“The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart in nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul.” - Alfred Austin
Think you wanna garden, eh? Ya me, too. These days gardening has become more popular than ever. And whether you’ve done this for years or this is your first time, the information found on the internet can be daunting.
I’m here to tell you gardening can be easy! Yes, you can get technical. But for now, let’s just hit the basics.
Where to Plant
Whether you have a house with a back yard or you live in a condo with no sunlight, there are still ways for you to grow a garden.
For starters, you want to find a spot that can provide you with the most amount of sunlight in a given day. Ideally, you should have access to 4-6 hours of sunlight. [1] If you have less space to work with, you can always use containers or vertical gardens. These are great for apartments.
If you live in an apartment or condo with no garden space, you can try renting a space from a community garden or growing from a window sill. [2] Don’t have a community garden? Live in a basement with no windows? You can purchase a grow lamp for a reasonable price.
If you have a balcony, you don’t have to buy traditional containers. Small trash cans, buckets, and whiskey barrels will work. Make sure to poke or drill holes in the bottom for drainage. You can also grow in hanging baskets.
Gardening Vegetables. What should you grow?
Or better yet - what kind of garden do you want? What kind of room do you have? Do you want a couple of salads here and there? What about salsa? And then there are the marinaras and stews…
The amount of room you have for a particular plant varies. This may very well determine what kind of garden you can grow. For instance, you can grow herbs in close proximity. Same with chives, onions, and garlic. Tomatoes, peppers, and zucchini will take approximately two feet of space once they’re fully grown.
Take a look at your space and decide what will work best for you. The labels on both plants and seeds will indicate how much room and sunlight a particular plant needs. It will also indicate what time of year is best to plant (unless you’re in the basement. Then who cares!).
Decide on what you eat on a regular basis and go from there. Myself? I combine the vegetables of all of the above. Including herbs.
This includes a tomato plant (or two), cucumbers, lettuce, onions, chives, bell peppers, serranos, jalapenos, oregano, cilantro, and basil. If I have the room, I’ll add zucchini and yellow squash (be aware - these take room. But they’re so easy to grow!)
It’s also good to remember a single plant - particularly tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers - can yield a lot. You’d be surprised at the amount of food you’ll get from them.
To Seed or To Plant? That Is the Question.
There are those who walk into a big box store and buy seeds, willy-nilly. Same with plants. Some will look at a plant and think, “Wow! That’s a big one. Let’s get it.”
There are a few things to consider when purchasing both seeds and plants.
Let’s start with seeds first.
If you’ve perused my website you’ll understand I’m all about Mamma Earth. And that includes how I plant my garden. Yes, you can purchase regular seeds and not give a gosh-darned if it’s a GMO science experiment.
But if you’re like me, you want to get the healthiest, best quality seeds you can find. I’m talking organic and non-GMO. In this instance, you can usually purchase organic, non-GMO seeds from your local nursery or big box store. However, if you’d rather buy online, consider the following:[2]
Urban Farmer Organic Seeds
Seeds of Change
USA Seed Store (Organic Line)
Botanical Interests
I like to take it one step further and purchase open-pollinated seeds, which I highly suggest you consider. Open-pollinated seeds are produced from the plants you grow so you can replant year after year. Which is great when trying to save money. Be aware most big box stores do not sell open-pollinated seeds. You can purchase them online from the following:[3]
Baker Creek
High Mowing Seeds
Seed Savers Exchange
Territorial Seed Company
Peaceful Valley Farm Supply
Whatever you choose, there is no way you’re going to use all the seeds you purchase. In this case, consider having a seed exchange party. That way, you can trade some of your seeds for other seeds. It saves you money and gives you variety.
Are you late to start gardening, or do you want to start your garden from plants?
I’ve been known to start a garden as late as July in Nebraska and still yielded quite a garden. Depending on where you live, and whether there are plants left to purchase, there is still hope!
Let’s talk about plants.
When purchasing plants, size does matter. You do not want to purchase the biggest most robust plant there is. Instead, you should choose the smaller ones. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, smaller plants have more of a chance of recovering from the shock of transplanting. Transplanting them early means they can stay in the same place for most of their lives without being disturbed.
