My first forays into starting a vegetable garden as a beginner were seriously out of control, and I quickly learned that starting small was definitely the way to go. Gradually I increased the sizes of my garden beds, the variety of plants I started each year, and the complexity of my growing techniques until I was happy with my harvest results. But I’m still learning, and this year saw a large amount of vining plants taking over half my yard due to an over exuberance of early spring planting that I couldn’t bring myself to thin (those poor baby plants deserved to live after all).

mixed vegetable garden

Starting a vegetable garden may seem like an overwhelming process, and I will admit there is a lot of planning that needs to go into it, but it doesn’t need to be a staggering amount of work for anyone to get started. Especially when you have some of the awesome basic vegetable gardening tips for beginners I’m going to share with you below.

Where to Place Your Garden

vegetable-garden

The first step in planning your garden is to locate where you are going to put it before you take any further steps. If you have limited space, you may want to consider a container garden, or putting in small raised beds in order to take advantage of the space you have. If you have plenty of space, you’ll want to think about what you can handle in the way of planting, weeding, and harvesting when the time comes as each step can be rather time consuming.

Other considerations include the zone you are planting in, amount of light your garden will receive, and the access you may have to helpful gardening products. Below will detail what you need to be thinking about before finalizing your garden’s ultimate resting place.

Location

Always consider your physical location (as in on a map) before deciding where to place the actual location of your garden. There are quite a few factors to take into account before putting in a permanent planting space, and you may, in fact, decide you don’t want anything permanent after all depending on your living situation, and the capabilities of your property for supporting growing vegetation.

Connecticut-Kitchen-Garden

Urban vs Rural

Living urban versus rural can make a very significant difference to the amount of space you have available for a garden. Rural, or country living, often have more open areas for plot planning, sun availability, and room for your plants to meander into. It is often very easy to create gardens that are larger than your original plans simply because you have the available space; but keep in mind that just because you have the room, doesn’t mean you have to fill it all at once.

rural-garden
urban-garden

Urban, or city living, often has a lot more factors you need to take into consideration before planning out your growing space and can present many unique challenges as well. Urban spaces are not only just smaller, soil availability, growing space, and light may all be limited and could need some creative planning to provide the best growing conditions possible. How to best take advantage of these smaller areas will be described in detail below.

Zone

Which growing zone you live in, and how that zone is affected by local weather and garden placement will need to be considered. Growing zones differ by both latitude and longitude, as well as due to elevation, and even distances from bodies of water.

Other than checking your zone on a dependable map, you can also determine your temperature highs and lows around your property with a simple outdoor thermometer that you can track through the seasons. Don’t worry about doing this in advance of planning your garden or using it as a deciding factor of garden placement, but rather use it to better know how temperatures are affected by wind and obstacles, such as building walls, in your yard so you know how to best care for your garden.

Sun vs Shade

Many vegetables thrive in a full sun (6 to 8 hours) situation and need either a direct or strong indirect (or filtered) amount of light to grow and produce. The flip side of this is that some of these plants will struggle if too much heat is produced, and they may sunburn or wither in attempts to protect their fruits. Nearby outdoor walls or other structures can also reflect, and intensify the heat from the sun, and you’ll want to consider either providing a barrier or not placing a garden near these areas. If you cannot avoid areas of intense light, don’t fret, as this can be easily remedied in that there are many solutions to providing partial shade or filtered light to your plants as described below.

All-purpose-fabrics

Areas of deep shade will be problematic for most vegetable plants and you will want to avoid putting your garden in areas where your plants cannot receive any sort of good light. If all you have is shade, and you are unable to manipulate an area with sunlight to reach plants for at least 6 hours, consider only planting crops that tolerate shade well. There are some varieties of veggies that can do well in the shade, and need partial shade to thrive and provide the best crop. These plants are described below for you to consider!

Start With a Small Garden Area

small-garden

As a new gardener (or even if you are an experienced gardener and will be starting a new garden in a new location), you want to start small. Starting small will allow you to gauge your growing zone and consider the effects of all the variables that can affect the overall health and productivity of your crops. Nothing is worse than losing half you harvest to something that might have been otherwise avoided with a little prior knowledge.

