The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul.
Alfred Austin
When I started my first garden five or six years ago in our tiny backyard at our first home, I had no clue the grip that gardening would take on me. The pure joy I received from watching those seedlings sprout, to seeing that first tomato start blushing on the vine is indescribable. There have been many, many setbacks starting with forgetting to water, watering too much, and most recently, a mouse breaking into the greenhouse and feasting on seeds I had already planted. There are lessons to be learned in each setback, and I have kept moving forward… after threatening to quite about a hundred times. Ha!
With that being said, if you are starting your garden this year for the first time, I want to share some things I have learned over the past few years to help you be successful. Starting with, it’s already June so go ahead and buy starts or get some from some gardener friends. Most seeds are started weeks if not months before gardening season really kicks off. Next year, you can decide if you want to try your hand at seed starting or if buying plants already itching to get in the garden is more your style.
Where to Start
Probably one of the first decisions you need to make is what type of garden will you be planting. Do you have space to till and do an in ground garden or are you limited on space and think container gardening may be more your style? Raised beds are also a wonderful option, and one that we are slowly transitioning to over the next couple of years (more on that decision at a later date). Check out this post I did a while back on Container Gardens for some fun inspiration if you are leaning in the container direction.
The second big decision you need to make is how big will your garden be. I will be the first to admit that I regularly get carried away with how much I get started each spring, and this year is not different. My advice to you if this is your first garden is to start small, and then in the future if you feel the need to expand you can do so then. Gardening is a form of therapy and relaxation to many people, but don’t be fooled by the lure of the garden zen… it can get overwhelming very quickly and there is a large amount of work involved. The zen is there, it’s just accompanied by some not-so-zen.
Choosing What to Grow
First and foremost, not everything will grow well everywhere. There is a reason we don’t have banana trees and coconuts growing on the sides of the streets here in Western Washington. Disappointing for sure, but hey we have apples! When you are first starting out, it is best to know your growing zone, which can be found by visiting the USDA website. Once you determine your zone, you will be able to decide what will grow best for you and what will likely lead to disappointment.
My next bit of advice, and honestly the most important in my opinion, is to grow what your family eats. It makes zero sense to pour your heart and soul into growing eggplant if not a single member of your family enjoys eating eggplant. Trust me, I’ve done it. Not with eggplant, but with brussels sprouts… so many brussels sprouts.
My last little bit of wisdom when it comes to what you choose to grow is to know why you’re growing it. Do you plan on preserving and storing for the winter? If so you will need to grow far more than you may think. Is fresh eating throughout the growing season your goal? Then you will likely only need 1-2 plants of each variety that you choose to grow. I preserve through canning and freezing, and I started last year trying to put up enough to get us through the winter months so that I don’t have to purchase the things I can easily make from the store. Things such as pasta sauce, corn, green beans, carrots, peas, pickles, salsa, and jams and jellies. This requires me to grow large quantities and encourage my plants to produce high numbers of fruit throughout the summer.
Are You Ready?
When it is all said and done, just have fun with it! Yes, I am several years into this and I still have major failures. So do the professionals. It happens and Mother Nature is truly in charge. Right now as I type this I am looking out my window at some dead cucumber starts and wondering if I want to take the time to put seeds directly into the garden for round two and hope for the best, or just let it be what it is and not have cucumbers this season. Last year I had cucumbers coming out of my ears to the point I was giving them away and feeding them by the bucket full to my chickens. If you dive into gardening be prepared for seasons of abundance, but also be prepared for seasons of drought.
Start with a flexible plan, and then jump in and start learning! With any luck you’ll have some of the freshest, most delicious snacks along the way.
~Tara