If you’ve always wanted to have a garden there’s no better time to start than now! You can control the food you’ll be putting on your plate and not worry about all the chemicals and the origin of what you eat. Gardening is a very relaxing hobby and helps us get out of the house and enjoy the great outdoors. There are a lot of healthy benefits when gardening including: burn calories, stress relief, reduced risk of heart attack and stroke, may lower the risk of dementia, add valuable family time and can put you in a better mood. Not only that, it will boost your immune system by catching some sunshine full of vitamin D. Give someone a tomato and they can eat for a day. Teach someone to garden and and they will eat for a lifetime.
1. Choose the Location For your new Garden
Much like real estate – location, location, location. Sunshine is obviously very important so be sure to pick a sunny spot. Be sure there are no shady areas like around trees or out buildings as most of the things you’ll be planting will require 6-8 hours of sunshine each day. Also, be aware of pets, children’s play areas and wildlife as all of these can destroy a garden overnight! You can add small fencing to help with the children, pets and small wildlife. For the larger wildlife, like deer, you could try a deer deterrent. Depending on the size you’re planning, having a water source close by may help with the garden hose or how far you want to carry that sprinkling can. Location will also depend on how large you make your garden. If possible, put the garden where it’s easy to see. The more you see it the more you’ll want to get your hands dirty.
Don’t Forget the Gardening Tools
There are some simple tools you will need to get started. You will not need to spend a lot to get started, just basic tools like a spade, rake, watering can and/or hose, and a hoe. You can always add more tools as you see a need but you can do whatever you need to do with these simple basics. Here are some ideas to get you started.
2. Prepare the Site for your Garden
You may choose to use the existing soil by digging up the dirt by hand with a shovel or using a rototiller. You may also decide to use raised beds and purchase soil as fill. Raised beds can be a great way to start a smaller garden. You can purchase raised bed kits or just purchase lumber for the size of the bed you’d like to build. Newer treated wood is okay to use for the raised beds. However, treated wood from prior to 2003 should be avoided. Up until 2003, the preservative used for treated wood was chromated copper arsenate (CCA) which used arsenic as its primary rot protectant. The concern is the arsenic could leach into the soil.
Raised beds are sometimes easier to maintain by having that break from the yard and have easier access. If you keep the raised bed only 4 feet wide you should be able to reach into the center of the bed without walking in it and compacting the soil. A depth of 12″-18″ should work fine. However, raised beds may dry faster than traditional gardens. That’s great when it’s a wet spring but may take additional watering during the dry months. I would also advise using a quality soil when starting a new garden. Potting soil by itself is not a good option. Try adding peat moss, manure and compost. That will give you a great start to some wonderful veggies.
3. Pick Your Plants
The first question is…what do you and your family like to eat? Trying new things is great, except if you have limited space in your garden and you’re not sure you’re going to like what you plant. Start with the staples that you know you’ll eat and if you have space left over plant something different. Be sure to choose plants that will thrive in the growing conditions of your area. Be aware of the vine plants like cucumber, zucchini, pumpkins, melons, etc. as they can take up a lot of area. You may consider a trellis or plant close to a fence so the plant will climb high rather than covering precious ground area. Some easier to grow varieties are onions, zucchini, tomatoes, cucumber, peppers and lettuce.
4. Know your Zone and Frost Dates
The hardiness zone and frost dates will tell you the best time to plant for the area in which you live. Please refer to the chart from the USDA below. Match up your seeds or plants to the zone for your area listed in the chart. You may also start the seeds inside and transplant once the weather is conducive for growth.
5. Get Planting and Get your Hands Dirty
Once you’ve chosen the plant varieties and educated yourself on when to plant, have a ball and start planting. Be sure to keep young plants moist as the roots will dry quickly. Once plants are established, be sure to back off on the watering as overwatering can cause as much damage as not watering. You can choose plant food or other products to help get the plant started in the right direction. If you’re transplanting plants that have been indoors be careful not plant in direct sunlight right away. Some plants may “burn” if they are thrown right into the fire. You should set the plants in their container in the sun for a few hours each day for a week or so to acclimate them to the sunshine.
6. Enjoy the Fruit or Vegetable of your Labor
It is so gratifying to watch the plants grow and turn into something that is really healthy and tastes so good. Gardening is very relaxing and a great way to enjoy the outdoors. Once you begin you’ll wish you would have started sooner! Even with smaller gardens, the harvest is usually quite productive. You will find yourself sharing with family and friends or maybe even canning some goodies to enjoy in the winter. And now you know the basics to start a new garden!
7. Container Plants are a Great Option
Whether you have room for a garden or not, container plants can be a wonderful addition. Containers can be on the deck, ground, or hanging plants. I like to use containers that attach to the railing of the deck. These are perfect for herbs, spinach or lettuce. You can walk out your door and pick the herbs you need for dinner! Other containers can be large enough to plant tomatoes, peppers or whatever you can imagine. Container plants do require more watering but what a great way to get your veggies.
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