises will make planting and tending much smoother.
Consider how much space each vegetable in your garden requires before starting to plant them. Overcrowded plants tend not to thrive because they compete for water and nutrients from each other; ensure there’s enough room between crops, and consider including pollinator-attracting flowers as a border around your vegetable patch.
Before planting, you must also establish a plan to deter rabbits and other creatures that tend to devour vegetable gardens. A chicken wire fence should do just fine; just be sure you bury it under mulch or flat pavers so as not to tempt any critters from digging under it! Alternatively, try spraying mothballs around your garden as this may also work effectively in deterring these pests from entering.
Keep a record of everything you grow and its performance, along with any issues or failures. Doing this will allow you to avoid making the same mistakes again in future years, while giving a clear idea of what works and doesn’t.
Start Early
Beginner vegetable gardening requires starting small. Avoid becoming disillusioned too quickly by dedicating all your backyard to it; start small instead. Even in just a small patch of yard or sunny window or balcony you can grow vegetables efficiently with no wasted effort!
Once you’ve decided how much space to dedicate for a vegetable garden, make a map. Use graph paper or an easy drawing program to sketch your layout – estimate planting bed sizes and walkway lengths between them before drawing your diagram. Consider what quantity of produce you plan on eating daily while considering options such as freezing or canning additional produce since most vegetables will keep producing throughout the growing season.
Vegetables need plenty of sunlight in order to flourish, so make sure the location you select receives at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight daily. While lettuce and spinach thrive under shaded conditions, most other plants do not. Avoid locations with overhanging trees or bushes that will shade parts of the daytime sun exposure.
Make sure that watering your vegetable garden is easy. Vegetables require regular watering, and you may find it challenging to stay on top of things if watering cans must be hauled a long way from home. For larger gardens, soaker houses or drip irrigation with timers may help reduce water waste and labor costs significantly.
Once your planting plan is in place, it’s time to get planting! Be sure to plant seeds or seedlings according to their instructions, while transplants should follow their tags in terms of how deep to bury them in the soil. Crowded plants won’t get the nutrition and sun that they require; make sure there is plenty of space between each vegetable so they receive adequate nourishment and sunlight – tall vegetables should go towards the back while medium-sized varieties could go midway or even border the plot for best results.