The current pandemic and mandate of social distancing have brought interesting lessons for all of humanity. But perhaps, a number of those could be summed up under one umbrella, being self-reliant. Pick up any recently published internet write-up, for instance. You're likely to encounter a lot of advice about how to make x at home, how to make your own y, and DIY z.
Following suit, we are here with a guide to starting something at home, the rewards of which you can literally reap for days to come. If you've unfailingly googled how to start growing vegetables at home at least once a month, and also unfailingly forgotten about that browser tab, this is the one-stop guide you really needed for successfully starting a vegetable garden.
So, read on for a list of useful vegetable gardening tips for beginners, that you can follow closely for tasty homegrown vegetables. Saving money, becoming self-reliant, and cultivating a new hobby. Oh and better-tasting produce than grocery sourced ones and a great way to sneak in some workout. Seriously why did you delay starting a vegetable garden for so long, again?
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Pick A Location For Your Vegetable Garden
Picking a good, conducive spot is the essential key to starting a vegetable garden. Ideally, if you have a small open space like a backyard with a patch of soil, that's where your vegetable garden should be. But you can also pick the lane outside your house, your terrace, a balcony or your kitchen. Online gardening websites are full of vegetable garden ideas for small spaces! Whatever your vegetable garden spot is, remember to pick a location with:
- Plenty of sunlight
- A mostly stable environment
- A small window of shade
How To Set Up A Garden Bed
Depending on the location you've picked for starting a vegetable garden, you'll have to pick a type of garden bed. Unless you have a sprawling vegetable garden location, be sure to make efficient use of space. The types of garden beds you can choose from are:
Pots
Some recommended ones from Nursery Live:
Raised Beds
A recommended one from Nursery Live:
You can also choose to have a hanging vegetable garden, in which case you'll need to buy suspended planters.
Direct Soil
If you have the space, and a reasonably good soil for homegrown vegetables, make your garden a couple of rows wide with each row at least 8-10 feet long.
Pick Your Vegetables
A major part of answering how to start growing vegetables, is dependent on what vegetables you've picked for your garden. Here's a list of some easy to grow vegetables, that are commonly found productive plants.
- Bell Peppers
- Tomatoes
- Radishes
- Spinach
- Basil
- Lettuce
- Green Beans
- Cucumbers
Another crucial step is deciding whether you want to grow seeds, or starter plants. Since this is a blog on vegetable gardening tips for beginners, we'd recommend you go with starter plants.
Important things to consider while picking your vegetables
- Your general choices in vegetables
- The season. There will be a different set of winter garden plants, and vegetables to grow in summer
- The quantity you'd consume
Watering Your Vegetable Garden
Unless you're blessed with regular nature showers, you'll have to think of a watering strategy for your vegetable garden. You can set up a timed watering system, or choose to hand water your growing veggies. You can also opt for self-watering planters when you're picking a garden bed.
A recommended one from Nursery Live:
Keep The Pesky Pests At Bay
You can invest in plant protection kits (Click Here To Buy & Win Exciting Rewards), or you can opt for organic ways to ward off pests. A quick online search will give you a number of natural pest control hacks.
Fertilize The Soil
Healthy soil is essential for you to successfully grow healthy vegetables. Look for natural and organic fertilizers for your vegetable garden.
Some Noteworthy Points
- Start small
- Get thrifty with space
- Don't overplant, overwater, or overfertilize
- Pick your location, garden bed and vegetables on the basis of the season, weather and space availability
- Seek advice from an old-timer
That's it! This your reference material for an easy beginner vegetable garden.