Starting Vegetable Gardens...

The First Four (Painless) Steps:

If you've been thinking about starting your own vegetable garden, I have good news for you: It's probably easier than you thought. The basic necessities are: a spot that gets some sunshine, a little water, a bit of dirt and a handful of seeds. (Oh, and patience doesn't hurt, either.)

Easy enough so far, yes?

In fact, the first steps to growing a garden don't even require you to get your hands dirty. Just grab a piece of paper and a pencil and do a bit of planning (and a little homework--but don't worry, it's easy).

Step One: What Do You Have?

Figure out what resources you have at your disposal. Do you have a yard you can claim for a garden? A balcony? A porch where you can place pots? A window where you can hang a window box outside or a pot of herbs on a window sill inside?

 

Step Two: Here Comes the Sun...Or Not...

Pay attention to how much time the sun spends in those locations you've just identified that might work for gardening. Does it get good morning or afternoon sun? Does the apartment next door or the trees in your yard block the sun during the day? How much sun do you think that area gets in the course of a typical day?

Step Three: Does Your Space + Sun = Good Conditions?

Given your space and sun resources, decide what kinds of vegetables would best grow in your space. Although you can plant a wide variety of vegetables in unconventional ways (you don't need a big old fashioned garden to be successful), there are still some considerations you need to think about. For instance, you're not going to be able to grow a successful crop of corn in a small balcony pot. However, you could grow potatoes in a garbage can (or even a laundry basket). You won't be able to grow sun-loving vegetables in the shade, but you can grow them in dappled sunlight--they just might not get as big and produce as much as they would in optimal conditions.

Step Four: Make a Plan

Sketch out your proposed garden area(s) and decide how many plants will fit in each space. Keep these plans, even after you've planted your crops. It's best if you rotate crops each year, so you'll want to keep track of what you're doing now to help you in years to come. The layout for a small vegetable garden can be as simple or as complex as you'd like to make it. The important thing is spending some time planning at the beginning and then keeping track of what you decide.

Once you finish these four steps, you're ready to move on to Starting Vegetable Gardens, Part Two...

 

Other Helpful Gardening Information:

City Gardening

Climate Zones

Equipment for Starting Seeds

Growing Container Potoatoes

Growing Potatoes in Straw

Growing Upside Down Tomatoes

Organic Slug Control

Preparing Your Soil

Salad Tower Garden

Starting Vegetable Seeds Indoors

Starting Seeds with Peat Pellets

Staw Bale Garden

Kids Theme Garden