I know how exciting it can be to finally get started with your garden, but keep in mind that the more space you have, the more likely you will want to fill it; and that often results in more work you originally planned on- especially when those tiny one inch seedlings become 20 foot long vines.

There are many ways to help limit your enthusiasm for a large garden and keep yourself under control. Planning plot sizes in advance, using raised beds, and planting only in containers helps provide a good visual for you from the start so you know exactly how much room you will be responsible for. This also will show you exactly how much room each will take up: an important factor to consider if you have limited room.

Plot

Again, start small. A well-tended 10x10 bed is going to have a better yield than a 25x25 that you can’t keep up with. Plot designs can be varied in shape and size, so feel free to use the space you’ve decided to allot to this.

Sometimes it’s nice to look over garden designs in advance to give you an idea of what your garden may look like at maturity. It’s amazing how much a small plot will grow, so plan out your garden in advance and keep in mind the care you will need to put towards it through the growing season.

plot-garden

Raised Beds

I’m a huge fan of raised garden beds. They are easy to tend, and they also limit your space somewhat so you are forced to plan for size accordingly. They are also a good choice for urban areas since they are well contained and can look well blended into a manicured urban yard. They also are good choices for urban community gardens since you can pretty much build a raised bed of sorts over any sort of ground, concrete included.

Raised beds can come up only a foot or two, or like mine that I built out of old pallets- stand in at 3 ½ feet (I left mine more rustic looking however and lined the opening with garden fabric). They can be elevated further for your needs, or be smaller as part of an overall yard design. No matter what you do you just need to make sure the soils are prepped deep enough for the roots, and that there is some sort of drainage system in place.

raised-beds

Containers

Containers can be anything and everything from patio pots, old buckets, wheelbarrows, or even pallets. Container gardens are perfect for urban settings, mixed into other garden plots, or even just because you don’t want to put the time and effort into a garden plot at a home you won’t be staying in for any length of time. Garden pots can usually be found inexpensively at yard sales, and if you are like me, don’t pass by the broken or cracked pots - rehab them instead!

containers

I’m a huge fan of container gardens because of their versatility. Mix in flowers with your veggies, stagger pot heights (or even stack them!), create themed pots (like a salsa garden - yum!), and add in a fun mini trellis for a climber! The possibilities are endless! Just be sure to keep them well watered!

The Right Stuff: Soil Care

gardening-soil

Knowing your soils and amending for vegetation is a crucial step towards having a successful growing season. Vegetation receive their nutrients directly through their roots in the soils. Soils are comprised of a mixture of sand, silt, and clay with variable percentages of each. Ideally you want an 40% sand, 40% clay, and 20% silt to create a loam that is well aerated and capable of holding moisture that is crucial for vegetative life.

If you are unsure of what types of soils you have, you can easily figure it by using the ‘mason jar’ test. Simply take a mason jar (or other sealable clear jar) and fill it half way with the soils that will be used in your garden. Fill the jar with water and then seal the top before shaking well. You’ll need to let your jar sit for a few hours to allow the soils to separate out and settle, but once they do so, you’ll be able to see how much of each sand, clay, and silt you have present (sand will be on bottom, then silt, then clay on top). Once you know the approximate percentage you can determine what sort of soils you have. And once you are aware of this, you can easily amend it to fit your needs.

Amending Soils

Many people think that creating a good soil growing compound is incredibly difficult and time consuming, but it is quite a simple process and definitely worth attempting rather than taking your chances with the soils you already have.

