Cris
Starting a Garden
So, you are thinking about starting a garden for the first time this year? Oh, think of all the possibilities and all the tasty vegetables you will get. It’s nice to dream about what will come from your hard work.
Wanting to grow your own food is amazing, actually doing it is a different story. I have learned through the years what it actually takes to grow enough food for the family. Unfortunately, I also learned what works and what doesn’t work, and I learned it the hard way.
I am going to share with you some helpful tips to make your garden a success this year. You will see that you can save a ton of time and money by growing your own food right in your own backyard. You don’t even need a lot of space to do it in.
20 Expert Tips
1) Know Your USDA Hardiness Zone
This one is probably the most essential. Some plants just might not do well in your climate, and you should be aware of which ones they are. It’s easy to find your USDA Hardiness Zone with a quick web search or handy link.
This is the tiny map often seen on the backs of seed packets, and it will help you determine how well a plant will do in your climate. For me, I can’t plant an Avocado tree outside in the ground because it will not withstand our winters.
2) Pick the Perfect Location
Location is everything when it comes to a garden. You need to have ample amounts of sunshine hitting your plants each day. You will also need a bit of shade for some things you will grow.
Take a look around at your space to see where you should place your garden. Be sure to think of how you will be watering it, how you can keep pests out and how easy it will be for you to access it. You don’t want it too far away, or too close either, there is a happy medium where you can enjoy it and relax outside of the house.
3) Plan out your Garden
Yes! You need a plan. Check out how to plan your perfect garden here! There must have a list of what you are going to grow, when you are going to plant them and when they will be ready for harvest.
Knowing your layout to know where to plant each thing you are growing. Companion planting is a thing too, some plants don’t play nice with their neighbors.
4) Start Seeds Indoors
For me here, it is always best to start seeds inside and let them get big enough to withstand our weather. I like to have plants almost ready to bloom before they are transplanted. I don’t always get it, but I like it. Being an impatient gardener is so hard sometimes.
Starting seeds inside lets you enjoy the process a little bit more. There is nothing quite as exciting as seeing those first sprouts pop up in your kitchen window. The bonus is that by the time you are ready to put them in the garden, you will have already given them the right start to grow healthy.
5) Read the Seed Packages
Seed packages have great information on the backs of them. They tell you when to plant, how far to space plants and how much sun they need. This information is tailored to the actual plant you will be planting, so follow the directions for the best output from your plant.
6) Keep Water Close by
Nothing is worse in a garden than not having water near where you need it. My garden is in the back corner of the yard, about 75 feet from the water source. Running hoses gets expensive and leaves a line in the grass.
To solve this problem, we trenched in a pipe to run the hose through to hook up a second spigot. This way we can pull the hose out and store it properly for winter and not have to worry about frozen pipes in the spring. We did this so that there would be no permit needed to connect to the plumbing of the house.
7) Keep Tools Handy
There are many ways you can keep your hand tools at the ready. When you need a trowel it’s pretty inconvenient to have to walk back to the house to grab one. Set up a mailbox for your gloves and tools, hang a bag on the fence, use nails on the sides of raised beds to hang shovels.
Pretty much anyway you can, keep those hand tools close for easier gardening. It will save time, and energy to have what you need, where you need it.
8) Use Containers
There are many plants that do well in containers. I like to place nice planters at the ends of rows to more or less decorate the garden with a purpose. This makes the space inviting and shows off your personality a bit.
Some plants are best kept in containers all the time too. Mint is one that will send out roots and escape. I always keep mint in pots so it can’t get away into areas where I don’t want it.
9) Ask Your Neighbors
Neighbors are great for advice. Ask them what grows best in their gardens, they will be full of helpful advice to get you growing on the right foot. I coordinated with my neighbors to trade squash for peppers, so you can work together for a bountiful harvest.
10) Learn When and How to Prune
Trees need pruning to get the best output off of them and make it easier to harvest. Don’t be afraid to cut branches off of those fruit trees, they really do need it. Most pruning is done in the dormant season before those spring buds start to develop.
Don’t forget about other plants that need pruning too. Tomatoes get suckers that some people like to remove, mint needs to be trimmed up after each season. I have had to cut whole trellises of squash when they got infected with squash bugs to save the rest of the plant. If you take the time to care for your plants, they will return the favor with lots of produce.
11) Amend Your Soil
For me personally, I do not like the idea of using synthetic fertilizer. I prefer to make my own compost but have bought it in the past. Plants need nutrients to grow healthy, and eventually the soil will get depleted of nutrients in a garden space. This is why farmers used to practice crop rotation, to return the nutrients back to the soil.
Tilling plants under rather than pulling them out also helps. This really returns nutrients because they decompose right back into the dirt and will nourish the next years plants. My motto is “stay away from the spray” so I know that my food is fully organic every year. For more info, read Composting 101, how to build a compost bin and what to put in it.
12) Attract Pollinators
This is a great way to use those containers mentioned earlier. Bees love my mint plants, so I place my pots in different spots to bring in the bees. If your flowers aren’t getting naturally pollinated, you had better be prepared to use a paint brush or there will be no fruits.
You can use companion planting to mix in a variety of flowers to bring in all kinds of bugs that will move the pollen around. I have a section that is flowers for herbal teas too. Between this and the mint, you almost need a beekeepers suit to go pick vegetables.
13) Know What to Plant When
Back to those seed packets and research. Some vegetables are best started in fall so they can overwinter, most are spring starters. You can absolutely start things too late too. Tiny plants do not do well in harsh full summer sun when you plant them late.
Planting too early is a risk here as we do get June freezes on a regular basis. Timing is everything when it comes to getting good production and healthy plants.
14) Don’t be Afraid to Fail
It’s OK if your plants don’t do well the first time. You will learn from it and do better next time. I have had plants die one year and do great the next, I survived my failures and keep gardening learning more each time.
All you have to do is to not give up! I lost an entire garden one year from that freak June snow, and just restarted (late) and had it still fail horribly. Now I wait until there is no risk of frost and am ready to cover the beds if the weather is going to turn.
15) Enjoy Your Gardening Time
The last piece of advice is to enjoy spending time in your garden. If you make weeding a chore, then it will become a dreaded chore. I like to inspect my plants and see how they are doing, and I pull weeds as I go along.
Try setting up a sitting spot in a corner of the garden, this way you can relax and look at what you are creating. Make it a pleasant place to go spend time, enjoy every second of it.
Keep Gardening
Once you get a good start to your garden, and you enjoy tending it, and you get fresh food right in your back yard, you will be hooked!
I know I am hooked on gardening, and I can’t imagine ever stopping. It’s a passion and a hobby that brings joy for the whole family. Keep growing what you love, and love growing what you plant.