This year, instead of buying all of your veggies at the store, what if you grew some yourself? It’s totally possible. Growing your own vegetables is easier than you may think. It’s all about finding the right spot for your garden, growing veggies you enjoy eating and considering what thrives in your growing zone. Here are some quick tips for how to start your vegetable garden.
Grow what you love to eat. Think of the veggies you love eating and want to try growing yourself. Growing plants you and your family actually want to eat helps prevent food waste and can hold you more accountable (and excited) when growing your favorite veggies.
Some plants are easier to grow than others. According to the old Farmer’s Almanac, some of the easiest vegetables to grow are beets, lettuce, kale, zucchini, peppers, peas, radishes, tomatoes (bush variety or cherry), spinach, chard, carrots and green beans are some of the easiest vegetables for beginners to grow.
Consider your growing zone. Different veggies grow best in different regions. Before getting started on your garden, look up your growing zone or ask your neighbors which veggies they’ve had success with in their gardens. If you live where the growing season is short, look for veggies that will mature before your first frost.
Choose a spot that gets plenty of sunlight. Plants need generous amounts of light to grow. Spend some time in your yard and take note of which areas get the longest hours of sunlight. Consider putting your garden in the sunniest spot.
Make sure you have a water source. Will you be using a water hose? Do you get rain in your area? Make sure you have a reliable source of water for your plants and won’t have to run back and forth inside your house to fill buckets of water for your plants.
Make sure your garden has good drainage. You don’t want your veggies to sit in wet soil for long. Make sure water is draining smoothly through the plants and soil after being watered. In regions with more rain, you have to consider flooding. When choosing your garden spot, check for the likelihood of flooding and make a drainage plan.
Give yourself some space to move around. When growing veggies, you want to have enough space to walk around your garden to weed and harvest. Just make sure that you can reach the center of the row or garden bed easily without stepping on the soil.
Don’t want to prep your yard for a garden? Use a raised bed. You can build your own raised bed or shop for one already made. This way, you can fill the raised bed with loose and healthy soil free of debris and potential soil pollution.
Limited space? Try a container garden. For those who don’t have yard space, but have a balcony, patio or a small outdoor space, consider trying a container garden. You can reuse spacious buckets, gallons or large pots to grow delicious veggies on a smaller scale.
Add some flowers to your veggie garden! Mix in flowers such as marigolds or wildflowers which attract pollinators and add some color to your space. Once ready to harvest you can gift your friends with a basket of veggies and a bouquet of home-grown flowers. A win-win!
We're here to help! You can learn the basics of gardening with our Baton Roots team! Get hands-on gardening experience at our next Sow Good Saturday on February 4. You can register here.