Vegetable Gardening Tips for Beginners

It's that time of year, and a lot of people would like to have a vegetable garden, but don't really know where to start. Especially this year, with the cost of food prices on the rise. Here is my advise for what it is worth.

First, make a list of the things you would like to grow in your vegetable garden. Include all your favorite foods that you would like to grow. Then figure out how big a garden you can have.

Then you need to do a bit of research. You need to find out which items on your list will grow well in your area. Cross off the ones that won't. Take the items left on your list, and you need to find out a bit more about each item and how much space it takes up. Than figure out what will fit in your gardening space. Taking your list to a local nursery is always a good place to get local advice. Or you can do some reading on the subject. The two books below are the best place to start.

My favorite book of all time is Dick Raymond's The Joy of Gardening.



This book not only has garden plans you can use or customize to your liking, but it covers the requirements for almost every vegetable out there. From how much space it needs, to how often to fertilize it. It covers starting seeds in flats all the way through to having a winter garden. It has root celler plans and lists his favorite varieties of vegetables. It explains how to develop the best soil naturally, to how to get the biggest harvest possible. It focuses a lot on wide row gardening, as you can really maximize how much you grow by using this method. It really is a must have if you are even slightly into the idea of having a vegetable garden.

Another book that is excellent for beginners and to those who might be feeling intimidated by the whole concept of growing their own food, is Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew:



You just have to get started. Start with the best soil you can. Add some compost and well composted manure. Make sure it is in the sunniest spot possible. If you are doing rows, try and orientate them north/south. Take notes or keep a journal (or blog!) so you can come back next year and see what did well, what didn't. Make note of what you planted when, how much you planted. Sketch up your garden plan as you plant things, because some crops need to be rotated to limit disease, so next year, you will want to know where you planted things, so you can make sure you rotate the crops as needed. Make note of things you wish you had planted more of, what didn't do well that you might skip next year. If you try several varieties of a certain veggie, take note of which ones did the best or had the best flavor or biggest harvest. Most of all, have fun, and enjoy eating what you've grown. You'll be amazed at how simple it really is. :-)