Amending soils, or improving your soils by adding in new materials to create a 40-40-20 percentage mix, is an important step towards making sure your plants will have not only the best start in life possible, but also will maintain through the growing and producing season. Garden soils and sands can be purchased directly from local garden centers in order to create your perfect mix, but before you begin to mix things into your soil, consider a few other suggestions that are easy to check.

amending-soils

Even If you happen to have a good loamy mix already, don’t rule out some simple amendments. Even little positive changes in the composition of your soil can be beneficial for your plants, so don’t allow yourself to become overwhelmed with all the many terms associated with garden soils.

pH

The pH of soil is generally anywhere between 4.0 and 8.5, but the majority of plants favor a pH of 6.5 to 7.0 because this is where most nutrients and available minerals are found. pH refers to the acidity or alkalinity of soil. Acid-based soils are found below 7.0 (neutral) and alkaline, or base soils, are found above. In order to determine your soil pH, consider a simple pH test , some of which also will help you to determine the available primary nutrients (nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus) so you can plan your soil amendment and fertilization accordingly.

ph-meter

To adjust your pH you can add in either lime to raise your pH, or aluminum sulfate to lower your pH. These are both easily purchased from your local gardening center and simply follow the directions on the bag to determine how much you need to mix into your soils. Generally you will only want a slight change anyway, and a little goes a long way.

To raise your alkalinity: Because it takes up to three months to raise the pH of soils, you may want to check your soils well in advance of planting. To create a more acidic soil, simply mix in wood ash throughout the soils, or add in limestone at a rate of ½ lb to 1 ½ lb depending on if you have sandy soils (needs less) or clay soils (needs more) every 3 square feet of soil.

To raise your acidity: You need 0.6 pounds of aluminum sulfate per 0.5 drop in pH you want to achieve per 10 square feet of planting area in a balanced loam soil.

Compost

Compost is highly useful in your garden for a variety of reasons, but mainly because of the balance it lends to your soils when used correctly. Adding organic matter to your soils will amend them in such a manner that you should have a higher nutrient content for your roots to uptake, as well as providing a foundation for better soil structure. Moisture will be better locked in and it drain as easily, and clay soils will better aggregate, or stick together, to create air pockets for essential oxygen.

compost

The great things about compost is how you can create it yourself from the waste found around your kitchen and yard, but it can also be purchased if you have yet to take the composting step. Compost is best added in the spring, or when you are first turning over and mixing your soils. Simply spread it about 3 to 4 inches deep and then turn it into the soils!

pea-gravel-in-garden

Drainage

Amending your soils first and foremost addresses the moisture issues you have within your garden. Sandy soils provide too much drainage and doesn’t allow water to be as readily available to your plants. Clay soils hold too much water, and also often blocks off oxygen from reaching your plants as well. Drainage is especially important in garden plots that are dug into soils that hold high amounts of water naturally, with potted plants, or raised garden beds.

simple solution (and a good habit to consider) for areas that will allow water to pool, is to create an extra layer of drainage below your soils. Providing a layer of materials that allow water to drain freely, such as pea gravel or coarse sands, can offset water pooling, ad help keep your plant roots where you want them.

Picking Your Plants

picking-a-plant

Choosing from the multitude variety of plants available for your garden is probably the most exciting part of the gardening process, but it’s also one of the quickest ways for things to get out of control. Fewer is better, especially when you are just getting started. Plants grow quickly, and if you are unsure of their mature size, overplanting can quickly result in choked out vegetation, poor harvest yields, an increase in bugs and diseases, and in some cases, the death of the plant altogether.

Consider the following when deciding which plants to purchase, and only choose 8 to 12 different plant varieties depending on your space to get started. You'll want to plant 2 to 3 of each ideally, so you will have plenty of plants to harvest form when the time comes.

Size and Spacing

Consider the amount of room and garden you decided upon above, and how you planned out your garden. Using a garden planner is never a bad idea when starting a vegetable garden for beginner in order to get an idea about how much room each plant choice will need. If you are planning in raised beds or containers, your space will be even more limited, and you’ll need to consider just how much room you have on the patio for the plethora of pots you are accidentally planning for. If you are growing ‘up’, meaning you are training some of your more vigorous, vining plants to grow upwards rather than out, and over- think about not only the length of each vine, but how many vegetables may be produced by each plant, and the weight that will need to be supported (much of this information can be found on the back of your seed packets).