In the case of tomatoes, for instance, transplanting them when they’ve spent a good part of their young lives in a pot weakens their stems. It takes much longer for a bigger plant to recover from the overall shock of being transplanted. I’ve experienced lots of cases where it tends to stunt their growth. It can seem like days and even weeks before anything evolves. Be aware if you’re late planting, large plants may be the only choice you have.
Organic Gardening Soil
Soil. Means. Everything.
Whatever you do, be sure you invest in your soil. Soil is what will ensure you have a great growing garden. If you’re planting in the ground, you want to ask yourself if it’s good for planting or if it’s contaminated. If you suspect the latter is true, you’ll want to go with a raised bed garden.[2]
Depending on the size of your garden you want to decide where to get extra soil. For me, I have raised beds (‘cause they’re awesome!). Whenever I build a new one, I try to acquire good-quality compost from my community at little to no cost. I then supplement with potting soil.
With potting soil, be careful what kind you purchase. Stay away from brands such as Miracle Grow and Scott products. It’s astounding how many chemicals they use. Gross.
Mulch is your best friend when it comes to maintaining your garden. It adds food, retains moisture, and maintains weeds. It is made of a number of things like shredded leaves, grass, or tree trimmings.
Yes. You can create your own mulch. Which I do in the fall. I do this by raking my yard of dead leaves which I then pile into my (then empty) garden beds. In the spring, I till the dead leaves for a home-made compost/mulch. If you have a raised bed, this works great! Not so much if you’re working with ground dirt. In that case, you can pile mulch on the top 2 inches of the garden.
Speaking of compost…
You Can Create Your Own Organic Gardening Fertilizer.
Super easy. I’ve done a variety of these. Here’s what you do:
You can use eggshells, coffee grounds, table scraps from fruits and vegetables, or banana peels. If you fish, save the skins, guts, and bones and bury them in your garden. Personally, I prep the soil about a week prior to planting.
You can also purchase bone meal, blood meal, earthworm castings, or bat guano. If you are interested in purchasing fertilizer, pay attention to numbers like 5-5-5 or 10-10-10. This is synthetic. Stay away.[2]
Gardening Tools
Folks, gardening tools can get expensive quickly. Start with yard sales, Craigslist, or look on Facebook. Consider these options before purchasing them new.
However expensive they are, do not buy cheap. Cheap equals wasteful, not frugal. And chances are you’re going to re-buy your tools all over again in very short order if you choose poorly-made tools.
So here’s a suggestion. If you’re short on cash, buy these essentials to start and you’ll be good to go!
Pruners
Garden knife
Garden rake
Shovel
Tending and Watering
Pay attention to how much you need to water. I have a 5-gallon bucket of water I fill in the morning and use to water my plants in the evening. Plants love naturally warmed water. Then I’ll fill it again at night and water them in the morning. I try to water my plants when it’s coolest - in the morning or evening. I try not to touch them in the middle of the day.
That said, if your plants look a bit wilted (like my zucchini seems to), give them a drink. Yes, even in the middle of the day.
Water the roots, not the foliage. This reduces the chance of mildew and burnt leaves.[3] If your soil is exceptionally dry, consider drip irrigation. This will ensure the water is being dripped directly in the soil where it needs to be, and not in the air. Sprinklers are a last resort.
When it comes to weeding, it kind of depends on your preference. There are some - especially in the organic world - who think a garden should mostly be left alone.
While I agree with this, I do weed my garden once a week. And with a raised bed garden that’s really all it needs. What can I say - I can’t keep my hands out of it.
“There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments.” - Janet Kilburn Phillips
Here’s the thing. When I started my first garden, I was intimidated by all the information out there. And that’s why I suggest you start small. See if you like it. See what works for you.
If you let it, gardening can be therapeutic. A time allotted every day to dig in the dirt, breathe the fresh air, nurture what you’re growing, and eat something you planted. It’s healthy for your mind, body, and soul.
If you’d like to know more, email me! I’d love to hear from you.
[1] https://wholefully.com/emergency-vegetable-garden/
[2] https://kristitrimmer.com/start-an-organic-garden-on-a-budget/