How to Start a Vegetable Garden – Tips for Beginners

If you are looking for a good way to save money this year, starting a vegetable garden is a step in the right direction. Worried because you are a beginner? No worries! It doesn’t have to be complicated. If you’re not sure how to start a vegetable garden, just read on.

Planting as little as one tomato plant can produce 10 pounds of fresh fruit over the course of one season. Even more than that,  in most cases, the texture and flavour of vegetables and fruit grown in your own garden, far exceed the quality that you will find in most grocery stores. There are many reasons to start a vegetable garden this year. Not only can it save you money and produce good quality returns but growing your own vegetables can also be fun.

So where do you start?

How to Start a Vegetable Garden

One of the first steps to starting your vegetable garden, is choosing what you want to grow and where you will be growing. Since you are a beginner, you may want to start small. While you can grow your garden in a small bed, containers are also an option. Once you have an idea of what you’re looking for, you can start to plan out the more in-depth details.

Plan

Make a list – Make a list of the vegetables that you would like to grow. It is a good idea to stick to the vegetables that you enjoy most, and those that easier to grow.

Good choices for Vegetable Garden beginners include:

· Carrots

· Lettuce

· Beets

· Squash

· Tomatoes

· Cucumbers

· Beans

· Beets

Make sure that you do some research on these plants before deciding the best crops to start with in your area and your type of soil. Gardening books, plant guides and catalogues are a great place to find the information that you will need. You can also find some help at local garden centers.

Choose a Location

Once you have established the layout of your garden, you can start scanning the surrounding landscape for a location to make sure that it will fit.

Take notes of wind and sun patterns.

Keep in mind that successful vegetable gardens usually need a minimum of five hours of full sun. If you have a lot of trees in your yard that block the sun, it is a good idea to try to find an alternate place to plant your crops. It is a good idea to ensure that there is also protection from the wind. A fence, a building or another structure close by can help to ensure that your crops don’t get dried out or damaged by the wind. Water is also important when it comes to gardening, so make sure that you can plant your crops in a place that has easy access to water.

Improving Soil Conditions

If your soil is not properly prepared, your garden will not thrive. The autumn months are usually the best time to start preparations for a vegetable garden, making sure that it’s ready when the time to plant comes, however, waiting until spring is manageable as well.

Clean up the garden space.

Take the time to clear the area of any debris or weeds. Things like sticks and rocks can be incredibly detrimental to your garden. Once cleared, rake the surface of your garden to ensure that it’s smooth.

Work the soil.

In order to produce a healthy vegetable garden, you will need to release the organic matter in the soil and use compost or manure. Use a tiller to work the garden together. Compost is a good choice as it helps to improve drainage of your soil, texture and fertility of your plants. Once you have properly worked the soil, you can start planting.

Planting

When planting your garden, it is a good idea to work back to front.

Place each plant.

Check seed packets or plant information to make sure that you are planting at the appropriate time of year. You will want to plant the tallest plants as far back in your vegetable garden as possible and make sure that there is adequate space for them to grow.

Maintenance

The maintenance of your vegetable garden is extremely important to it’s success.

Water your garden often.

Watering at minimum, once a week is important to the success of your crops. Keep in mind that as the weather gets warmer, you may have to water more frequently.

Keep the weeds out

and help your garden to keep moisture in by using a mulch. This can help to keep maintenance to a minimum for those that have busy schedules.

Pick crops frequently

as soon as they are ripe. Making sure that you are paying attention to how often you harvest will help to encourage more production from the plant.

Starting a vegetable garden doesn’t have to be a daunting task for beginners. Do your research, get to know your plants and make sure to maintain your garden well and you will soon be enjoying the fruits of your labour.

Find more basic beginner gardening tips here.