Seed or Purchase

If you are feeling REALLY adventurous (and possibly cheap), you might be starting your plants from seeds. I’ll describe the details of this below if this is your choice, but for now, I want to focus on the dangers (not really, unless you have a phobia of thinning seedlings as I do) of planting seeds versus live plant purchases.

seed-packets-and-live-plant

Seed packets on average cost around a buck fifty, whereas a started, live, healthy plant may run you anywhere from $2 to $6. The perks of purchasing live plants are that they require very little advanced planning, and can be easily placed in the garden once the time is right. With a small, beginner’s garden in mind, this shouldn’t set you back too much cost wise, but if you are cheap (like me- no shame), you will go crazy with the seed packets. Live plants take up space in your cart, of which you eventually run out of. Seed packets don’t. And they are easy to collect.

But in all seriousness, if you have space to start your seeds indoors or even the temperatures to sow them directly in the ground, your biggest mistake is going to be planting too many, and not thinning your seedlings. I am totally guilty of this as I feel I am murdering helpless baby plants by thinning - which of course ruins my harvest later on and makes my garden look unruly. Because of this, I suggest limiting the number of seeds you plant, AFTER you limit the seed packet choices! You can also mix and match and purchase certain plants, but sow the seeds of the rest, such as root vegetables for example.

Variety

As mentioned, choosing 8 to 12 varieties of plants for your first experimentation with vegetable gardening is the best way to help you learn as you go. There are a few plants that are better than others as well due to their ease of getting started, as well as hardiness, and good harvest yield, as well as others that provide benefits to your garden as well.

Some of the best choices to start with include the following. Consider limiting yourself for the first year to see how much space each takes up.

radishes

Radishes

Radishes are fast growers and easy to sow from seed. In fact, you can plant in spring, harvest, and plant again in later summer for a second, autumnal harvest.

beets

Beets

Beets are another fast-growing, and easy to care for the plant. You can easily get multiple harvests in one growing season.

lettuce

Salad Greens

Salad greens are the plant that keeps on giving, Well care for lettuces and spinach thrive through the growing conditions under the correct conditions (avoid the full sun in the heat of the summer) and will provide you with a plethora of salad all season long.

green-beans

Green Beans

Green beans put out a LOT of beans, and are super easy to can, or freeze for winter use!

potatoes

Potatoes

Plant in early spring and harvest baby potatoes by the start of summer. Then leave the plant in the ground to continue producing through fall!

onions

Onions

Occasionally onion bulbs may not mature as you would like, but what’s great about this plant is that the greens can be used as well, so there is no waste.

sweet-peas

Sweet peas

Although easy to grow, peas do need to grow up and climb, and they are also not fond of hot, direct sunlight. If you can plant them in the shade of another plant, do so.

peppers

Peppers

Hot and bell peppers are easy to grow and lend some additional color to your garden if you let them ripen for different amounts of time.

tomatoes

Tomatoes

Nothing beats a fresh tomato right off the vine. Large yields also can be used for canning and freezing at the end of the season.

Bush-Zucchini

Bush Zucchini

Bush zucchini is a smaller version of the long zucchini vines you may remember from your childhood. Both are easy to grow and will provide a constant supply of zucchini all summer.

summer-squash

Summer Squash

All squash varieties are easy to grow, but summer squash provides fruits for a long period, and if you have the room for a vine, this is a good choice.

squash

Pumpkins

Let’s face it, pumpkins are just fun to grow, but they really do take up a lot of room, If you have an area to train your pumpkin to grow into, it’s well worth it!

cucumbers

Cucumbers

Another vining and climbing plant, cucumbers will produce consistent fruits all summer if you can provide the room for them to grow.

basil

Basil

Basil is an easy herb to grow in your garden and is worth putting in as a low growing addition. Fresh basil pairs well with many of the other vegetables on this list.

strawberries

Strawberries

Certain varieties of strawberries can produce all summer long, but even early spring producers will generally survive the winter and come back the following year with a new crop. Since they are low growers, you can plant them amongst your other plants, or create their own little plot (they do well in pots also).

marigolds

Marigolds

No garden is complete without these cheery gold and yellow flowers, but marigolds do much more than just brighten up the garden. They are also a great deterrent for certain insects, rabbits, and also help draw in pollinators.

