Tip#1: Plan in advance
Plan your garden in the winter to ensure summer success. Decide what you’d like to grow. How much space can you devote to the project? How much time are you willing to spend? Answering these questions will help you to determine your priorities.
For those with small spaces (or small ambitions), a container garden is an excellent choice. Containers can also supplement a traditional garden, providing a handy pot of herbs just outside the kitchen door, an experimental area for kids to grow their own produce, and allowing tender plants to be moved according to the season.
Herbs grown from left-over seeds
Others might consider building a raised bed to use for square-foot gardening. Square-foot gardening allows you to maximize food production in a minimum of space.
Tip#2: Start small
When planning your garden, it’s better to start too small than to start too large. Please read that sentence again. In order to enjoy your garden, you must be able to control it. Don’t get too ambitious. It’s better to start small and to expand a little every year.
When planning your garden, it’s better to start too small than to start too large. Please read that sentence again. In order to enjoy your garden, you must be able to control it. Don’t get too ambitious. It’s better to start small and to expand a little every year.
Tip#3: Choose productive plants
Some plants are more productive than others.
Some plants are more productive than others.
If you want a rewarding, productive garden, do some research to find out what grows well in your area. In the U.S., one excellent resource is your state’s extension office. Here’s the Oregon State Extension Service gardening site, for example.
Tip #4: Share with others
When you buy a packet of seeds, you generally receive more than you need. It’s fun (and frugal) to split the costs with others. Have your group of gardening buddies, negotiating who will share seeds with whom.
When you buy a packet of seeds, you generally receive more than you need. It’s fun (and frugal) to split the costs with others. Have your group of gardening buddies, negotiating who will share seeds with whom.
You can also share equipment with the neighbors. Careful borrowing and lending helps keep everybody’s costs down.
Tip #5: Buy quality tools
When you buy tools, it pays to purchase quality. Remember: thrift and frugality are about obtaining value for your dollar — not just paying the cheapest price.
When you buy tools, it pays to purchase quality. Remember: thrift and frugality are about obtaining value for your dollar — not just paying the cheapest price.
Tip #6: Read up on the subject
Your public library will have many books on the subject, some tailored to your location. There are also many excellent web sites that can help you get started. Here are some useful resources:
Your public library will have many books on the subject, some tailored to your location. There are also many excellent web sites that can help you get started. Here are some useful resources:
Books
- The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible by Edward C. Smith
- Square-Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew — highly recommended
- Crops in Pots by Bob Purnell
- The Bountiful Container by Rose Marie Nichols McGee and Maggie Stuckey — another great book
- Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades by Steve Solomon — for those in the Pacific Northwest
Websites
- You Grow Girl, a blog about gardening
- GardenWeb, “the internet’s garden and home community”
- Garden Guides: Guide to container gardening
- Journey to Forever: Building a square-foot garden This is an excellent tutorial!
- Kitchen Gardeners International
Suppliers
- Gardens Alive!, for “environmentally responsible products that work” — this is where we buy our fertilizer
- Territorial Seed Company — this is where we buy most of our seeds
- Totally Tomatoes — this is where we buy our tomato seeds
Past articles at GRS
- Gardening 101: Plan today for summer success
- The year-long GRS project: How much does a garden really save?
- An introduction to square-foot gardening
- Gardening in small spaces
Tip #7: Have fun!
Most importantly, have fun. Don’t make gardening into more work than it needs to be. Your garden doesn’t need to be perfect. It’s great if you’re able to achieve a substantial return on your investment, but it’s also okay if you lose a little money. (You don’t want to lose a lot of money, though — then you’re caught in the predicament of the American farmer.)
Most importantly, have fun. Don’t make gardening into more work than it needs to be. Your garden doesn’t need to be perfect. It’s great if you’re able to achieve a substantial return on your investment, but it’s also okay if you lose a little money. (You don’t want to lose a lot of money, though — then you’re caught in the predicament of the American farmer.)
Pick a favorite fruit or vegetable, plant a few seeds, and have fun watching them grow to maturity. Make it a family thing.
http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2009/01/11/7-tips-for-starting-your-own-vegetable-garden/
http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2009/01/11/7-tips-for-starting-your-own-vegetable-garden/
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