If you are new to gardening, like I am or was. I hope these helpful and basic gardening tips may be of good use to you! Trust me there are years where I’ve had failures and years where I’ve had successes. I mean I am still learning every year. With the weather and definitely timing.
Planning The Garden Location
Choosing a location for your garden is the most important step in the garden planning process. Vegetables need at least 6-8 hours of sunlight for optimal growth. Choose an open space in your yard. Good soil with good drainage is also important. You will be watering these vegetables everyday! If you decide to go underground be careful with your water lines. Call before you dig. But for us we decided going above ground for the soil and fertilizer was the best option to get the vegetables hip height.
Map Out Your Garden
My husband had a great idea to make our garden in the shape of a M or E. (however you look at it) So it was easy for us to get in and see the plans up close instead of a huge square. It doesn’t have to be a fancy diagram. But make sure you measure and however you do it, make sure you do it right and take your time.
What You Want To Grow
Plant exactly what you are going to eat. That includes everyone in the family. You can’t go wrong with carrots and cucumbers and tomatoes to start out. Nothing is more fun when you can pick the garden with your family and kids.
Planters
If you don’t have space in your backyard for a huge long garden, planting vegetables in containers is a way to go with vegetables that grow up or really long. It is an investment but definitely worth it in the long run. Make sure that each patio or balcony has a sunny area.
Section Your Garden
Plan to use all the vegetables you plan to use in each section. We made the broccoli in one corner, carrots in another, peppers, celery, cucumbers, cauliflower, tomatoes and zucchini. If you are planning to use seeds, make sure you check the back of package for directions on them.
Planting Tips
For best results, I would wait until May Long Weekend. I usually always wait to buy my garden from the stores. Because I feel like that is the last weekend of frost or chillier weather so that your plants don’t die. I have found anyways. Use cow poop fertilizer, new soil and new seeds. Nothing is worse when you think it is ok and you aren’t making any progress. Water daily. But when you have rainy days those are the best because nature is doing the work for you. When it is really humid outside make sure you water then a touch more because they need more water.
Pruning and Weeding
Make sure you spend sometime everyday in our garden to check on it. Because bugs and insects will want to be in it! Pruning is key for tomatoes, as well as for peas. Weeds are the absolute worst, but make sure you keep on top of it, maybe spending 15 minutes of watering and weeding helps a lot because you want the nutrients to be going to your garden and not to anything else. I have found as well that if you are worried about bugs, you can buy some netting to cover broccoli and cauliflower to get rid of the pesky insects wanting to eat from your hard work!
And that’s it!
I hope you found this blog post some what helpful! I know planting a garden is intimidating and is a lot of work but so worth it in the end. The taste alone is absolutely worth it. I love knowing how my vegetables are grown.
Will you be planting a garden next year?
Have you done a garden before?
If you have any garden tips, please feel free to share them in the comments down below!
XOXO, Leslie