Where do I even start?
So you want to grow food, huh? You have this dream of growing your own veggies but you have no idea where to start. You’ve probably been obsessively Google searching and doing deep dives into YouTube tutorials only to get overwhelmed not knowing what applies to you and what doesn’t. You see all the pretty seed displays going up at the big box stores but get lost reading the packets with confusing terms like indeterminate and bi-annual and frost hardy. You just want to know where you can begin. That’s where I come in. Here are my 5 steps to getting started.
Pick 3 Things You Want to Grow
Think about produce that you like to eat fresh. Pick 2 or 3 things you want to grow your first year. You could stretch it and say 2-3 things in spring and 2-3 things in summer. I know. I know… You want to grow ALL the things. But if you take on too much while you’re still figuring out the basics of gardening, the chances of you getting overwhelmed or burnt out by it are high. I only say start small so you can spend that first garden year learning. You’ll learn your space. You’ll learn your weather patterns and temperatures. You’ll learn watering and fertilizing and pest control. You’ll be able to really study how those few plants grow so when you grow them again the following year, you’re an expert on them.
Draw Up Garden Plans
This one is kind of a 2-step step. First you need to figure out first how you want to garden. Are you going to establish in-ground spaces? Does the ease of raised beds spark your interest? Or does the no-commitment freedom of container gardening tickle your fancy? There are pros and cons to each method. That would be a blog post all in itself but once you decide how you want to garden, then you can design your space. Go measure it out and draw it on grid paper.
When you are making that design, I have a few pieces of advice to keep in mind. Don’t underestimate your aisles. While it’s tempting to try to squeeze rows or raised beds as close as possible, you need to have walkways. I recommend at least 2-4 feet wide for aisles. Even with raised beds, my plants lean over the edges and what starts as 3 feet between can end up feeling like one or two. If I need to get a wagon or wheelbarrow down them, that gets tricky.
Be mindful of your water source. You are much less likely to water consistently if it’s inconvenient. If you are thinking you want drip irrigation, plan for that from the start. My first year in my current garden, my closest hose reel was about 30 yards away and uphill. I had to drag a giant hose across the backyard and over the fence to water then reel it all back up so my dogs wouldn’t chew up the hose. If I didn’t want to do that whole song and dance, my only other option was to fill buckets at the hose reel and carry them back in a wagon. The following year, my husband dug me a water line and set up a hose reel in my garden ending my watering woes.
Be observant of your sunlight as well. Take pictures of the sunlight and shadows throughout the day. Full Sun only requires 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. If you are going to plant vertically or trellis things up, those tall plants can very easily shade out parts of your garden that would have had full sun. For low growing crops, a north to south orientation is best. For tall growing things like peas or tomatoes, an east to west orientation is best.
Look Up Your Frost Dates
Frost dates and a general understanding of the climate where you are gardening is probably the most important pieces of knowledge to a gardener. When you work with mother nature in all her moods instead of against her, you can find much better success. You will hear the terms last frost date and first frost date often. When growing annual flowers and vegetables, that is the absolute most important thing to know. They are specific to your zip code. They are a historical average for the last date you get a frost in the spring and the first date you get a frost in the fall. For me in Warrensburg, Missouri, my last frost date is April 23rd and my first frost date is October 16th. My growing season is 175 days frost-free. I can grow frost tolerant things outside of that window but for frost tender things, I only count on having 175 days for them to grow.
I do want to make sure you noticed where I said those dates are an estimate … As you approach those dates, start watching your weather. They are a guess, not a guarantee. If you get to that date, check the 10 day forecast before planting frost tender plants outside. What I have learned through experience is that where I live , Mother’s day is typically a safer bet for a last frost date. I used to trust April 23rd and every year without fail we would get a cold snap after that date. Had I planted my tomatoes out already, I would have to do a lot more work protecting them from a freeze.
If you want to find out your own frost dates, you can find that here.
Source Your Supplies
Now is the fun part… garden shopping! Make a list and find sources for all of your garden supplies.
You’ll need seeds or started plants. Those can be found online, at local nurseries or in the local community. For seeds, I love Sow Right Seeds. They are based in Missouri about an hour from my home. Clicking my link will get you a 10% discount as well.
You will probably need dirt. Look for places selling bulk garden soil or compost. It is much cheaper to buy it by the loader scoop than to buy individual bags. If you can’t find a source for bulk soil, watch the sales in the spring. When I buy bagged soil, Pro-Mix is my first choice. Mushroom compost is amazing for the micro-biome. Any bagged vegetable garden soil will probably work just fine. The one thing I don’t recommend is filling your garden with peat moss. It’s tempting because it’s cheap and comes in big bags but it can create problems long term.
You will also need fertilizer, soil amendments and pest control treatments. I have all of the products I use and recommend in my Amazon storefront.
Get Your Hands Dirty
Once you’ve made your plans and gathered information and supplies, it’s time to just go for it. You could read all the gardening books in the world and you will learn more by actually growing a tomato. Get your hands in some dirt and try. And if it doesn’t work, try again. Take each failure as a learning opportunity. Each time you fail is one step closer to succeeding. If you are on a mission to grow your own food, you need to approach it with the mindset of being a perpetual student of the garden. The learning never ends but the rewards are so satisfying.