Health Articles
Vegetable Gardening for Beginners Guide
Download PDFGrowing a vegetable garden is a great way to bring fresh, nutritious vegetables to your kitchen.
Vegetable gardening is also a great way to save money, maintain a healthy weight, and boost your mood.
What you will need:
- Soil (preferably a nutrient-dense one but not necessary)
- Garden Rake
- Garden Hoe
- Garden Shovel
- Garden Trowel
- Gloves
- Water Source
Pick the Right Location:
- Before starting your first garden, watch how the sun moves across your backyard. Most veggies need about 6 hours of sunlight each day, so choose an open area.
- Once you have a site picked out measure it so you can get a better estimate of how many plants and seeds you will need.
- Check to see if there is a water source nearby such as a garden hose or sprinkler.
- Make sure your site has good drainage. Check to see if it floods or dries out after a rainfall.
It’s Now Time to Prepare Your Soil:
- Use a shovel to dig and loosen the soil and break up any large chunks of dirt.
- Rake your entire garden area and remove any grass, weeds, and roots.
- Use a gardening hoe and mix in some fresh garden soil to the area (about a 2-inch layer).
Choose Vegetables for Your Garden:
- Decide if you want to use seeds or plants. Seeds are the cheaper option, and you can sow them indoors 6-8 weeks before the start of the season (before the last frost).
- Some of the easiest vegetables to grow are radishes, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, kale, zucchini, and beets.
- Grow vegetables that you know you and your family will enjoy.
It’s Time to Plant!
- Use a garden trowel to make holes for your plants. Make each hole two to three times deeper and wider than the container the plant is in. Space the plants at least 2 feet apart.
- Place the plant inside the hole and cover the base up with soil, then press soil around it.
- Add some water to the plant to help settle it in the soil.
- Put a little more water once the soil dries up.
