- 1. Start with a small space<\/a><\/li>
- 2. Pick a sunny spot for your veggies<\/a><\/li>
- 3. Know your soil<\/a><\/li>
- 4. Install a drip irrigation system<\/a><\/li>
- 5. Don’t ignore the wind<\/a><\/li>
- 6. Choose easy-to-grow plants for your region<\/a><\/li>
- 7. Focus on your favorite or hard-to-find, expensive veggies<\/a><\/li>
- 8. Have a clear garden plan\u00a0<\/a><\/li>
- 9. Try a square-foot garden plant spacing chart<\/a><\/li>
- 10. Use vertical gardening to optimize space<\/a><\/li>
- 11. Stagger the crops to boost yield<\/a><\/li>
- 12. Take advantage of companion planting<\/a><\/li>
- 13. Keep a gardening calendar<\/a><\/li>
- 14. Get the basic gardening tools<\/a><\/li>
- 15. Learn from other people’s experience<\/a><\/li>
- 16. Use the full power of mulching<\/a><\/li>
- 17. Consider a greenhouse or a polytunnel<\/a><\/li>
- FAQ <\/a><\/li><\/ul> \t\t\t<\/div> \t\t<\/div><\/div>
1. Start with a small space<\/span><\/h2>
While relaxing and rewarding, growing your own vegetables takes time, money, and effort. If you’re a beginner, you\u2019ll have much to learn about planting, watering, and weeding during the first year, so take it slow. Start with a small garden and a few veggies, and extend it gradually if you want to. <\/p>
Try to set your new garden up to be about 100 square feet<\/strong>. Depending on what vegetables you decide to grow, this space can house up to 25 plants. Mix up 3 to 5 types of veggies and herbs<\/strong> and do your best to learn how to grow them correctly. <\/p>
The main benefits of a small space home garden are:<\/p>
- More time to observe and care for each plant. It usually leads to healthier plants and higher yields.<\/li>
- It is an enjoyable experience that doesn\u2019t risk becoming a drag.<\/li>
- The chance to test it all firsthand and determine how much time watering, weeding, pruning, and harvesting takes.<\/li> <\/ul>
2. Pick a sunny spot for your veggies<\/span><\/h2>
![\"vegetable](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/plants-in-a-vegetable-garden.jpg\")
Photo Credit: Ivonne Wierink<\/a> | Canva Pro | License<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure> Set your garden in a place with lots of sunlight and a water source nearby. Most vegetables and herbs need at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily. Low light makes them grow thin, vulnerable to pests and diseases, late to mature, and less productive.<\/p>
If you live in the north, where the light is less intense, ensure full sun veggies receive at least 8 hours of sunlight. Always plant tomatoes, eggplants, cucumber, zucchini, chiles, pumpkins, and watermelons in the sunniest areas of your garden. The larger the fruit it bears, the more sun your veggie needs. <\/p>
Are you stuck with a shaded yard and not many sunny places? Don\u2019t worry. You\u2019ll still be able to plant some veggies. Choose cool-season species, also known as shade vegetables, like lettuce, spinach, radishes, and arugula. They can thrive with 3 to 5 hours of full sun a day.<\/p>
3. Know your soil<\/span><\/h2>
Good soil makes for healthy, resilient plants and easy gardening. Find out what you have under your feet before planting veggies and herbs. The surest, simplest method is to take a few soil samples and have them tested<\/a> at your county’s Cooperative Extension Office<\/a>. A basic soil test costs $15 to $20 and tells you:<\/p>
- The soil type<\/a> and structure (sand, silt, clay, loam). <\/li>
- Organic matter content. <\/li>
- Nutrient deficiencies and how to treat them. <\/li>
- Soil pH and how to balance it if necessary. <\/li> <\/ul>
If you have loamy soil,<\/strong> you\u2019re lucky. It\u2019s a balanced mixture of sand, clay, and silt particles with a moderately loose texture, good water-holding and drainage abilities, and is usually rich in nutrients and organic matter. Loam is suitable for most vegetable plants. <\/p>
Cover with a layer of compost every year to keep loam soil fertile. <\/p>
Sandy soil<\/strong> has a loose texture with low water-holding capacity. Nutrients wash away quickly from its structure, making it a poor soil that often needs fertilizers. It also dries fast and requires a lot of water during summer. <\/p>
Sandy soil is not all bad. Root vegetables like carrots, radishes, beets, and turnips enjoy the sandy soil\u2019s loose structure, allowing roots to develop easily. The best amendments you can use are compost and manure. Sphagnum peat moss, coconut coir, and vermiculite improve water retention but don’t add valuable nutrients. Always consider organic fertilizers before going for a commercial blend.<\/p>
Clay soil<\/strong> is heavy and dense. It has a high water-holding capacity and keeps nutrients well, making it a fertile soil. However, it has poor water absorption and drainage, tightening around the roots when dry, turning into rocky soil that’s hard to dig or aerate. <\/p>
Vegetables with shallow roots (broccoli, cabbage, onions, lettuce) grow well in clay. Its fertile, moist texture makes it easier to absorb nutrients and water without digging deep into the soil. <\/p>
Adding organic matter is the best way to improve clay soil texture. Compost, leaf mold, and well-rotted manure are some of the best to try. <\/p>
Silty soil<\/strong> is rich in minerals but typically poor in organic matter, making it prone to erosion. Suitable for various vegetables, it breaks down easier when dry and enforces less mechanical stress on plant roots. <\/p>
Its unstable structure recommends a no-till or less-till gardening method<\/a>. Digging destroys the frail internal structure built by microorganisms. Amend with organic matter and plant protective ground covers during winter. <\/p>
Pro tip about vegetable garden soil: <\/strong>With poor soil that is hard to amend, use raised garden beds<\/a> 6 inches to 2 feet high filled with good-quality garden soil, or consider container gardening<\/a>. <\/p>
