It does not take an expert
Get your gear together
Garden location
Garden types
Soil preparation
Vegetables to grow
Watering your garden
It Does Not Take an Expert to Grow a First Class Garden
It is never too late to start your own vegetable garden. You can see a good number of people grow veggies for different reasons – to take advantage of the healthy vegetables they grow, the exercise they get from working in the garden, or as a way to save money.
Why not start a garden and benefit from all of it? You will find you do not have to be a gardening expert as there are ways you can get around some of the more difficult aspects of growing veggies and keeping it simple doesn’t mean you will lose out on any of your bumper crops.
Get Your Gear Together
There will be a few items you need to gather before you get started. Tools that are quality made will cost a little extra, yet they can last much longer than cheaper alternatives. Here are some of the things you will need:
- Trowel – this is for weeding and the digging of smaller holes
- Gloves – gardening types are explicitly made for this. They do not just keep your hands clean, they also protect from any sharp objects that might be laying around.
- Hose or watering can – this depends on what sort of gardening you are doing and the location of your garden.
- Shovel – this is for digging large holes and for turning your soil over (in larger gardens)
- Rake – these are ideal for spreading mulch (also for more extensive gardens)
- Shears – these are needed to prune back any leaves that are turning or use them for snipping fresh herbs.
Garden Location
This all depends on what type of garden you are looking to have. There are three basic types, and all have their advantages. If you are new to gardening, it is advisable to start small, so the first garden type can wait a while.
Types of Gardens
Traditional Gardens
These are directly into the ground planting, and a garden bed would be around 19ft x 16ft in size. An area for this would make full use of nature and should face south to catch the most sun.
Container Gardens
When you are planting a vegetable garden, these can be one of the easiest ways to start. You have more control and you can save your back as there is less bending to get to your veggies. Container gardens also make it much easier to start as you need to purchase good topsoil, yet this is already ideal for growing vegetables without having to prepare your soil first.
Your containers can be any size as long as they have a good 10 inches in depth. This gives the roots a chance to spread and grow. You can use anything from plastic bins, metal buckets or even 5-gallon milk containers. All you have to do is make sure that they have adequate drainage so any plastic containers need holes poked in the bottom.
Raised Beds
These are merely in-between a container and a traditional garden. These can be easy to construct and are generally 8ft x 4ft in size with a depth of around 12 inches. These, as with containers, are filled with potting soil so they are also good to go.
Soil Preparation
Soil that is not ideal will affect how your veggies grow and if you have a traditional garden you might have much more preparation. Containers and raised beds do benefit from extra compost, yet you have little or no digging to do.
Vegetables to Grow
You should choose what you like to eat, and you also have to select varieties that grow better in containers and raised beds. You will soon find that for the cost of a packet of seeds, you can save a pretty penny on your grocery bill.
Here are a few vegetables that you can grow in both raised beds and containers.
- Beetroots
- Carrots
- Garlic
- Lettuce
- Onions
- Radish
- Spring Onions
- Potato
- Tomatoes
If you visit a garden center, you can check the packets which varieties are ideal for containers. A good example being tomatoes – bush types are suitable for hanging baskets, as they do not require any support.
Watering your Garden
Containers and raised beds have better irrigation than a regular garden so watering can be a little different. You will find that the soil will not become waterlogged yet they will need more frequent watering. You can add mulch over your raised beds and the tops of your containers, this not only adds nutrients to the soil, it also helps to keep your soil retain moisture.
It is also crucial to add a good quality fertilizer to your soil. If you do not yet have a compost heap, you can purchase compost from a local garden center.
Growing vegetables can be highly rewarding, and you will find that any of the vegetables you grow will taste much sweeter than the types you used to purchase from the supermarkets.