I’ll admit, gardening is something that intimidates me, but something I still find myself wanting to do every spring.. The weather has been perfect, the kids love digging in the dirt, so grab a shovel and follow some of these simple guidelines to get your garden started and you’ll have some yummy Summer Vegetables before you know it!
Find a spot for your garden
It will need to be a spot that gets plenty of sunshine during the day as well as have good soil and water drainage. Don’t choose a huge space for your first time. It’s so easy to jump in & go huge the first year. It can quickly become overwhelming.
Gardening know how has a great article here that will help you find just the right spot.
Don’t have good soil? That’s ok. You can build a raised garden & fill it in with soil. Here’s an article that will help you set up your raised bed.
No room? That’s ok too! Try container gardening. A lot of people do it & it’s a great option for folks who have little or no yard space. Here are some tips to help with starting your container garden.
Choose your plants
This step is going to be different for everyone. What you decide to plant will have a lot to do with what your family likes as well as your garden conditions.
Use this resource to help you decide and tips here with planting guides for 58 different types of vegetables.
Make a plan & map it out on paper
Once you’ve decided how you want to build your garden and what you want to plant now you’re ready to map it out
Here’s how to choose the size of your garden and a resource to help you with the design.
You’ll also need to make a shopping list for all the supplies you’ll need. You’ll need to consider if you’re starting with seeds or plants. If you’re planning to build a raised bed or container garden you’ll also need to take that into consideration. The staff at a local nursery or garden center can help with that.
Start your Seeds
If you’re going to start with plants then you don’t need to worry about this step, but if you’re planning to start with seeds you can go ahead & start them indoors. You can find the seeds right now in most hardware stores as well as Walmart & Target. You can also purchase them online. Burpee is a great source of seeds online.
Prepare for the Bounty
Once your garden starts producing you’ll not want to waste any of that good stuff you worked so hard for. If your family can’t eat it all at once you can always preserve it in jars or in the freezer.
If you’re planning to do some canning you’ll need a few things such as jars, large canner or pot and a few other things are helpful. Try asking on Freecyle or Craigslist for canning supplies. People often have them & are more than willing to share.
A great resource for canning & preserving is the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. It has great tips & recipes for putting up your fruits & veggies.
If growing isn’t your thing, check out this list of U-Pick Farms and Orchards around Birmingham. You can pick and enjoy fresh produce without all the work in your own yard.
A version of this article ran on BirminghamMommy.com previously. Original content was provided by Hollly Syx.
