Many homes avoid having a vegetable garden because it seems like a lot of work. If you’re tearing up some sod and trying to work a traditional garden, that may be true. With these ideas, however, you’ll be able to create a garden space that is easy to care for, portable, and highly productive.
It all starts with the vegetables you choose to grow. Some vegetables are much easier to grow than others. If you’re just starting out with a garden, then consider a simple salad garden.
You’ll grow lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, radishes, green beans, and zucchini. Some vegetables, like radishes, are ready in as little as 3 weeks with their growth, which makes gardening fun because you’re seeing immediate results.
Once you’ve got your vegetables to plant, then you’re ready to try these easy gardening structures for your new garden.
Use Raised Beds Instead of Tilling
You can purchase a raised bed gardening kit for under $30 at many major national stores. You can also build your own with 4 boards of equal width and length. Affix screws into the corners and you’re ready to go. Fill up the raised bed with soil, then plant your garden. To avoid weeds, try covering the ground underneath the raised bed with landscaping fabric before adding soil.
Container Gardening Works
If you don’t have a lot of space, consider container gardening instead. You can hang multiple containers from one line to give yourself a nice garden that fits on your porch. If you don’t have a balcony or porch, smaller containers can be used to grow your garden indoors as well. That way, you can start a vegetable garden almost anywhere you happen to be.
Use a Trellis or Arbor
If your landscaping is well-developed, then you can use a trellis or an arbor to be the foundation of your vegetable garden. You’ll want to stick to climbing vines, like tomatoes and beans, for this type of garden. Then just plant the vegetables near the structure, so they’ll be able to use it to climb as they mature. You’ll have fewer weeds to pull with this option and stronger supports for your vegetables as they begin to produce.
Build Your Rows
If you are going for a traditional garden, then keeping it organized will make it easier to work in it. Plant your vegetables in specific areas, beds, or rows to give yourself designated spaces for each item. Remember to plant items about 2-3 inches apart (if not more) to give each plant the room it needs to grow. Then give yourself a barrier to prevent animal thieves from taking your produce before you can get to it. Fences make a good barrier, but you can also use coffee, human hair, blood meal, scented soaps, or vinegar as a boundary barrier to keep animals away too.
Having a vegetable garden can be a lot of fun, especially if you can make it an easy hobby. Consider these tips as you plan your garden space to maximize your returns during the growing season.