Are you planning to start a garden? This article is for you. Most people don’t know where to begin when starting a garden.
In most instances, they wonder what they should plant and when they should start planting.
Tips on how to start a garden for beginners.
- Find out the main purpose of the garden: What would you like to grow in your garden?
The first thing to do would be to find out what you want to grow in your garden. By knowing the garden’s main purpose, you’ll know the most suitable size for the garden. Note down all the plants you desire to grow in your garden.
It is not advisable to grow a vegetable/fruit that you’ll probably never eat in your garden. Doing this wastes your time and effort. Ensure that you and your family can eat all the plants you grow.
- Find a suitable location for your garden
The location of your garden will determine the quantity of your harvest. Generally, most plants need at least six hours of direct sunlight for maximum growth. So, you need to find a location that receives a constant amount of sunlight. Also, consider the ease of accessibility.
It would be hard for you to walk for more than 1 km every day to water your plants. The garden should be near your house.
This way, you can grow and harvest your plants easily. Moreover, keep the garden away from pets and domestic animals. Otherwise, they might end up destroying your crops in the long run.
- Determine the layout of your garden beds
The next thing to do would be to start planning your garden beds. Gardening experts recommend creating raised garden beds.
Raised garden beds make sowing, planting, and growing much easier. Also, they boost the aesthetics of your garden and retain moisture in the soil for long periods. Ensure your garden bed provides enough space for plants to grow.
- Buy the right gardening equipment
Before you start gardening, you have to purchase the right equipment. Remember, you cannot use normal scissors to prune your crops.
Similarly, you cannot use a standard kitchen knife to cut ripened pepper fruits. Some of the gardening equipment you need to buy includes a dirt rake, gardening shovel, leaf rake and scuffle garden hoe.
You can always find the best gardening tools from most local stores near you. Also, you can find most gardening equipment from online stores like Amazon and eBay. It would be best to buy high-quality gardening equipment that offers high durability.
- Know the condition of your gardening soil
Before you start gardening, take time to know the condition of your soil. Does your soil have a high or low pH?
Does the soil have sufficient nutrients to support the growth of the plant? You can always tell the condition of your soil by looking at it. But if you can’t seem to figure out your soil’s condition, go for a laboratory test.
Typically, most plants thrive in soils with a pH of about 6.8 to 7. Plants won’t grow well in extremely acidic or alkaline solutions.
- Prepare your garden soil for planting
Plants require high-quality soil to grow. Fortunately, you can make your soil fertile from the comfort of your own home. Build your soil during fall and start planting in early spring. Fertile soil keeps the plants safe from pests and diseases. Consider adding various organic matter and mulching.
- Buy the right starter plants and seeds
Before you start planting in your garden, you have to select the best seeds or starter plants. Failure to do so won’t lead to successful results. Many seed companies sell quality transplants. Ensure you evaluate the reliability of the company before you purchase from them.
Nonetheless, you can always grow your transplants. Although it may take a longer time, it saves you a lot of money.
- Be careful when planting crops
Follow all the instructions on the seed manual before you begin planting. Remember, plants are different; thus, they incorporate different handling techniques.
Some of the general planting guidelines include:
- Ensure you plant the seeds approximately three times deeper than the diameter of the seed.
- Always handle transplants with care to avoid damaging them.
- Avoid holding transplants by their stems; always hold them by their leaves.
- Take good care of your garden
If you have a new garden, take time to nurture it. Use the most suitable fertilizers depending on the crop you are planting. Also, keep watering the garden when need be. Underwatering can lead to the withering of plants while overwatering can damage the plants completely.
If you nurture your garden pretty well, you won’t have to worry about pests and plant diseases.
What’s the easiest vegetable to grow?
Finding the best vegetables to grow in your garden is not an easy task. Most homeowners don’t like growing a single plant for an extended period.
Consequently, they are always looking for the easiest vegetables to grow such as leeks, spinach, cucumber and the like. Moreover, homeowners are always looking for ways to save their effort and time when growing vegetables.
Let’s take a look at some of the vegetables that will save you time and effort during the planting process.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes grow so quickly. You can always harvest tomatoes only after a few weeks. Also planting your tomatoes in containers have shown to produce a good yield.
All you have to do is keep them hydrated and feed them with calcium, potassium, among others. There is a broad spectrum of fertilizers you can use to make tomatoes grow healthier and nutritious.
Radishes
Radishes are one of the simplest plants to grow. All you need to do is place them directly in fertile soil, cover them with fertile soil, and tend to them until they mature fully.
Alternatively, you can grow radishes in containers and pots. Before you know it, you’ll be harvesting. You can use radishes to make salads more savory. This vegetable incurs a simple sowing, planting, and growing process.
Peas
Peas are not only a delicious vegetable but also easy to plant. When planting peas, all you have to do is place them directly to the ground in early spring.
Take care of the plants by applying the right fertilizer and watering them. After 12 to 15 weeks, you’ll receive an abundant harvest. More often than not, peas are one of the most expensive vegetables at the grocery store. So, growing them for yourself will significantly cut down your monthly budget.
Potatoes
Are you shocked that potatoes made it to the list? Potatoes are relatively simple to grow especially hydroponically.
You can start planting them in early March if you are planting in the ground. Then, when the green shoots start sprouting, cover them with more compost.
When planting potatoes, all you have to do is keep watering. Potatoes need a lot of moisture to thrive. They take about 15 to 20 weeks to mature.
We all know how this vegetable is in high demand in both households and five-star restaurants. So, you end up saving hundreds of dollars by planting your potatoes or eggplants.
Salad leaves
One of the easiest plants to grow is salad leaves. Salad leaves take a few weeks to grow to maturity. Salad leaves always keep growing even after harvesting.
You can harvest them for up to three to four months after they mature. Not to mention, salad leaves are a tasty and healthy meal option for you and your loved ones. Some of the salad leaves you can grow include kales and spinach.
Spring onions
Only a few recipes do not involve onions. Most homeowners need onions daily. So, planting onions in your backyard garden is a good idea. Besides, onions are easy to grow.
All you need to do is feed them with the right nutrients and ensure the soil contains moisture at all times. This can be easily achieved by sieving you garden soil. Planting onions will save you a lot of money in the long run.
Runner beans
Another vegetable that is simple to grow is runner beans. When growing runner beans, all you have to do is ensure they have sufficient space between each other. They are climbing plants. Another climbing plant you can grow is clematis vine.
Thus, if you do not give them sufficient space, they can destroy their counterparts. Moreover, ensure you water your runner beans frequently to help them grow healthy.
Runner beans are nutritious and tasty. Growing them in your garden will save you a lot of monthly costs.
Beetroot
Beetroot is one of the healthiest fruits of all time. Beetroot is perfect for making salads and smoothies. Fortunately, you can always grow it within several weeks in your garden. All you have to do is plant beetroot directly in your garden in early spring.
After some time, ensure the seedlings are 5 cm apart. Like salad leaves, beetroot gives you a long harvesting period of about three to four months.
Time you setup your first garden
When starting your garden, there are several factors you have to put into consideration. Typically, you have to choose the right location for the garden, test and prepare the starting soil.
From there, you can grow a wide variety of plants. Consider growing the easiest vegetables. They include salad leaves, potatoes, beetroot, and tasty tomatoes, among others. This way, you end up saving on your grocery costs in the long run.