6 Things to Consider Before Starting Your Vegetable Garden

Growing a vegetable garden can be more rewarding than you could imagine! From working the soil to planting the seeds and that first tiny seedling coming up; nothing is more exciting. When the morning sunlight begins to shine on the garden and the dew starts to melt away, you realize why you are there. Even the birds, bees and butterflies and even all the ugly pests seem to understand. They show up every day!

Growing a garden, whether flower or vegetable, requires time and attention. The theory is the more time you put into something, the more it gives back. Or, the better it performs. So what happens when things don’t go the way you planned? When the seedling doesn’t come up or the fruit doesn’t produce it can be very discouraging. Did you do something wrong, or is it simply a fluke? When something does not turn out right, you may wonder if you have a green thumb at all!

Every garden looks different. Being that the layouts vary, what you grow can vary, then the tools and materials used to grow it can vary as well. There are so many different methods as to how to prep your soil, harvest, control weeds, deter unwanted bugs etc. When you are growing your own garden, it can be overwhelming as to what directions you should follow. You may often ask yourself, what is the right way? What you mostly want to know is the best way. Sometimes, it could be you need the cheapest way. Often, you want the easiest method! Either way, there are many decisions to make along the way.

There are so many variables involved with gardening that no situation is the same. Getting tips on what has worked for others is super helpful in avoiding mistakes from the beginning. We all are going to have unavoidable issues like too much rain, aphids on the leaves, beetles on your plants, for instance. Gaining knowledge in general is helpful to know how to avoid making harmful mistakes. Afterall, it cost money to build garden. It is an investment.

What are the main things to consider to try to avoid anything failing in your garden? After all the hard work you put into it, the last thing you want is for it to not produce well. More than that, not produce at all! Start with the basic concepts in building and maintaining the garden. You have to always have a point of reference.

You can alter specifics as you grow.

Soil Quality

You can’t plant until you turn the dirt, loosen up that soil! If you are working a raised garden or ground garden the rules are the same. You need to turn the dirt. Why is this important? First of all, it brings in oxygen. Packed down dirt also won’t allow the roots to take well. Use a tiller or hand turn with a spade. You can use a hard rake or pitchfork, as well. There are many ways to accomplish this. This is the time to pull out all the rocks, weeds and clean up the soil. Working the ground can be time consuming and physically demanding so allow extra time to work in sections. The end result will be more valuable.

The more you turn your dirt and the more times you grow in the same soil, the more nutrient rich your soil will be. Nutrients make happy plants! We started the garden last year. Now, after several different things have grown one season, there will be many more needed nutrients in the soil. Different plants add different levels of nutrients like nitrogen, potassium, and carbon for instance. Recently we learned you can add wood ash to your soil to add nutrients. There are many options for achieving the right ph.

Switching the planting locations season to season help in gaining different nutrients. Green Beans add extra nitrogen, for instance. This works well for corn who needs more Nitrogen than other plants. Planting corn where the green beans once grew will help your corn the next season. Makes sense, doesn’t it? Just don’t forget to keep the companions together. So many things to keep in mind.

It is often suggested to grow different vegetables in the space you last grew them.

Adding compost and additional nutrients is one the most important things you can do for your soil. We have a local supplier where we pick up loads of a Murphys Mushroom Compost. We like it for being organic and all natural. You can purchase bags of organic compost soil as well. Check the instructions on how many bags per square feet you need. Many people add things like worms to their soil for added nutrients. Some even raise worms for this purpose. Horse manure is also a popular natural fertilizer you can use for the garden.

We like this Biochar and Compost Blend. You can purchase at your local Tractor Supply store. It is a natural way to add nutrients to your soil. “The Wakefield Hero Blend of Compost + Biochar with Mycorrhizal Fungi naturally increases microbial activity, enhances seed germination and strengthens roots. Add it to your own soil or replace your soil with this rich blend for healthier plants with less work!” Less work is a plus, but the natural method is even better for the environment and your garden.

