5 Steps to a Bountiful Garden

The most important statement I have ever heard was, “If you won’t eat it, don’t grow it!” Growing things you like to eat and/or your family likes to eat can be rewarding. Imagine going to your garden, picking your veggies and serving them to your family for dinner. The benefits are knowing what pesticides are used, what seeds were used and what was in the ground when you planted them. Having fresh fruits and vegetables your family can eat is such a worthy cause – helping minimize the grocery bill and helping put money back into your wallet.  

This post is a guest post written by Teresa Barfield.

1.) Know Your Limits

If you are a beginner, my advice is knowing your limits. Know the limit of space you have to grow in, know your level of comfort in growing and know how much effort you are willing to put into the garden. Knowing these things can make your gardening experience a lot happier. Estimate how many hours a week you want to spend outside in your garden. Pick plants that will give you the time to do so and plants which are within your growing skills. You can increase and hone your skills, but if you are just starting off, plants that need little to no care from you and have short growing cycles might be best for you. If you want to just jump in and use trial and error, that is your choice as well.

2.) Decide on Your Type of Garden and Its Location 

Now that we understand this could be a process of elimination, let’s keep going. What type of garden do you want? Do you want to till the ground and sow seeds into freshly tilled soil? Do you want raised-beds and keep them in a central area? If you choose the raised-bed method, understand these beds dry out faster than other means, so this will also need to be counted in the hours you are willing to spend gardening. Perhaps you want and can afford a greenhouse to grow plants for longer seasons. Maybe you want a combination method of growing your plants, like raised-beds in a greenhouse. Maybe you want planters in a greenhouse or in your kitchen. I have grown many herbs in my kitchen in mason jars. I enjoy fresh herbs when cooking. There are a number of ways to garden, but only you know your surroundings, what you are comfortable with and how many plants you can handle. So, pick the method to suit you and your family’s needs. No matter how you choose to grow your garden, make sure the layout is easy to harvest. Maximize crops, minimize walk space. Also, make sure you have enough space to pick the fruits of your labor. Your garden is no good if you cannot harvest.

Methods of growing

Now that you have picked a method of growing, there are a few more things to consider about your location. Identify the wildlife around you. Do you have rabbits and deer to steal your greens? Do you have moles or voles to eat on your rooted veggies? These are a few things you need to consider when choosing a space to grow in and how will you detour these little buggers. You need to also consider the lighting. Do your plants need full sun or partial shade? Does your location have a wind tunnel, like between buildings? Some plants can be damaged by too much wind. I know I am throwing a lot of information at you, but these are important factors in getting started. Consider using fencing or plants to detour your little thieves. Companion plants will be covered later but can help detour these critters.

3.)  Decide What to Plant

Ok, so you know where and how you want to grow your plants; how do you pick out a plant? Well, that’s a good question. Once you decide to start a garden, learn what zone you are in. Learning your zone is pretty easy, finding plants for your zone is crucial. Keep in mind the foods your family eats and get plants according to your needs. You can grow from seeds or plants, just know the germination period and when to start the germination process. If you decide to germinate, know how to transplant your seedlings. Know how deep to plant them and the area of the garden in which you want to put them when they are ready. Some foods do better from plants, some people can grow from seeds. The choice is yours and yours alone.  Me, I am in zone 7b. this helps me understand the growing season I have and what to grow in each season. You may live in the north and peas grow well for you. Maybe you live in the west and corn grows great, no matter what your zone is there are plants you can grow.

4.) Help Your Plants Thrive

Companion plants, these are friends and foes of our garden. Companion plants make like a garden ecosystem. They can bring beneficial insects such as pollinators and detour destructive insects like slugs, snails, and wasps. If you want to add a little color to your garden, many plants have flower companion plants. For example, beans, like marigolds, will repel Mexican bean beetles. If you planted catnip, it repels flea beetles. This gives you an idea of the friend plants. There are also foe plants you do not want to plant together. Staying with beans, you would not want to plant beets or garlic near them. This changes the taste and takes needed nutrients from your beans. You can check out many gardening books and even the internet for friend and foe plants. (Israel, 1981).

Weeds?

Think about weeds too. I know…..I know….. we have always been told to weed the garden, but there are weeds out there that are beneficial to your garden. They are a great source of nutrients for your plants. Weeds like White Dutch Clover add nitrogen to the soil, so if your plant needs a lot of nitrogen (Cabbage and other Brassica family plants) this is a good weed to have. Weeds can hold your topsoil in place, pull up water and, again, control the insect ratio in your garden. (Sides, 1987). So, think about the weed in your garden and investigate if they are beneficial or destructive.

5.)  Harvest the Fruits of Your Labors

Now you have plants growing and find yourself loving the gardener in you. Let’s harvest! Knowing when you can pick you vegetables or fruits is important. The Almanac has been around for decades. It has helped farmers grow, harvest and know their zones. It can help you know when to harvest what you grow too. (Boeckmann, 2018). Everything you have planted has seeds. You can collect those seeds and replant the following year. You might find your family loved the tomatoes you grew. Take the seeds out of them when you are dicing them up, clean them up and dry them out. Replant them for another go-around the following year for your family to enjoy again. (Patterson, 2016).

Preserving your harvest

Now that you have all this produce, what do you do with it? Well, there are many was you can store your gardening efforts. One way is freezing, many low acid veggies do better in the freezer. (Pleasant, 2013) Another good way to save things is by canning them. This can be fun, but also dangerous. I can a lot of things. Following good guidelines is important. (USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, 2015). Yet another technique a gardener can use is drying. Many things can be dried and stored, such as beans, corn, and even tomatoes. If you like the idea of drying your foods better, then see what you are growing and how much of it can be stored dried and the shelf life it will have. (Pleasant, How to Dry Food: Reap the Garden and Market Bounty, 2008). If you are not looking to store your food to enjoy all year long, simply pick, wash and enjoy.

A garden is a great way to give your family a healthier lifestyle. This can be the foods you eat or the bonding done in the garden with your family. You can grow, harvest and store together bringing your family closer together. Your garden is also a labor of love. You know what you have done, how the plant has been cared for, stored and what is inside each little storage container. These came from your hands, your land; you know there are no GMOs or 10,000 parts per can for bug parts etc.….. your backyard will produce a yield for you and your family to enjoy a healthier way of life. When you decide you are ready to start checking us out. (Barfield, 2019).

What About You?

What steps are you taking this year to grow your best garden?  How are you changing things from what you’ve done in previous years?  Share your ideas with us below in the comments so that we can all be better prepared.

Together, let’s Love, Learn, Practice, and Overcome.