Growing Edibles

Growing edible fruits and vegetables,  or any plant for that matter, is not difficult or complicated.  The hardest part is quite simply to just get started.  There are a few very basic things you need to decide to get your first vegetable garden growing.

Find a good spot.  You need a lot of sunshine, reasonably good soil and easy access for watering and care

Start small so you can focus and just a few favored plants.  You don’t want to get overwhelmed with the care of a large garden while you learn about your plants, growing conditions, soil and care.

Decide what you want to grow.  If you grow the things you love to eat most you will find yourself more motivated as well as more satisfied with your first efforts.

Dig right in!  Remove sod if necessary and loosen the exposed soil with a shovel or hoe.  You don’t need anything fancy or expensive to get started.  An ordinary shovel will serve multiple purposes.  Add some compost as you loosen the soil to feed your plants.

Purchase starter plants at a garden store to make your first garden easy to start.  Dig planting holes slightly larger than the purchased pots with a hand trowel, which is nothing more than a hand sized shovel.  Remove the plants from their pots, place in the holes, and cover the root ball with the soil you dug out.  Press the soil lightly around your plants and water deeply with a fine spray or drip hose.

Now just make sure your plants get a good soaking once a week, more in hot dry periods.

For your first garden, that is all you really need to do.  Don’t worry too much yet about fertilizing, pinching, pruning or staking.  Plants have a way of taking care of themselves pretty well as long as they are getting enough moisture.  Take your time, if you are enjoying your first little garden there is plenty of time to learn more.  Before you know it you will be confidently expanding your garden space, improving your soil and selecting more edibles to grow.  And when you are ready, you can find all the information you need to grow beautiful delicious vegetables, fruits and herbs.