From picking the right location, deciding what to grow, how to grow it, and when to start growing in your garden, I want to help you take the right steps to start a garden for beginners.
Benefits of Gardening
Why garden? Well they are many reason besides the obvious grow healthy food to eat healthier.
Increased Exercise
A busy day in the garden can be a great form of exercise. While working in the garden you will do many movements that mimic those that would be done in the gym. Squatting and lunging to pull weeds. Using a tiller, raking, and digging can be quite the workout.
If you happen to be someone with limited movement, there are tools and different ways to make participating in gardening easier. A mat for your knees, using a shovel or rake for stabilization when squatting, a stool, or even considering raised beds for easier accessibility.
Reduced Stress-Levels
Gardening, like any exercise, can reduce stress. It has been shown to reduce anxiety as well as lighten moods. It can be very satisfying to plant, tend to and harvest your own food.
It’s no secret that just being outside in nature is not only good for our physical health but our also mental health. Sunlight is a great form of Vitamin D and can reduce blood pressure.
Improved Diet
Gardens usually contain various types of vegetable, fruits, herbs and flowers which are a part of healthy diets. You are more likely to enjoy produce grown from your own garden.
I personally find it enjoyable cooking with foods I have canned from my garden like corn, green beans, salsa from tomatoes, onions and peppers. I enjoy canning, and preserving foods so we are able to enjoy these foods all year long.
Tips for Starting a Garden
There are few things to consider before you go out and actually begin starting your garden for beginners.
Picking the Spot
Picking the best location possible for your garden is a must. Full sun is best as most plants require 6+ hours of sunlight, but some plants are okay in partial shade.
Your location (i.e. town, city, or country) will determine your need for a fence or not. We live in the country where I want to keep our chickens, any escaped cows, and any wandering deer out, so a fence is must.
Make sure you have access to a nearby water source. Having your water in close proximity can make watering your garden a lot easier and more fun. Our garden happens to be right next to a hydrant and is why my husband chose that spot for our garden.
Making your Garden Space
After you pick the spot, now you need to decide on how you will grow your garden.
Container: This is great if you’re in an apartment or have limited outdoor space. Keep in mind though that some plants won’t grow well in containers.
Raised Beds: Raised beds are a great option for making gardening easier and more accessible. Especially for people who have limited movement. However, raised beds tend to require more water due to being able to dry out faster.
Direct in Ground: Choose the spot, till up the ground, pick out the grass (because it will grow back), and put your plants in the ground. You’ll want to make sure the spot you pick has good soil, and drains well.
Research Plants
It’s important to know what zone you live in, and which plants will do well in your area. Here’s a zone map to take a look at. Knowing your zone will tell you about the growing season as well. If you happen to live in an area with a shorter growing season, you’ll need to start some plants indoors to give them a better start.
If you’re starting plants from seeds, here’s a great resource to check out. Simply plug in your zip code, and it will tell you when you should start your seeds indoors, outdoors, and when to plant.
When it comes to planting, you need to decide if you want to start everything from seed, buy plants already started from local greenhouses, or a little bit of both. You will find some plants are very easy to start from seed and others, not so much.
Choose plants you and your family like, and will eat. Why plant kale if no one is going to eat kale? Figure out what foods your family routinely eats and base your garden off those foods.
Another good thing to know is how big a plant will get. Our first year growing zucchini, we planted 6 plants and no idea how big these plants grow, and produce. Needless to say, we had zucchini coming out of our ears that year.
Start Small
The bigger the garden, the more work. It’s easy to get excited and dive head first into a decent sized garden. I tripled the size of my garden a couple years ago and it was not the right time to expand. With a newborn in tow, I grew more weeds than anything else that year.
Start small. You can always go bigger in the future when you know what time you have, what you can handle and what room you need for the plants you like to grow.
Now is when all your plant research will come in handy. Are you starting seeds? You will need seeds trays or pots, planting soil, and a sunny spot. If you don’t have a good sunny spot in your home, you can also purchase some grow lights.
Read the seed packets and plant the seeds accordingly. It’s also helpful to make the soil moist before sowing your seeds. Dry planting soil changes drastically after getting wet.
Preparing the Soil
Now that you’ve decided on your location, what kind of garden space, what you want to plant, and size, you can prepare your soil.
Your soil feeds your plants. You’ll have poor, unhealthy plants if your soil is nutrient-poor and thin. Plants will thrive with nutrient-rich soil filled with lots of organic matter, or compost.
Having good, rich soil full of nutrients means healthy plants that are more pest-resistant, disease-resistant, and better producers.
Planting in your Garden
It’s usually safe to start planting a week or two after the last frost date for your area. You can check this list if you’re not sure when that is.
Before planting anything you’ve started indoors, you’ll need to do something called “hardening” your plants off. You do this by bringing your plants outside everyday for a couple hours for a week or two. This helps them develop stronger stems and to better withstand the elements.
Watering the Garden
Gardens love fresh rain water over any other water, but watering your garden when there’s no rain in sight, is a need for your plants.
Be cautious not to over water your garden. Too wet can lead to root rot or drowning of your plants. Some plants give you clues as to if they’ve had too much water like tomatoes. Tomatoes plants leaves will start to curl upward if they’ve had too much water.
It better to water your garden really well every few days, than a little everyday. Check your dirt and see if it’s dry. Even if the top layer is dry, it still might not need water. Stick your finger into the dirt, or dig a small hole, if its wet an inch down, you don’t need to water just yet.
Harvesting
The best part of gardening, if you ask me, is harvesting! All the hard work, planning, weeding and pruning has led you here.
Once you’ve picked some of your delicious home grown vegetables and fruit, you get to decide how you’ll eat them. You can eat them fresh, can or freeze them for later, or so many other options!
Find ways to enjoy your harvest and take notes for next year! Happy gardening!
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