Vegetable Gardening for Beginners
It can be somewhat intimidating when you think of starting a vegetable garden when you’re a beginner. It doesn’t have to be. There a few basics you need to know, and there are tons of benefits. You get to grow you own food, which means you know exactly what goes into it. You also get to be outside enjoying the air, and get some exercise! It doesn’t matter if you live in a rural area or the middle of the city, everyone can start a vegetable garden.
Vegetable gardens are typically easier to maintain than flower gardens because vegetables are more resilient, especially in different types of weathers. Flowers are typically more delicate to changes in the weather, and don’t adapt as easily. Planting vegetable gardens usually demand a lot of space, although some vegetables can also survive in plant boxes. It really depends on what kind of vegetables you will plant, and what you expect out of your vegetable garden.
Before you start your vegetable garden you will have to decide what type of garden you want. There are a few different styles of garden. The most traditional of gardens is set up in rows. You plant all your seeds or plants in rows evenly spaced. This requires a lot of space, and you will have a lot of weeding to do to keep your garden looking good and producing well. This is the first type of garden I went with. We only did it for a year or two.
A popular way of planting vegetable these days is planting them in beds rather than the traditional rows. The beds have to be small enough in size so that you can reach into it and pull out the weeds that will grow among your plants. Beds can also be raised a bit higher off the ground so that the heat will be kept inside longer during cold weather. It also makes for a good drainage system around the beds.
You can also incorporate flowers into your vegetable garden. A bit of the best of both worlds. There are many varieties of flowers that can actually be eaten and make a nice addition to a salad harvested from your garden. There are also flowers that will specifically help keep the bugs away. These are the perfect natural insecticide.
For people who have constrained living spaces (especially those who live in the city), vegetables and herbs can grow in smaller plant boxes and containers. Vegetables will need a lot of sunlight and open spaces.
It doesn’t really matter how much space you have available. If you’ve got the vegetable garden bug you can make it happen. If you have minimal space you may have to choose one or two veggies to grow, so make sure they’re your favorites. If you have lots of room, you can grow more, but remember as a beginner to keep the garden small. It may end up being more work than you realized when you were dreaming your garden into existence.