Five Tips to Starting a Garden

As with any project, the first thing to do is have a good plan. As the saying goes, failure to plan is planning to fail. Each region of the United States is a little different in their veggie gardening needs. Timing is the biggest issue when it comes to local climates and garden success. Florida gardeners should put in their spring crop around St. Patrick’s Day. Meanwhile, the soil in Minnesota is still frozen. Check with your local Cooperative Extension Service for information on your local growing zone.

Below are five tips that will be the foundation of a thriving veggie garden, no matter what part of the country you call home:

Location, Location, Location
It seems obvious that you have to decide where to plant your garden, but the choice has to be based on the needs of the plants, not your needs or aesthetic desires. Vegetable gardens need a minimum of 8 hours of sun a day. If you don’t have a spot where this can be provided, consider teaming up with a friend or a coop.

Test Things Out
Take a soil sample to your local Cooperative Extension Service. You can purchase pH test kits at garden centers, but they are not as reliable. Also, the Extension Service can offer tests for your garden’s basic nutrient needs as well as pH at very low prices.

Choices, Choices
So, what are you going to grow? Make sure you are growing the right crop for the right time of year and, again, for your growing zone. Many garden failures are due to novice gardeners trying to produce the wrong crop and the wrong time of year.

Work out the Bugs
If you feed them, they will come. Want a chemical free garden or are you going to get by with a little help from your pesticide friends? Whichever choice you make, research what type of critters to expect in your area for your plants. Plan ahead how to deal with them when they come for your free buffet. These critters may very well include the cute, furry type. Bunnies, groundhogs, raccoons and deer will become your new BFF’s.

Have Fun
Let’s face it, not many Americans rely on their land to feed them anymore. Veggie gardening is a hobby, one which very well may cost you much more than simply going down to the farmer’s market and picking up some organic tomatoes. If your purpose is to get in touch with nature, know where your food is coming from or to spend time outdoors, then by all means, go for it. If your neighbors laugh at your gardening attempts while they secretly leave bushels of their surplus zucchini on your porch at night, there is always next season!