Companion Plants

Companion planting is a consideration you may want a plan for, especially since you should have a limited amount of plants to mix and match with and it will be an easy way to introduce yourself to this idea. Companion plants are just that - plants that help intensify flavor, or complement each other when planted near one another. This concept helps to utilize your space, and in some cases, certain plants help deter pests that like a specific vegetable. For example, onions deter most destructive flying insects, and lettuce tenderizes radishes, and radishes deter cucumber beetles (which can attack much more than cucumbers)!

companion-planting
carrots

Seasonal Choices

Some plants, as mentioned, grow quickly and can be harvested more than once during a growing season. Or if you want to mix it up, you could plant one or more of these plants in spring, and another in the fall so you don’t crowd your plants out if you are insistent on trying your hand at growing more crops. All of the root vegetables, such as carrot, turnips, and radishes mentioned above are capable of this.

When to Plant

cold-frame-for-plants

First and foremost your growing zone will determine the length of your growing season. Mentioned above when determining the placement of your garden, your growing zone will also determine when your plants can either be seeded or transplanted into the ground. The general rule of thumb is to keep anything from being outdoors until the chance of frost is past. But if you live in an area where the pesky cold likes to linger, you can consider covering your plants with a cloth, or using a cold frame in order to get them started in the ground earlier. These types of helpful hints are talked about in more detail below.

Purchase Seeds or Seedlings

Many garden centers have a seed display year-round, and additional varieties and live plants begin to make their debut sometime in March. In most places, it is still much too cold to consider planting in the ground, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get a start on your garden long before the winter snows have melted with seeds. Otherwise, hold onto any early seedlings you have until the last frost has passed.

replanting

How to Plant Seeds

how-to-plant-seeds

Some people get a very early start on their garden each year and begin to sow their seeds in the winter month of February in order to have a healthy seedling ready for transplant when the weather warms. Seeds don’t always have a 100% germination rate, so always plant a few more than what you planned for, and place more than one seed in each seedling pot. Once the plants begin to emerge, you can thin each pot to the strongest seedling.

In order to start your seeds yourself, you only need a few items for success. Start seeds in small, individual containers such as seedling pots, or plastic cell flats with drainage holes since seeds can easily drown in too much water. Soil-less starting mixtures, generally a mix of vermiculite and peat are preferred to a potting soil when you first set your seeds.

Try to keep your soils between 65 and 70 degrees for the best results, which generally falls around room temperature.

But how can one start their seeds so early you wonder? Simple - all a seed needs is soil, water, and light. If you place your seedling pots where they will receive the heat of the sun and water them correctly, you will have little plants popping up in no time!

greenhouse

Greenhouse

Ideally, if you have a small greenhouse, and plenty of sunny days (yes it can drop below freezing in a greenhouse if not properly set up), then you could realistically keep certain crops all year round.

seed-pot-near-window

Window

Setting your seed pots near an indoor window, and away from a draft, is an easy way to get your plants started. I set up a small card table in my dining room where seeds get a strong indirect light all day and they do just fine. If you have children, or a cat (like me) consider some sort of deterrent to keep them from poking little fingers (or paws) in the dirt. I stack up to the table with boxes as sort of a ‘keep out’ fence and it seems to work well.

cold-frames

Garden Sowing and Cold Frames

If your days have been mild and sunny, but your nights are still a bit chilly, and you don’t have the room to start seeds indoors - you might want to consider sowing your seeds directly in the ground and covering them with a cold frame of sorts.

are temporary, and often movable, greenhouses that can be purchased as is, or even made with a bit of wood and heavy plastic. If you are considering sowing directly in the ground before the last frost, check your temperatures before committing to make sure that you can keep your temps above freezing, and warm enough for germination during the day.

sowing-seeds

Sowing Seeds

Sowing seeds in the ground is an easy process but do require a bit of maintenance once the seeds germinate. My favorite technique is to drag my finger through the soils at the depth the seeds should be planted (each seed variety may be different so be sure to read the back of your seed packets for this information). Once my ‘row’ is dug I drop the seeds in and cover lightly with the displaced soils. Some seeds are extremely tiny so don’t worry about trying to drop them in individually, but rather ‘sprinkle’ them in and cover.

