There is nothing more joyous than growing your own fruit and vegetables. It’s beautiful addition to your landscape, and can provide your family with produce all season long. As the last frost is upon us and the soil warms up, now is the perfect time to start thinking about planning a garden.
Gardens are an efficient way to save you money at the grocery store. For one, typically what you’ll grow you’ll have enough for yourself and your family, and neighbors and friends. To start a garden depends on what you want to plant; however, the most important element is soil. Type of soil, temperature of the soil, acidity of soil and the overall health of the soil are all going to determine how your plants grow during the season. Lots of people buy soil from a gardening or hardware store, which already has a lot of the nutrients that your plants will need. Another route is to compost. Composting is a money saver, and usually yields better produce and flowers if taken care of correctly. There are two types of compost: greens and browns.
Once you have determined what kind of soil you want to use, and how you want to make it (by buying it, adding nutrients to your current soil, or using compost), you’ll want to determine what you want to grow and how much space you’ll need. I would suggest picking up a few books of growing vegetables*. It will tell you which plants grow throughout the season, like strawberries, versus plants that only grow once during the season. Some plants like more acidic soil, like blueberries, and others prefer more alkaline soil, so it’s best to get a soil/pH test before you start planting your garden.
Next, you’ll have to determine whether you want to grow your plants directly in the ground or build on raised beds. The advantage of the raised beds is that you can control the soil better, but the disadvantage is the space it allows you to grow both horizontally and vertically.
Finally, you’ll need seeds. You can find them at your local gardening store, or buy them in bulk online at places like Johnny’s Seeds. They also have organic seeds if you’d like to plant an organic garden. No matter what you choose, you’ll have an abundance of produce that you’ll enjoy all season long!
Happy gardening!
*As a side note, I would suggest growing 4 or 5 different plants if you’re a beginner. It’s best to start with easy-to-grow plants like tomatoes, melons, peppers, pumpkins, and squash.