10 Tips for Starting a Vegetable Garden

How To Start a Vegetable Garden

Growing up, I was lucky enough to help tend a vegetable garden, and I've created my own gardens from scratch multiple times. If you're new to gardening or just new to growing vegetables, starting a vegetable garden is quite similar to beginning any garden.

Here are some key tips for planning a successful in-ground vegetable garden:

• Find a location with at least six hours of sunlight daily;
• Test the soil to determine if it needs amendments;
• Remove sod and install a barrier to keep grass from creeping in;
• Fertilize or enrich the soil based on the test results.

Building raised beds is one of the easiest ways to start a vegetable garden. If you only have a sunny patio or deck, large containers can also work for growing vegetables.

Once you've decided on your garden type, it's time to choose what to grow and how to grow it. It's not difficult, and we're here to help.

Decide Where To Grow Your Vegetables

Select a spot that gets at least six hours of sun a day and has good drainage. If you have poor soil, consider building raised beds and filling them with better topsoil.

There are many options for making raised beds, including:

• A kit that has everything you need;
• A galvanized steel kit;
• Lumber or concrete edging blocks.

Your raised bed doesn’t need a bottom; you can add good soil directly on top of the ground. Just remove grass and weeds first.

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10 Tips for Starting a Vegetable Garden

Decide What Vegetables To Grow

Keep it simple: Grow what you love to eat, provided it grows well in your area. Also, consider growing something you think you might not like—you might be surprised at how much better homegrown, fresh vegetables taste.

After making your list, research the best methods for growing them. Start online, as cooperative extension websites offer great information.

You can also use resources like Home Harvest: Your Pocket Card Guide to Kitchen Gardening by Bridie Cotter and Tom Gaunt. Each card provides basic information about a vegetable, and exploring them might inspire you to try growing something new.

Cool Season or Warm Season?

Vegetables can be classified into two groups: cool season and warm season. Cool season vegetables can be planted earlier in the spring, as they can tolerate light frost. Examples include peas, lettuce, spinach, kale, radishes, broccoli, and cabbage.

Warm season vegetables, which include tomatoes, peppers, squash, green beans, and cucumbers, are damaged by frost. Only plant these after the danger of frost has passed.

Seeds or Plants?

Should you start with seeds or buy seedling plants?

Seed packets provide directions for how and when to sow the seeds. If you're new to growing vegetables, look for instructions that say “direct sow in the garden.” Common vegetables like peas, lettuce, green beans, and squash are usually sown directly.

If the instructions recommend starting seeds indoors a few weeks before garden planting, buy these vegetables as plants in the spring. Most garden stores offer starter plants for cool season vegetables like cabbage and broccoli and warm season vegetables like tomatoes and peppers.

Know When You Are Likely Frost-Free

Many new gardeners plant warm season vegetables on the first nice spring day, only to scramble to protect their plants from an unexpected frost. Knowing when to plant your vegetables is crucial.

Find out your area's average frost-free date and keep an eye on the extended weather forecast. The National Weather Service website provides the earliest, latest, and average dates of the last freeze for your area. In my area, this range covers 45 days, so I always wait until later in the spring to plant.

Give Your Vegetables Room To Grow

When planting, ensure each plant has enough room to grow and provide the necessary support.

A six-inch-tall indeterminate tomato seedling can grow six to eight feet tall and will need staking or caging. Bush green beans grow well in a row, but pole green beans need something to climb.

Seed packets will indicate how much room each plant needs. If buying plants, check the label for mature size. If the label doesn’t provide this information, a quick online search can help.

Know When to Water and How

Vegetable gardens typically need one inch of water per week in summer. Plan how you will water your garden, as rain won't always come when you need it.

• For small gardens, a watering can or garden hose should be sufficient. Larger gardens might benefit from a drip irrigation system.
• Keep track of rainfall with a rain gauge and water accordingly.
• Afternoon drooping of large vegetable leaves is often due to transpiration. They usually recover overnight. Morning is the best time to water your vegetable garden.

Weed and Watch Out for Diseases and Insect Pests

Weeds compete with vegetables for light, water, and nutrients. Regular weeding will help your garden thrive.

Hand-pull weeds in smaller gardens and use a hoe for larger gardens.

Check for signs of plant diseases and insect pests while weeding. Tackling these issues promptly can minimize damage and might even lead to discovering a ripe vegetable ready for picking!

Harvest Regularly

Once vegetables are ripe, harvest and enjoy them as soon as possible. A few tips for harvesting include:

• Pick vegetables in the morning when they have the highest moisture content.
• Be careful not to damage the plant when harvesting, as many will produce multiple harvests.
• After a vegetable plant stops producing, remove it. Compost it if it's healthy, or dispose of it if it's diseased. This will keep your garden tidy and free up space for more planting later in the season.

Add Some Flowers

If you have extra space, consider adding a few annual flowers. They attract bees and other pollinators essential for many vegetable plants.

Some of my favorite annual flowers for the vegetable garden are zinnias, marigolds, sunflowers, and nasturtiums. They add color and, in the case of nasturtiums, are also edible!