So, you want to start a garden? Awesome! You’re going to love it! Don’t worry about the abundance of information out there leaving you confused and overwhelmed. In this beginners guide, you will learn everything you need to start your very own garden this year! Psst…it’s easier than you think!
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You Need a Garden
Gardening truly is one of my greatest joys in life. I say this every year but the work God does in the garden is truly incredible.
We have a small garden with 9 raised beds, soon to be 12, and it is my peace place. I can sit in there for hours with the joy that overcomes me.
Not only do I love the sense of peace and joy that my garden creates for me, but I absolutely love that we have fresh food from Spring through Fall.
Consider this: You’re out of an ingredient? Run out to the garden. Need an herb? Garden. Don’t know what to make? Walk through the garden and eat what you harvest. Seriously. You need a garden!
However, if you’ve never grown a garden before, the abundance of information available to you can leave you confused and super overwhelmed. I’ve been there! This is why I wanted to share just a few steps you need to take to get your garden growing this year!
Believe it or not, it’s much easier than you think!
There’s Only a Few Steps to Starting a Garden
Before you start your garden there are just a few things you must do and consider. I’ll list them here and go into detail further along.
But First: You may have heard about container gardening, raised bed gardening, companion planting, square foot gardening, the list goes on and on. No need to do anything fancy when you are first starting out, you will overwhelm yourself and give up. Don’t do that. Keep it simple and for its purpose. And whatever you do – don’t compare someone with experiences garden with your very first garden. It takes years of practice, trial and error and failing to grow the kind of gardens we see and use as inspiration. Allow yourself some grace to be a beginner and keep it simple!
For this first year of gardening, simply decide if you want to do an inground garden – rototill an area of your yard and plant your garden OR make some raised beds, fill them with dirt and plant your garden. Other than that one decision the next things to do are:
- Make a list of garden goals
- Designate an area for your garden and track the sun over a period of time
- Look up your grow zone and last/first frost dates
- Make a list of foods your family eats or would like to try
- Start from seeds or buy starters
Garden Goals
The very first step to take when starting a garden is to determine your goals for your garden.
Are you learning a new hobby? Do you want to cut down your grocery bill? Are you interested in creating an income with your garden? Do you want to eliminate the need to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables? Are you interested in canning and stocking your pantry?
Your goal for your garden will determine everything else: how much room to designate for the garden, how much time per week you will need to spend in your garden, how much food you can grow, what to do with the food once you’ve harvested it.
Basically, you don’t want to take on more than you can handle. So, yes, you can plant 10 tomato plants but what the heck are you going to do with all of it once it comes into harvest?
So, your garden goals are the first thing you want to focus on.
Designate Space for the Garden and Track the Sun
Once you’ve made your goals and set intentions for your garden, you will want to designate space and start tracking the sun. It’s important that you know how much space you have available to you, as well as, the amount of sun in said area. Learn from my mistakes with my first garden here on our itty bitty half acre.
Our first garden here, we picked a small back corner of our yard, cut down trees and planted 4 raised beds near our chickens. Not tracking the sun, and being first time chicken owners, our garden did not turn out as we had hoped. There was too much shade, even with cutting the trees down, and our chickens ate everything. Not to mention it was way too far away for a hose to reach so we had to carry buckets of water. The whole thing was a disaster but I still can’t help but to laugh about all of it!
But now that I have experience, I can share with you and hopefully you won’t make that mistake.
Most plants will need full sun, meaning 6-8 hours of sun per day. When designating an area you will want to pay attention to surrounding trees or buildings so as the sun comes up or goes down, the shade won’t hinder your garden.
Keep in mind, when tracking the sun, it does move depending on season. For example, as I type this in January, my garden only gets about half the amount of sun it does in July. The shade comes much faster as the sun goes down behind the trees at 5 in the Winter, than it does at 9 in the Summer.