Thinning

Depending on the seeds you’ve sown, you should start to see some germination taking place within about a week to 14 days. Again, this information will be on the back of the packets you purchase, of which I always suggest you keep or record the information somewhere. You’ll need to watch for the stronger, larger plants that grow faster for thinning purposes as they continue to mature.

Leave the seedlings alone for a few weeks to get a stronger root system, and to allow any stranglers to make an appearance above ground. You’ll most likely start to see a lot of crowding occurring as the primary (or first leaf sets) are overtaken by secondary leaves. This is when you will want to thin them in order to allow enough room for the plant maturity and the fruits it will eventually bare. Thinning will be specific to the plant you have sown, so pay attention to that information on the back of the seed packet!

thinning-of-plants

Hardening Off Your Seedlings

hardening-off-the-seeds

Seedlings that were purchased or grown, and that weren't grown directly in the garden, are delicate and need a hardening off period- that is, a transitional period into more intense sunlight and temperatures in order to secure a high survivability rate before you transplant them. This is a simple process that gradually introduces your plants to the outdoors over a period of about a week. Purchased seedlings may have already gone through this process if they have been stored outdoors at the garden center.

Start seedlings in a protected area with only a few hours of sunlight a day and increase their exposure to all day sunlight for the next 7 days, also decreasing their watering (but never allowing wilt to occur). Protect your seedlings from rain, strong winds, or dropping temperatures.

How to Plant Seedlings

replanting-fresh-seedlings

If you have chosen the purchased seedling route, or are putting a few seedlings after sowing some specific crops, make sure to get the healthiest you can find in the store. Seedlings begin to arrive according to your growing zone, so double check with your local garden center about their deliveries, and try to catch them early so you have the choicest picks. If the danger of frost hasn’t yet passed, hold off on transplanting them until you are sure they will not be affected by the cold, or keep them in a cold frame or other protective structure.

Once the temperatures stay above freezing, or you have protection over your soils, dig a hole approximately twice the size of your seedling pot, and spaced out for mature plants (again, information will come with the plant concerning spacing). Start to remove the plant by gently squeezing the sides of the seedling pots and then tip it over, cradling the soils that will be to slide out. Once you have the entire plant removed, gently place it in the hole, and fill completely, tapping soils in to cover the roots. This is the same technique you will use for your own started seeds once they begin to outgrow their seedlings starter pots and have true secondary leaves.

Occasionally seedlings will come in pots that you can plant directly into the ground. If this is the case, follow the directions on the pot and place them in! Always be sure to water your newly transplanted seedlings well in order to help settle the soils and get them the moisture they need to avoid transplant shock. There are also a few tricks to help avoid this as well, such as placing a little Epsom salt in the holes to provide a burst of nutrients.

When to Harvest

harvested-veggies

When the word harvest comes to mind, I automatically think autumn, but in fact, harvest takes place anywhere from 30 to 90 days with many plants producing through the entire season. Don’t be discouraged if you have a poor yield in your first year, or you aren’t as impressed with a variety of veggie you choose early in the spring. You'll learn a little more each year you plant, and reap the benefits with each passing season.

Summer Crops

Summer crops generally produce through the entire summer and provide seemingly endless supplies of produce for you to gorge yourselves upon, and if you are feeling generous, share with your friends and family. They are also very easy to grow! Examples of summer crops are listed below:

  • Squash
  • Zucchini
  • Tomatoes
  • Peppers
  • Beans
  • Cucumbers

Spring/Fall Crops

As I touched upon earlier, certain vegetables can be planted in both spring and fall due to their love of cooler weather and/or quickness to fruition. Start seeds early for late spring and early summer crops, and then plant again in late summer for a bountiful fall harvest!

