How to Plan a Vegetable Garden for Beginners

Mix a little dirt and some water together, and what do you get? Mud Pies! I don’t know about you, but my childhood days were spent outside in our backyard, mixing dirt with water and making the best mud pies in the neighborhood.

Yes, those summer days when I was growing up, we didn’t stay indoors; we spent our days outside playing, riding bikes, climbing trees, and using our imaginations.

Most days were spent in my back yard making mud pies. My sister and I would play for hours with old pie pans, dirt, and water. We would then sell those mud pies to the neighborhood kids. (fake money) Yes, those good ole simple, summer days were the best!

And speaking of playing with dirt and water–I also remember my parents having a garden in the backyard. (Again, more playing in the dirt.) It was not a big garden, but a garden that produced more than enough vegetables for our family. They would plant tomatoes, green beans, cabbage, eggplant, peas, radishes, corn, butterbeans, and carrots. These are just a few of the things I can remember.

Why plant a garden?

I know some of you may be thinking, “why should I plant a garden when I can just buy my produce?” Well, simple– homegrown vegetables are better.

Planting a garden is a lot of work, but it is also very rewarding to harvest vegetables that you planted and grew. Nothing compares to fresh vegetables from the garden.

But, before you can plant a garden, you need to PLAN your garden. Planning a garden takes a little bit of time. You will need to decide on a location, what you are going to plant, how you will take care of the plants, and steps to follow. With just a little planning, your garden can be a big success.

I am about to give you several reasons why you should consider planning and planting a garden.

Saving Money

Planting a garden is a great way to save money. Just by planting one tomato plant–$1.39– it will produce possibly 10 pounds or more of tomatoes. All for $1.39! You can not buy 10 pounds of tomatoes for $1.39 anywhere. This applies to everything you plant, whether you plant by seed or transplant plants from a nursery. Planting a garden will save you money.

Homegrown Taste

The taste and texture of fresh homegrown produce beats the taste and texture from grocery store produce. I hate to buy vegetables from the grocery store, and I rarely do so. To me, they have no taste, and the texture is just plain gross. At times, I do shop at our local Farmer’s markets. The produce there comes from local farmers. Farmer’s Markets–yes–Grocery stores–No Way!

Where do I start?

But, I know nothing about planting a garden. Is it hard? Do I need special equipment and supplies? What about seeds? Where do I get them? Potting soil?
Have no worries! I am about to break it all down for you, and you will see just how easy it is to plant a garden.

You can grow a garden just about anywhere.
No matter where you live, you can have a garden.
I know many people who have some of the best producing gardens that are grown in containers, raised beds, and small back yards. These people live in the city, and some even live in apartments.

Location

The first thing you need to do is to decide where you are going to put your garden. Look for a space that gets a good bit of sunshine. Most plants require sunlight to grow into healthy plants. Decide on the kinds of vegetables you want to plant. Take into consideration the size and location of your garden. Don’t get carried away with 25 different plants, and you only have room for 8.

Start some seeds indoors

You are going to want to start some seed indoors. Look on the seed packets, and if the harvest date is longer than 90 days, you will want to start those seeds indoors in seed trays. These need to be started 6-8 weeks before they go into the ground or a container. These might include tomatoes and peppers.

Prepare Your Garden Spot

There are several ways to prepare your garden spot. If you are going to be planting in the ground, then you will need to till up the dirt and break up any large pieces. You can do this with a garden tiller or with a shovel. If you plan to do a large garden, invest in a garden tiller or borrow one from a neighbor.

More and more people are gardening from raised beds. They are easier to maintain. You will need to build the raised beds, which will require you to purchase the wood, make, and fill with soil and compost. Raised beds are easier to care for as well as weeding and watering throughout the growing season.

You will need a good soil mixture for your garden, raised beds, or container gardens. I usually mix a good potting soil with some bagged manure and peat moss. This is an excellent combination of dirt and soil amendments to get your seeds, and your plants started—nothing fancy and no special supplies. You can find these items at your local feed and seed store.

What seeds and plants to grow

Now you should have already decided what you are going to plant. If you have already started some things from seed–great. You now have a head start. For the other seeds like squash, corn, beans, zucchini, and cucumbers (or whatever else you like), you can plant these directly into the soil. Also, many garden nurseries will have these seeds already started in cups, and the plants are ready for you to transplant into the soil or your garden area.

Keep in mind not to plant the seeds deep. Just drop and cover. There is a lot of information to be found on the internet on how to plant seeds. Check that out or read on the back of each seed packet for directions and information on how to plant your seeds.

How to care for your garden

Once your garden is planted, you will need to care for it. This is important.

Weed the Garden Regularly

You will need to keep your garden weeded. Don’t let the weeds get ahead of you. Check for weeds daily and keep them pulled. Weeds will take over a garden quickly and shade your plants. This will keep your plants from harvesting to their full potential.

Water Daily

Water! Water! Water! Get a good sprinkler. Get a soaker hose. Or just water every day. Plants need water every day, especially when the sun is hot and beating down on them. Once they are established and have some size to them, then every other day should be fine to water them. Rainwater is the best source of water, but in a drought and in between rain showers, don’t forget to care for your plants.

I like to keep a garden journal of what I plant, how well the plants did during the year, and if they produced well. This will give me something to go on and refer back to the next year.

As a beginner gardener, start small. You can always add more next year. This is a learning process for you. I have seen small gardens make more than enough food for a family of four to eat during a season.

Walking to the garden, picking beans, pulling radishes, and eating tomatoes off of the vine are just a few of the fond memories I have as a child. Gardening can be fun, and when your family is involved, it can be great!
Make this a fun project for your family, especially your kids. Get them outside and let them help you. They can also be in charge of their own garden journal.

Happy Gardening!

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