The very first vegetable (or fruit) I grew was a cherry tomato plant, a hybrid sweet 100, that I came across while was perusing the end-of-spring garden tables at our local hardware store. I planted it against a sunny south side wall of our house in Portland, Oregon. Once that tomato was planted, it was ignored, almost forgotten, and barely watered. It must have been either the perfect summer, the perfect location, or just luck because, despite my negligence, that tomato plant grew and produced an amazing quantity of small, beautiful, fruit all summer long. It really didn’t matter why that tomato did so well because I was full of confidence and sense of accomplishment. To this day, harvesting vegetables from the garden gives me the same thrill and satisfaction as that first tomato.
Before the industrial revolution, a house wasn’t complete without a kitchen garden that would supply the family with fresh vegetables throughout the growing season. It is a satisfying experience to provide for yourself and a garden is a great place to start. Gardening can start small and simple, such as a tomato plant or a pot of herbs on the window sill, but with some inspiration and a little bit of planning your garden will flourish. If you are ready to take the leap, here are a few ideas to get you started on your own vegetable gardening experience.
1. Choose a location!
The location of your garden will very much determine if your garden will be a successful and enjoyable venture. Choosing an ideal location close to your house makes it less of a chore to tend to your garden, and harvesting a quick herb or vegetable for dinner is a breeze. Another consideration for a garden location is sunlight. Most vegetables and herbs do best with 8-10 hours of summer light. With all of that sunlight, your garden will need to be watered often and since summer rain can be unpredictable and undependable make sure your garden is close to a water source. Lugging heavy hoses around day after day is a pain.
2. Pick what to grow.
Starting out with five or six varieties of vegetables is a good way to start. Consider what you or your family likes to eat, looking forward to the harvest is half of the fun! Vegetable plants have a huge variety of sizes, in one bed you can grow 100 carrots or only one squash plant! By taking into account vegetable sizes and varieties you will have an easier time calculating the size of your garden. There are several fabulous seed companies out there who take pride in what they produce. One of my favorites is right here in Oregon Territorial Seed CompanyÂ
3. Choose the style and layout!
Raised beds, containers, or in-ground gardens, truthfully there are as many gardening methods as there are gardeners. All have their advantages and disadvantages and you will find an option that best suits your needs. Choice of garden style is often determined by budget concerns. Building material for gardens can be found reasonably priced or even free, imperfect, reused or upcycled material are great choices for gardens, be creative. Soil conditions can also limit garden style and layout. I grow in raised beds because my soil is very rocky, my home is on an old creek bed, and growing in the ground is just not a feasible option. Once you determine the type of garden you can begin planning layout. Draw a diagram of where you wish to plant the vegetables and herbs, taking into account height and soil needs per vegetable variety.
4. Amend and prepare the soil.
In a raised bed that calls for adding topsoil and organic material, for in-ground gardens tilling the soil and amending where needed. Not sure what your garden needs? Soil testing is a good way to find out. Soil kits can be found at most home and garden centers for just a few dollars and are easy to use. Another reliable method is a bit of old-fashioned soil testing. Soak the garden soil with a hose, wait a few hours, then dig up a handful of soil to test. Squeeze the soil into a ball with your hand, open your hand. If the ball is stuck together and doesn’t easily break apart it means you have a high percentage of clay in your soil and you’ll probably want to add compost or organic matter to improve the drainage. If the soil won’t form a ball or falls apart easily, the soil is too sandy, again add organic material. If the soil breaks into pieces and is crumbly like chocolate cake, your soil is excellent and needs little to no amending.
5. It’s time to plant!Â
You have spent time planning and building, your soil is perfect, now comes the fun part. On the back of all seed packets are instructions for planting, this includes time of year, soil temperature, and space and height requirements. Pay attention to these instructions because each vegetable variety has its specific growing conditions. Spring varieties can be planted before the last frost and generally do better when the weather is mild such as peas, broccoli, spinach, and most greens. Summer vegetables need to be planted after the last frost is safely past and the soil has warmed up. Tomatoes beans, squash, and corn are examples of warm weather vegetables. These plants are very frost sensitive and even a light frost can kill or damage them. If you are not sure about your last frost date check with your local extension office. Some varieties of vegetables are hard to germinate from seed or have a longer growing time than your season allows. When this happens it’s a good idea to buy vegetable starts from your local nursery or plant center. Tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants are all vegetable varieties that a beginner gardener would benefit from by purchasing vegetable starts.
Book Pick!
There are so many books written about gardening that are amazing and worth reading but one of my favorites for basic how-to gardening is The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible. The author, Edward C Smith, uses a system of deep soil and raised beds that adapt well to any gardening method. His precise style of writing and comprehensive vegetable references make it a perfect book for any level of gardener.
