Learning to garden is tricky, but these simple steps to starting a garden will help!
I come from a long line of farmers and gardeners. And I can only imagine they are in heaven looking down and shaking their heads! I can hear it now, “Oh, my goodness! It doesn’t have to be this hard!”
There may even be some eye-rolling. But I keep trying. And I keep learning. Here are some of the things that I’ve learned along the way.
Following these simple steps to starting a garden will make this less overwhelming!
Make It Manageable!
We are single moms with a million things to do and put the laundry away. Don’t go overboard!
Find a very functional place. It may be a 4×4 spot, a balcony tomato, or a borrowed plot in a friend’s or family’s yard! (You can negotiate to give them some of the produce.) That’s okay!
Choose the Right Place
You will need a place that gets a lot of sunlight. I choose the south side of the house for this reason.
A vegetable garden will need approximately 6 hours of direct sun daily. Also, if possible, choose a place out of the wind. Wind can destroy plants, especially young plants.
Taking a Good Hard Look at Dirt.
As much as I love getting my hands dirty, dirt is difficult! There are three different kinds of soil; most soils combine certain types.
Figuring out your soil type is vital. I will minimize this information and put links in for further study.
These soils include clay, sand, and silt. You can obtain a soil test from a hardware or garden store or take it to your local county extension office.
When you know what type of soil you have, you can amend or improve it by adding specific nutrients.
For example, my soil is sandy loam. It is mainly sand but also clay and silt. Because of this, I need to add organic matter like peat moss to improve my soil.
My friend out east has clay soil. This soil is heavy and very difficult to dig and work. She ended up creating raised beds and using large pots.
Here is a link with more in-depth information:
3 Main Types of Soil (gardenguides.com)
One other matter to consider regarding soil is the pH. Soil pH is the alkalinity or acidity of the soil.
Most plants do best in a pH range of 6 to 7. I recently received alkaline topsoil. Alkaline soil means I must amend the soil significantly to have a healthy garden.
Epic Gardening has a great article on this!
How To Lower Soil pH Or Raise Soil pH – Epic Gardening
This step can be tricky, but preparing the ground is essential for your gardening success! Here are some additional links to assist you further.
Create a Boundary That You Can Maintain.
Creating a boundary will help you maintain your garden. It will help the kids to know where they cannot walk. I keep explaining this to them. But I’ll be honest: curiosity and distraction don’t help in this area. But at least they are out in nature!
Consider Growing Seasons in Your Area and Your Zone
Every region has a specific zone. In some zones, gardeners can plant two gardens or, even better, grow plants year-round, such as winter vegetables.
We have a shorter growing season in the Mountain West, where I am. I need to buy vegetable seeds that have faster maturity.
You will also need to consider this if buying perennials (plants that return year after year). Here is a link to zones in the United States.
Consider a Food Forest.
A food forest is a system in which you grow food that returns yearly. This system allows fruit trees, bushes, herbs, and vegetables to return yearly.
It’s a great idea if you have the room, and there are so many great places online to gain information.
Choose Plants and Food You Love to Eat.
I have learned to plant more of what we will love and less of what we like, but not in abundance.
We grow many things like pumpkins, potatoes, tomatoes, green beans, asparagus, onions, and peppers!
I love squash, but 38 bags of frozen squash, not so much.
Consider Raised Beds or Container Gardening.
We are single moms with colossal time constraints! This method might work best for you.
And this way, you can control where it is, the type of dirt used, and the weeding needed. This is a well-written article from The Spruce:
15 Raised Bed Garden Design Ideas (thespruce.com)
Here is a link to bag gardening from Nutrena Scoop from the Coop:
Upcycle your empty feed bags #2 – Garden Planter Tutorial | The Scoop from the Coop
Throw In a Few Flowers That You Love!
Every year, I grow fancy Morning Glories! My mom loved Morning Glories, which is nostalgic for me. I also grow four O’clocks because of my Great Aunt Dee. She had a beautiful garden of 4 o’clock.
In Conclusion.
These are the things that I have learned with experience. I hope these simple steps to starting a garden will give you food for thought and a place to start! It is okay; that is a little chaotic and messy! Taking that first step is big enough!
You may find additional on this site here:
Winter garden preparations – Gardening (singlemomoutwest.com)
