Exactly How to Start a Vegetable Garden
You’ve been growing flowers, and you’ve even started to DIY compost. But what about raising your own food crops? Not only is vegetable gardening fun, but it’s also a way to get the freshest produce on your table—without ever having to leave home. “It’s environmentally friendly, too,” says Diane Blazek, executive director of the National Garden Bureau and All-America Selections, a nonprofit plant trialing organization. “You know where your food comes from, and you can grow what your family enjoys the most.” With this easy plan, you can start your own vegetable garden from scratch in your own backyard, or on your deck, patio or balcony. It’s easier than you think!
Start with a small plot that's exposed to lots of sunlight.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed if you’re too ambitious, says Blazek. Stick with a small plot a few feet wide and long. And make short rows so you can reach in to weed because the weeds will compete for water and nutrients with your baby vegetable plants. Also, you need a water source nearby so you aren’t hauling a hose across the entire yard. Most importantly, make sure you pick a spot with six or more hours of full sun: that’s non-negotiable.
Get a soil test if you're planting in your backyard.
If you want to plant in ground, get a soil test first, says Blazek. A soil test will tell you what nutrients your ground may be lacking. A garden center or your local university county coop extension service (find yours here) usually does them for a small fee, about $20 or less. They also can advise you about what nutrients to add in what amounts. “You’ll almost always need to add something to the soil to make it more fertile for planting,” says Blazek. Remember, your harvest will be better if you give the plants what they need, rather than letting them struggle along. You can also find inexpensive DIY soil tests, or skip it altogether and plant in containers (see below).
Loosen up the soil with your spade.
Now it’s time for a little work, so pull on your gardening gloves. Use a spade or pitchfork to loosen up the soil, ideally to about 20 inches deep. A tiller isn’t necessary. It’s always a good idea to add some compost (learn how to make it here!), which improves the soil structure, but it doesn’t contain every nutrient your plants will need, so mix in slow-release fertilizer, too, now. Follow the package instructions for the proper amount. And keep nosy pets away because they sometimes like to nosh on fertilizers, especially organic ones, which smell delightfully stinky to them. (If your pet is a nibbler, use water soluble fertilizer instead when watering).
Or, skip the soil and use pots.
The beauty of pots and containers is that you don’t need to fret about nutrients or soil that’s hard as concrete. And you can even grow vegetables in containers on your deck, patio or balcony as long as you have full sun. Choose the container, then add a premixed potting soil (not garden soil, which isn't the same thing).
Pots should be at least 16 to 18 inches wide and deep, though a window box is fine for veggies with shallow roots such as lettuce. “More and more vegetables are being bred to grow specifically in containers,” says Blazek. Look for space savers with the words “patio,” “compact” or “bush type” on the seed label or plant tag. And make sure every pot or container has multiple holes so excess water can drain out.
Choose vegetables that are easiest to grow.
For your first attempts, it’s best to pick plants that are reliable performers and don’t take a lot of fussing. Herbs are super-easy, so start with the basics such as chives, oregano, and thyme, which also happen to be perennial, so they'll come back every year. Bonus: it’s much cheaper to grow them than to buy those plastic packages at the grocery store. Greens, such as mesclun (mixed lettuce), spinach, and arugula also are good choices for newbies, and the return on investment is quick: You can usually harvest baby leaves in as little as 30 days. Greens can be planted in early spring when the soil is still cool. Beans, summer squash, cucumbers, and peppers are other options for easy-to-grow vegetables, but wait to plant these heat-loving plants until May or June when the risk of frost is past.
Herbs, like chives, oregano, and thyme, are super easy to grow. As are beans, summer squash, cucumbers, and peppers, spinach, arugula and mesclun.
Although it’s every gardeners’ dream, “tomatoes aren’t always the easiest to grow because they can have a lot of disease and nutrient issues,” says Blazek. If you do want to try them, stick with newer varieties or hybrids that have been bred to be in bush form and are more disease resistant. If you have your heart set on growing pumpkins or other vining plants or space hogs such as cabbage, make sure you read the plant tag or description to see if you have room!
Water your plants, of course, using these tips.
A soaker hose delivers water directly to the roots, but hand watering with a can or hose is fine, too. If it hasn’t rained lately, stick your finger in the soil to check moisture levels. If it’s bone-dry, it’s time to water. In containers, if the soil is pulling away from the sides, that’s another sign that you should water. More porous containers, such as clay or ceramic, also dry out faster than plastic, so keep your eye on them during the hottest months.
Should you plant seeds or transplants?
Seeds are economical choices for vegetables that are fast-growing and generally direct-seeded into the garden, such as greens, beans, and squashes. But buy transplants for peppers, eggplants, and tomatoes, which love heat, because you can’t put them in ground or pots until after the last expected frost date in your area. If you wait until then to start heat lovers from seed, you’ll run out of time in most climates for the plant to mature and produce before the first frost.
Don’t get discouraged.
Everyone was a beginner once! If your first year is a flop, try again next year. But jog your memory next spring by keeping a garden journal. Jot down what you’ve done and when you planted each thing, what you liked, and what varieties didn’t do well this year and aren’t worth the hassle. The only way to get good at gardening is to keep at it! And for more advice, check out more of our gardening tips for beginners, here.
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