Most new dirt also needs lime added to it. All soil should be tested for its acidity levels. The acidity level might be low and lime will increase this. Lime adds ph, being that your garden ph level needs to be somewhere between a 6 and 7 for the best growing conditions, as this Jobe’s Organics Lime states. Increasing the ph will help the plants absorb the nutrients. You can test your soil’s lime level with soil ph tests and see how high or low your lime levels are. We had to add lime to our garden as nothing had ever been planted or grown in it before. We like the organic lime like this Jobe’s below. I am curious after one year and adding lime last year what the levels will be this season. I will definitely update this later!

Adding peat moss or any kind of filler to the soil is necessary. This helps to allow air flow throughout the soil. In our raised gardens we split one bundle. A little goes a long way! In our 20 X 40 ground garden we used only 2 bales of peat moss and spread evenly throughout. This year we may add about 4-6 more as the area is fairly large. Our dirt was very nutrient rich but at times it hardened up too much. Perhaps this will help out. We don’t know yet, but we will find out. That is part of the glory of growing a garden is figuring it out as you go.

Trying different things and figuring out what is best for your garden is part of your personal garden experience.

Seed Varieties

Speaking of your garden journey, picking out your vegetable seeds is one of your biggest decisions to make. Not to worry, though. There are so many trusting seed suppliers that will get you most of what you need. So, when you are choosing your vegetable seeds you need to know what your goals are. Is Organic important to you? Non-GMO? Heirloom? Family Raised? And many other determining factors. What drives the force to make these decisions? Will Organic produce better than Non-Organic? Is an Heirloom that much better?

You may just want to grow some zucchini and not care what it is, as long as you get yummy zucchini! That is just fine as many restaurants serve non-organic, basic zucchini and they are good. Or, you may want to sell Organic vegetables at the market. Then, you would need to back up your claim that what you are selling is indeed organically certified.

One thing that helps is knowing your purpose for growing. Whether you are growing to eat and store, sell, exchange with family and friends or whatever you will be using your harvest for. You may even want to package and distribute seeds from your garden. These type of things help make your decision as to what type of seeds you need for growing.

We prefer to grow organic as it is a preference to eat vegetables that have not ever had chemicals at any point used. But, not every non-organic seed has had chemicals applied in the growing process, either. To be labelled Organic, you have to be certified as Organic. I believe it as to be three years at least grown organically to be determined organic. As well as planted with certified organic seeds, both. So, even if my seeds I buy are not organic, I am still growing organically. Note the difference between certified organic and organically grown. Buying Organic is a trusting label, however, in which you know the seeds history.

Sometimes it is hard to find Certified Organic seeds. We are super excited to start planting some Organic seeds this year from Eden Brothers Seeds. All their seeds are Non-GMO, too! They offer over 600 seeds online and we couldn’t be more excited to grow our vegetables this year from a trusted source. We also have a few bulbs, herbs and flowers from them. We can’t wait to see the tulips this Spring!

Sun and Water

I won’t go too deep into sun and water, although there is nothing more satisfying in the garden than watching the sun shine down on all your hard work. When the plants shake off the water and perk up to that bright sun, you know you are contributing to something amazing.

The correct amount of water can vary for different things. We noticed quickly in the garden as we watered everything evenly that some things did not need as much water as others. Watermelon for instance, although you would think! Too much water while watermelons are producing fruit can be bad for its growth. After this, we realized we need to pay attention to each plants individual needs from this point forward. Sometimes, less water can promote faster growth. Some times the plants will tell you. Not literally, however, the leaves will wilt a little and show you they are thirsty. Too much water can cause fruit to blow up too big and loose flavor, or roots to rot. Paying attention is key!

Pests

Oh, the dreaded garden pests that want to come into the garden and ruin all your hard work! The thing is, you have to expect to have certain bugs that will come no matter what. Aphids for instance are tiny and will attach to the back of your plant leaves. It is pretty impossible to prevent them. The best thing to do is check periodically and make sure they are not taking over.

Your best bet is to bring in ladybugs who will spend all their time feasting on these unwanted pests! This is why we planted flowers and herbs in the raised gardens next to the vegetables. We had ladybugs throughout the garden and they helped tremendously in keeping these unwanted pests from ruining our crops. We also had butterflies and dragon flies occasionally. Creating a friendly, functional ecosystem in your garden area will pay off!