4. Install a drip irrigation system<\/span><\/h2>
![\"drip](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/drip-irrigation-system-.jpg\")
Photo Credit: Jasmina Andonova<\/a> | Canva Pro | License<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure> Choose a location close to a source of clean water<\/strong>. Until seedlings and transplants grow healthy roots, you’ll need to water them a few times a week. Established plants typically need less irrigation – about 1 inch of water once a week. Even so, a watering system with a timer is a good way to save time, effort, water, and money. <\/p>
Go for a <\/strong>drip irrigation<\/strong><\/a> or a soaker hose system<\/strong>. They deliver water slowly close to the plant roots and are excellent for all soil types. <\/p>
Sprinklers are not the best idea for watering a vegetable garden<\/strong>, especially if you often water your garden<\/a> in the evening. Wet leaves drastically increase the risk of fungal diseases and sunburns. Sprinklers also waste a lot of water through evaporation. <\/p>
Pro tip on watering your vegetable garden: <\/strong>Always keep an eye on the amount of rainfall and avoid overwatering your crops.<\/p>
5. Don’t ignore the wind<\/span><\/h2>
Air currents are essential to limit fungal diseases and help plants grow more robust. But, if too intense or persistent, winds can damage your vegetable plants. <\/p>
Powerful air currents can break young plants, dry out the soil, force leaves to protect from dehydration by closing their pores, and hinder pollinators in their work. <\/p>
Avoid placing your garden in a windy area. If there’s no other choice, install windshields or plant shrubs for windbreaks. <\/p>
6. Choose easy-to-grow plants for your region<\/span><\/h2>
![\"carrots](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/vegetables-garden.jpg\")
Photo Credit: zeljkosantrac<\/a> | Canva Pro | License<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure> Lettuce, radishes, spinach, arugula, peas, and green beans are excellent starter vegetables. <\/strong>They have a short growing season of under two months and are less picky about soil and weather. While also a short-season crop, carrots are a fifty-fifty bet<\/strong>, depending on the soil. They love a sandy texture and can be challenging to grow in clay. <\/p>
What about tomatoes? Despite their longer growing season, tomatoes, peppers, and squash are also suitable for beginner gardeners<\/strong>. Not so demanding and resilient to transplanting, these veggies are often considered excellent first garden options. <\/p>
What to avoid on your first try?<\/strong> Onions are picky about light. Depending on the variety, they need about 12 to 16 hours daily and grow small and dry if not watered properly. <\/p>
Sweet potatoes only grow well with 100 days of hot weather because they need hot soil. They\u2019re an easy crop in the South, growing like crazy without much intervention, but a complicated task in the North. <\/p>
Artichokes, cauliflower, celery, and head lettuce are also at the top of the hard-to-grow veggies list you should postpone until you have more gardening experience.<\/p>
7. Focus on your favorite or hard-to-find, expensive veggies<\/span><\/h2>
Remember you’re working with a small garden space, limited time, and a specific budget. Invest your resources in valuable plants. The best vegetables to grow are always the ones you love eating and that are easy to preserve. <\/p>
Two smart criteria for deciding what to plant are availability and price. On top of your list, put veggies you love eating but that are harder to find in grocery stores or tend to be expensive. <\/p>
8. Have a clear garden plan <\/span><\/h2>
Put your ideas on paper. It\u2019s the easiest way to create the best layout for your small backyard garden<\/a>. Sketch the planting beds and the walkways you\u2019ll use to go around them. <\/p>
Make the garden beds no more than 4 feet wide so you can reach inside without stepping in. Beginner gardeners often go for 4×4 or 4×8 veggie beds. They offer enough space for planting and are easy to access without stepping on the soil. <\/p>
4×4-foot garden plan:<\/strong><\/p>
![\"4](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/4x4_garden_plan.jpg\")
Garden Plan by Sinziana Spiridon<\/figcaption><\/figure> 4×8-foot garden plan:<\/strong><\/p>
![\"4](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/4x8_garden_plan.jpg\")
Garden Plan by Sinziana Spiridon<\/figcaption><\/figure> If the garden bed is near a wall or in a corner, reduce the width accordingly. Consider that you can access the plants only from two or three sides.<\/p>
Choose a place for each plant and mark it on your garden planner. Use indications from seed packets and pot labels to leave enough space for each plant. <\/p>
9. Try a square-foot garden plant spacing chart<\/span><\/h2>
Sometimes, measuring and placing plants freely across plant beds can become complicated. Simplify it by using the one-square-foot spacing chart. <\/p>
To make the chart, divide your garden plan into one-square-foot sections and decide what veggies or herbs you want to place in each square and how many. Write the plants’ names and numbers in each designated space. <\/p>
Here are a couple of tables with the most common starter vegetables and herbs and how many you can put in a one-square-foot area.<\/p>
- The soil type<\/a> and structure (sand, silt, clay, loam). <\/li>
- 2. Pick a sunny spot for your veggies<\/a><\/li>
![\"vertical](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/vertical-vegetable-garden.jpg\")
![\"Gardening](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Gardening-tools.jpg\")
![\"person](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/mulching-garden-bed.jpg\")