It’s time to grow!
Spring is always a time for growth, which means that it’s time to get your very own garden started if you want fresh veggies during summer and fall!
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Now, having your own garden is a lot easier said than done. Growing veggies, fruits and herbs can be tricky! You need the perfect balance of dirt, water and sunlight to make sure your plants grow nice and strong.
Unfortunately, not all of us are given a green thumb at birth. Some are just naturals at keeping plants alive, and others....well, let’s just not go there.
I like to say that I was born with a green-ish thumb. Gardening doesn’t come as natural to me, but I’m also not killing plants left and right. This will be my third season of cultivating my own garden, and I’ve had pretty mild success. I’ve never gotten an abundance of veggies, but I’ve gotten enough that I’ve been able to use them in my own cooking over the summer.
So as a beginner gardener, here are a few tips that I’ve learned over the years that will hopefully encourage you to start your own garden this summer.
Invest in a raised garden bed
This would without a doubt be my No. 1 tip for newbies who are getting into gardening for the first time. It’s obviously not required, but it’s a whole lot easier to see how your plants are doing all summer when you have a raised view of them.
It also ensures that certain critters won’t be messing with the crops you are trying to grow! It won’t protect them from everyone, but it’s a nice little way to make things more organized and safe. Plus, it’s just nice to look at! I got mine from Costco, and it was a great investment.
Try growing herbs instead of veggies at first
I know your dream of having a lush garden full of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and whatever else you want to grow is the dream, but it’s very hard! There are so many variables that go into growing veggies, so one little mistake can ruin your crops. On the other hand, growing herbs are very easy. They’re not fussy, will grow like weeds and fun to use in your cooking. I had fresh pesto all last summer because my basil plants just flourished in my garden.
Start out with plants that are already growing
The ideal situation is to buy little seeds from a hardware store and watch them grow from the very beginning, but again, that can be difficult! If you miss a day of watering the seeds, it can throw off your entire yield. Plus, it also takes a lot of time from the point you plant a seed to when you actually get a vegetable.
It may feel like cheating, but buying a little basil plant or a baby tomato plant from your local farmer’s market it totally OK! You know that you’re getting a plant that is healthy and already growing, and you’ll probably get fresh crops sooner than plating your own seeds. No one is going to judge you for skipping a few steps.
Really make sure you can water your garden every day
Not only do you want to make sure you have time to water your plants every day, but you also have time to just dedicate to your garden in general. That means picking crops that are ready to go, pulling out any weeds that might pop up and protecting them from critters.
Summer is always a busy time, so if you know you’re going to be on vacation for a week in the middle of July, make sure you have a friend or family member you can come over and water your garden. Granted, if you’re having a rainy summer, you probably won’t have to worry about this too much.
Have fun!
That’s right! Gardening is fun, so make it fun! Watching your garden grow from tiny little plants and seeds to full on plants producing crops is the coolest feeling ever, so make sure you just embrace every part of it!
Happy gardening!!!