When all else fails you can definitely use Neem Oil to coat the back of the leaves. I learned this years ago with hibiscus plants. Neem oil will not hurt your crops and it is a natural oil that will coat the leaves and kill these bugs. Spray in the evening after the heat of the sun is gone and let it do its job. It is definitely a staple to keep on hand while growing your garden.

One thing I will mention is not all creatures that appear to be harmful are. Last year we had this crazy guy hanging out on the tomato plants. It seemed most people kill these caterpillars for fear of them harming the plants. It could be just fear for how they look! Come to find out this particular caterpillar was covered in parasitic wasp larvae. They take over the host. Having good biodiversity in the garden creates a healthier environment for your plants, I was told. Not everything is as it appears. It can truly be amazing to be the creator of your own eco system.

Japanese Beetles are the worst enemy to your garden! They will get all over everything, and invite all of their friends. The damage they cause is quick! We found that if we put hot water and a dash of Dawn Dish Soap in a Mason Jar that we could knock off all these pests beetles easily. Put on some gloves and spend a couple hours. It makes all the difference. They were covering our snow peas and green bean plants and this is the most effective way to remove them. It’s free too!

When getting rid of pests, just make sure you keep all the good visitors to the garden. The butterflies, bees others are crucial in pollinating the vegetable flowers and cross pollinating. Without these helpful creatures we would have a lot more work to do ourselves.

Weed Control

Excuse the weeds we are feeding the bees

I wish I was an expert on the best way to keep weeds out of the garden. The more we try and learn the more we will know. We use the traditional method of hand picking weeds out of the vegetable plant beds. If you pick in different areas daily, eventually you can control them. Not everyone has the time to do this. Is there a better way?

We have looked into using landscape fabric or plastic on top of our garden beds. I feel good that it would help tremendously in preventing weeds to grow. Plastic could possibly cause mold underneath and this deters me from trying it. Landscape fabric has more pros, however, we grow from seeds. If I was cutting holes and planting plants it would make more sense for me.

This year we are covering the pathways in between the rows. Our biggest issue was grass growing in-between that took over by late spring and crept its way underneath the vegetables. We may lay cardboard as well. We like this idea as it is biodegradable. Then possibly mulch on top of the cardboard. Anything we can later mix into the soil. More updates later as to how this works out.

Timing

Should we plant by the moonlight? I seriously wanted to know if that is the best time. The native Americans did this. It was a thought. However, getting your seeds down in the right timeframe is very important. We are between Zone 6 & 7 and planting a few weeks after the last frost is the best time. I felt like I was hurrying up to wait. Weather changed and it was hard to know the perfect planting day. We lucked out overall waiting until around the third week of March. Although, lettuce could have gone down in February, probably.

So, consider all factors as some vegetables can grow in colder climates. For instance, some root vegetables can withstand colder temperatures. This year, for this reason, we are starting our carrot seeds a little earlier than last year. They will survive in the colder days better than other seeds like zucchini or squash. Beets also can go down sooner. Looking at each individual plants needs will help determine when to plant.

Another thing we are doing a little different this year is planting in stages. We had all of our carrots come up at the same time. We also had all the tomatoes at the same time. If you are canning tomatoes this is a optimal to harvest at one time and have everything ready to can at one time. Waiting for tomatoes to produce and trying to keep the ones you already harvested fresh is a big challenge. You will have to do something with them so they don’t go bad, like freeze, dry or make sauces. However, if you are eating garden tomatoes right out of the garden you will want them to come up all season long. Things to consider.

Timing is so important when gardening. One thing I know is if you are considering planting a vegetable garden, now is probably the right time! There isn’t a right way to grow your garden, it is what works for you. It sure does help to have suggestions from others who have found things that worked for them. There are similar issues everyone has when growing a vegetable garden. Overcoming problems like weeds, disease, pests and finding better ways to do things gives you more time to do the things you love. Like simply enjoying your garden! Hope these basics are helpful if you are starting your own new vegetable garden. It is a learning experience, but well worth the hard work!

Thanks for reading, we wish you good luck in your garden. Leave a comment below for gardening tips, advice, or tell us your experiences. Don’t forget to check out Rainy Day Deals for Current Saving & Things We Love.