  • Salad greens
  • Radishes
  • Beets
  • Carrots
  • Peas

Care of Plants

care-of-plant

Obviously, once you have all your plants in the ground and are looking forward to an abundance of product, you will need to aware of the proper care of your maturing vegetation. But no fear! Most plants can be pretty much left to their own and do best with limited attention. But there are a few things you need to be attentive to in order to secure a successful harvest.

Watering

Water is a necessity for the survival of your plants since it is water that allows the roots to take up nutrients and feed the vegetation. Watering your plants regularly allows for available moisture to keep your plants healthy and producing throughout the growing season. Young plants have shallow roots and need to be watered more regularly in order to keep them hydrated until their roots spread and grow deeper. Morning is typically an ideal time to water plants to allow them the opportunity to uptake moisture into their leaves through the heat of the day. This is crucial for their survival as photosynthesis, the creation of plant foods through the conversion of sunlight occurs.

sprinkler-system

If you are unsure if your plants need water, check the soil moisture at 2 inches below the soil surface. If it is dry, you need to water.

Best watering techniques keep the water focused on the roots of the plant through soaker hoses or irrigation techniques. And even though overhead watering is acceptable, water is best put to use with less waste and evaporation when it is focused on the soil surface. If keeping your plants seem daunting, consider creating your own soaker hose system. I utilized old hoses this last summer to water my southern flower beds and vegetable gardens every time I ran water for my stock tanks. On particularly hot days, I simply turned the water on and walked away: occasionally for hours.

watering-plants

Fertilizer

Even though well-amended soils will provide the majority of nutrients needed for your plants to grow and produce, applying fertilizer judiciously can give your vegetation an extra boost. When you first begin to prepare your soils, adding in a slow-release, 10-10-10 fertilizer (the numbers represent available Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, the building blocks of vegetation). These nutrients will be available for your newly planted seedlings to help them overcome transplant shock more quickly, and strengthen their roots.

sprinklle-fertilizer

Adding in compost at this time in place of a chemical fertilizer can also be done as compost acts as a fertilizer as well.

Come summer during the height of the growing season, consider feeding your plants with a quick release fertilizer made specifically for vegetables once every 3 to 4 weeks to provide available nutrient uptake. Mixing a tablespoon of Epsom salts into a gallon of water and watering your plants with it is also a good practice.

Weeding

No matter what you do, you are going to have unwanted vegetation popping up within your garden that you will need to dispose of. Because you have created a variable havan for vegetative growth, it follows that other plants will thrive in it as well.

It is important to stay on top of your weeding as you see them appear. Weeds left too long can begin to choke out your vegetable plants, or even intertwine their roots with them, so when you pull them out you risk damaging your prized veggies. If you are planning on taking a tool to the task, be very careful not to accidentally dig up, or damage your existing plants.

Mulch is an effective agent to help combat weed germination. By spreading mulch an inch or two thick, you help keep the weeds at bay.

weeding

Insects

Unfortunately, no matter what you do, your plant will most likely become prey to various insects and diseases. There are a variety of common bugs you will find in your garden, but as a beginning gardener, there is no need to become pest identification expert; rather, knowing how to get rid of these flying, crawling, and creeping bearers of destruction should be your focus.

Generally, you will see the destruction of these insects before you see the actual culprit, and knowing when to treat your plants will be crucial to making sure you get rid of the population you're most likely collecting.

There are both toxic, and non-toxic ways to help rid your plants of these pests, but unfortunately, many beneficial insects could be taken out as well in either process. Since many of the non-toxic, organic pesticides need to be applied more often, I often opt for a quick one dose of something lethal in order to minimize overall exposure.

Sevin-Concentrate-Bug-Killer-1-Quart

Personally, I keep only ONE insecticides in my gardening shed as a go to. My toxic spray of choice is Sevin (which also comes as a dust) because it kills a large range of murderous insects. If you are going to spray your plants, wait until dusk, when all your pollinators have gone away, and most beneficial insects are no longer present. Then spray down your plants, making sure to get around the base of the plant and under the leaves. I generally only have to do this once every three to four weeks IF there is a problem present.