I would also suggest, if you can, choose an area large enough that you can expand it in the years to come. Once you get hooked on gardening, you will want to expand the garden year after year. So keep that in mind as you decide on your garden area.
Another thing to keep in mind when choosing a location, is if you have animals, kids, and how far away the hose is. You don’t want a dog on a lead to be able to sneak into the garden and get tangled up or play in your beds. Or from my story, you don’t want chickens snacking on your harvest because they will eat it all!
When it comes to kids playing in the yard, I encourage you to let your children work with you in the garden but you definitely don’t want them throwing balls in there breaking precious plants! Lastly, consider how far away the hose is in proximity to your desired location.
Grow Zone and Frost Dates
So, you’ve made your garden goals and picked a spot, now it’s time to figure out when to start your garden.
I’ve heard people say you absolutely need to know your grow zone and others say it’s not even a thought to them. In my opinion, I think it’s important to know your grow zone. So what is a grow zone? According to Google it is “the standard by which gardeners and growers can determine which plants are most likely to thrive at a location.” You can find your grow zone here.
Basically your grow zone is an easy way to decide what plants would work in your area. Most plants simply need full sun and water. Some are picky and like certain soil, or cooler weather. But for the most part you can grow anything anywhere.
But as an example, I live in zone 5b. If I were to try to grow, let’s say, oranges, the likelihood of harvest is slim to none. I could potentially care for the tree through the summer months as the temperatures are ideal, however, once winter hits and we got into our cold months, the trees would be damaged.
You will also want to know your grow zone so that you can look up your last and first frost dates. These are important dates to know so you can start seeds at the appropriate times, as well as get your plants into the garden. You can find more on starting seeds here.
Some plants like peas and carrots are frost hardy and can withstand cold temps. But if you plant tomatoes or peppers too early and they are hit with frost, they won’t survive to produce fruit. So it’s important to pay attention to frost dates for sure.
Make a List of Foods
Now is the time to make a list of foods that you and your family enjoy eating.
Easy plants for beginners are tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, green beans, potatoes, herbs, cucumbers, peas, squashes, broccoli, and strawberries.
Of course, there are plenty of other vegetables, herbs, and fruits you can grow. The possibilities are endless!
However, the last thing you want to do when planting a garden for the first time is planting way too much food or food you won’t even eat. So don’t overwhelm yourself and only grow what you know you like until you’re comfortable in the garden.
Start from Seeds or Buy Starters
The last step before starting your garden is deciding to start your plants from seeds, or buy the plants already started aka starters.
Really quick: I feel there is a misconception that if you are a “true” gardener you can only grow a garden from seeds you have started yourself. This is simply not true. If you are growing your own food, no matter how you acquired the plant, you are a gardener.
I have a detailed post all about Starting Seeds for Beginners you can read.
There are pros and cons to starting your own seeds – pros being you saved a ton of money by starting them yourself, you know what went into the soil that you grew the seeds in and you have the satisfaction that you took that teensy baby seed and grew it to maturity.
The cons, however, are they can be a pain in the butt, they don’t always germinate, or they germinate, sprout and then die. Starting seeds takes work but it is rewarding.
On the flip side, you can save a bunch of time and hassle by stopping by your local nursery and purchasing plants that are ready to be planted in the garden. Pros – simply take the starters home, plant them in the garden and follow the care instructions. Cons – they can be super pricey, and you don’t have the peace of mind knowing how they have been cared for ie chemicals, fertilizers.
The choice is up to you and what feels right for you and your garden. My suggestion, if you are just starting out, buy the starters from a local nursey. Personally, I still start most of my seeds and purchase delicate herbs and brassicas locally.
Start Your Garden
You made it! It’s time to start your garden! Congratulations! Seriously, I am so excited for you and the journey ahead! Gardening is such a passion and joy in my life and I pray that you will find peace and joy in your garden as well, friend.
Thank you so much for being here!
Until next time,
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