What You Need to Know Before Starting a Vegetable Garden

Woman in kitchen garden picking tomatoes

Did you know that one of the original wonders of the world was a garden? You can make your own wonder of the world right in your yard. A vegetable garden can be a fun hobby, beautiful addition to the home, and a source of food.

If you are thinking about starting a vegetable garden, this guide is for you. Read on to learn the basics of what you need to know.

Growing in Light

When starting a vegetable garden, you need to pick the right spot for planting. Most vegetables grow their best in full sunshine.

Your garden should get placed in an area where the plants receive at least six hours of light. However, if you can place your garden in an area that receives eight hours of light, that would be ideal. For gardens in cold climates many gardeners will use a potting shed or garden room to house their plants and protect them from frost.

Although most vegetables enjoy the light, there are cooler season crops like cabbage, spinach, and radishes. If you plan on growing these, they can live in part shade.

When it is germination time, you’ll need the seed to be successful. The most important factors for this process are water, temperature, and oxygen.

Tending the Garden

One of the best gardening for beginners tips is to place the vegetable garden close to the home if possible. This will make things more convenient for you as you will have to tend to the garden regularly.

You can place the garden near a water source to make regular watering easier as well.

Nourish the Soil

Knowing how to start a vegetable garden involves learning how to take care of the soil. Garden compost and manure will do wonders for a garden filled with vegetables.

It is important to note that you must rot down manure for at least six months before using it in the garden. Manure that is too fresh might have diseases and can ruin plants because it has a high nitrogen content.

At least once a year, you should add organic matter to the soil, aka mulch. You can also add organic fertilizers but mulch is a better long-term option.

Keep Track

There are a lot of gardening basics to follow, but not everything works for the same garden. Depending on the location you live in, some things will work more than others.

When you keep track of your garden progress, you can understand what causes pests, failures, and diseases. There are different apps out there that will help you make notes.

In general, you should record what you’ve planted and when. You should also make a note every time you’ve tended to your vegetables and follow through with results.

Starting a Vegetable Garden Made Easier

As a general rule of thumb when starting a vegetable garden, you should make sure it gets enough light and water. If you don’t keep track and tend to your garden often, it won’t produce the results you want.

Although most vegetables do well in sunny areas, not all vegetables grow the same. Use this guide and other tips from our blog to figure out what works best for your garden. Check out our other posts now.