Diseases

Diseases of your plants are usually fungal or bacterial in nature and thrive in moist, humid environments. So they can be generally avoided through proper plant spacing that provides air circulation, and the amendments of soils from one year to the next to help eradicate soil-borne diseases and keep a healthy plant to help stave off possible infection. If you think you have any of the below-listed diseases, start by improving the circulation of your plants.

Luckily there isn’t a huge range of diseases that often attack your plant, but those that do can wreak havoc in a short amount of time

Bacterial-Leaf-Spot

Bacterial Leaf Spot

Small, dark water-soaked spots will appear on leaves that dry and leave behind a hole in the leaf. Dark spots and cracks can also form on the fruits.

Downy-Mildew

Downy Mildew

A white downy growth on the underside of the leaves and on the stems will wither the leaves and can cause significant plant damage, but not often death.

Powdery-Mildew

Powdery Mildew

This is a powdery growth on the tops of the leaves that can cause the dropping of leaves and fruits to ripen prematurely, making them of a lower quality.

blight

Blights

A product of wet conditions, avoid overhead watering, and if your weather is calling for amounts of rain, consider treating plants in advance to stave off possible infection. Blight will cause black spots, fungal growth, and death of your plant.

rusts

Rusts

Usually found on mature plants, rust is a brownish-red spot on leaves and stems of the plant. You can keep this in check by removing the leaves, and treating early on to prevent spread.

Neem-Oil-Extract

My favorite combatant for the above is a Neem oil solution. This is an organic oil that when used in the correct concentrations is an effective fungicide that also gets rid of mildews and rots. I have used it exclusively for mildews and also as a specific insecticide (chewing and sucking insects, such as aphids and mites) that needs direct application. As with a toxic spray, spray in the evening to avoid as many beneficial insects as possible because even though it is a non-toxic application, it can be harmful to insects.

Helpful Hints

gardening-tips

Some of the best advice I can give is to keep records of your gardening space, such as how you planted each year, what plants were started and how, and what provided produce. Problems that arose and ideas you want to apply the following year are all worth taking note of and jotting down because you WILL forget these ideas as you move onto the next task.

There are also a lot of ‘extras’ you might want to consider to help with your growing season, as well as with your space and garden design. A few of my ‘must haves’ are listed below that are easy enough to incorporate into new gardens.

row-gardening-use

Row Covers

Row covers, or white garden fabric, can have a variety of uses in your yard and can help lengthen your growing season, keep out insects, or provide a cooling shade during the heat of the summer. They are easy to install and reusable for more than one season.

Trellis

Trellis

If you are limited on space, or happen to have your garden along a wall or fence, you may want to consider using trellis support for your climbing varieties, such as squash, cucumbers, beans, or peas. You can create your own trellis, or find them at local garden centers. Just make sure they are well attached to the wall to keep them from tipping and wreaking havoc on your plants.

support-cage

Cage Support

Cage supports aren’t only for tomatoes anymore (seriously consider allowing your tomatoes to grow within one rather than staking it for support). Like a trellis, you can grow bean and peas, cucumber, or any other variety of smaller climber within in them. Homemade cages also provide decent support and can be made to size, or even stretched out to form dome-like structures to grow your plants over. They allow you to better utilize your space and take advantage of the space you have.

Go Ahead! Get Addicted to Gardening!

I know I have a TON of information shared with you above, but it’s everything you need to consider starting your own vegetable garden next season. Whether you choose a small plot (remember START SMALL), a raised garden bed, or container pots for your veggies, if you follow the suggestions above concerning soils, plant choices, and minimal care, you will have a degree of success you never realized you were capable of!

There are, of course, a million other details I could share with you about your garden, but to keep it simple, and less than overwhelming, the basics will do for now. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to ask below - and as always: please share this wealth of knowledge!

You might also like: Compost vs Manure for ideal soil health