When thinking about gardens, vegetable gardens are usually the first type that comes to mind for many people. When beginning a garden, it’s important to know your soil type and whether it is compatible with the produce you are intending to grow. Good soil consists of organic matter, minerals, water, air and microorganisms.
You’ll also need to take into consideration sunlight and how much each plant will require. Usually south-facing gardens are the most successful because they receive the most sunlight throughout the day as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. When assessing a garden space, be sure to consider all areas of your yard. Not only can a garden be placed in the back yard, but front and side yards can make lovely locations as well.
When getting started, there are plenty of tools to choose from and depending on experience, comfort-level and scale, the tools you use may vary greatly from your neighbour. For a beginner, a spade, trowel, hand rake, shears, and a hose are enough to keep a simple garden satisfied. However, there are many other products on the market to help make gardening as easy as possible.
Depending on the size and location of your vegetable garden, you may want to consider raised beds or fencing to deter animals such as rabbits, deer and squirrels from munching on all of your hard work. Try not to walk directly over your seeds either as this compacts the soil and slows down growth rates.
You can make your garden as simple or complex as you’d like. Choose vegetables that you know you will eat and follow each of their growing requirements when it comes to soil, sunlight and watering. If you already have experience gardening, try companion planting to get the most out of your vegetable garden. Companion planting is placing certain plants together that complement one another in nutrient requirements, pest repelling abilities or growth habits.
Many new gardeners rush to plant everything and when produce doesn’t grow, they think they’re poor gardeners. This is not the case; there is no full-proof way to garden. Sometimes no matter how much preparation and effort you put into a plant; things don’t go the way you planned. At some point you must let nature take its course and hope for the best. Gardening is a good way of practicing acceptance when it comes to this.
However, as you gain experience as a gardener there is nothing like yielding your own fresh produce and having the satisfaction of knowing that all your hard work has come to fruition. Growing your own food can also save money on your grocery bills and can help you rest assured that there aren’t any unwanted pesticides in your harvest. Learn more about vegetable gardens here.
Follow our
beneficial garden series to learn more about popular garden types that will not only enhance your yard’s beauty but will benefit you and our local wildlife as well.