There are so many positives to growing your own vegetables and herbs. You will certainly save money, and you will discover the joy of eating food that is picked and eaten on the same day. You will certainly notice a significant difference in the flavour of the food. You can also be certain of what you are eating, as you will know that there are no chemicals or additives in your food.
The first decision to make is the time of year to plant your vegetables. There are vegetables that should be planted in early spring, others that will be better in late spring, and more that prefer to grow in hot weather to be harvested in autumn/fall. Some can grow all year round for those gardeners lucky enough to live in tropical environments. This is very much a local decision and needs to be researched separately outside of this post.
Pick your location and choose your vegetables.
You should decide where you are going to start your first crop. If this is your first time growing vegetables, I would suggest starting small. Start with only a few different vegetables at the most to see if you are going to really enjoy doing this.
Find a spot that has at least 4 hours of direct sunlight per day, and plants such as lettuce, kale, spinach, and chives will do well. Root vegetables such as carrots, radishes, and beets will also tolerate around 4 hours of direct sunlight per day.
However, if you have a sun-drenched balcony or deck, that would be the ideal place to plant tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, or dill in pots.
Ultimately, plant vegetables that you and your family are going to eat and enjoy. The biggest mistake beginner gardeners often make is to plant too many vegetables out of enthusiasm, and then the garden becomes a chore rather than a pleasure. Remember, you can always add more plants if you find that you need more for next year.
Design and plan your garden.
The next decision to make is how you want your garden to look. This design will depend on how much space you have at your disposal. One of the easiest ways to plant vegetable garden beds is in rows with around 45 cm (18 in) of space between the rows. This will allow you to walk between the rows to weed or harvest the plants. But this does take up a lot of space.
If you are making raised garden beds, you can just as easily make the garden beds square and group multiple plants together. It is important to be careful which plants are placed in the same bed, however, as some can take over the space and crowd out others.
Have a look at the tags on the seedlings or the packets of seeds to see how much space a mature plant will need and plant accordingly. A rough guide is one mature plant per 30 cm (1 ft).
Choose your planters or garden beds.
Once you have worked out where you are going to plant your first crop of vegetables, it is important to think about your soil. There is no point in planting seedlings in poor soil. Sandy soil does not have enough nutrients whilst clay soil will not allow enough air pockets for the roots to grow.
Many local nurseries also provide a service to test the pH and nutrient level testing in your soil, but it is not vital. It is easy to create your garden bed by turning over the soil with a square spade to ensure the soil is aerated. This will also mean you can look closely at it to see what the soil is like underneath the top layer. I would always recommend adding a layer of mulch, or better yet, compost from your own kitchen to enrich your soil. Of course, it is easier if you are planting in pots as all you need is a really good potting mix.
You can also choose to create raised garden beds if your soil is really a problem, or for many other reasons. You just need to create the frames, line them with newspaper and straw then top them with a good quality soil.
If you are planning on growing vining vegetables/fruit (peas, passionfruit, raspberries, etc.) consider placing a bed against a fence or add a frame along the side of one of the garden beds to plant the vine plants to maximise your production in the space you have.
Plant your vegetables.
The next step is to decide if you are going to plant seeds or seedlings. Personally, I prefer to plant seedlings but there is a special joy in watching seeds sprout in seed-raising pots. The only difference is that the seed-raising pots mean that you must start earlier to not miss the main part of the growing season. So that one is up to you.
It is important to make sure your soil is ready to take the new seedlings when you plant them. It is also important to ensure you water them regularly for a few days. Water around the seedlings rather than directly onto the young plants to encourage the roots to seek out the moisture. This will help them to strengthen into mature plants.
At this stage, it is also worth thinking about which plants you are going to plant near each other. This is called Companion Planting and can save you money in the long run. For example, it is worth planting a few plants called Pyrethrum Daisy in and around your vegetable plant as this daisy is known to repel bugs. (In fact, Pyrethrum is the main ingredient in some of our ‘natural’ fly sprays here in Australia). It’s an attractive bush.
Feed and care for your vegetables
As your vegetables start growing well, it is important to keep feeding the plants regularly to encourage plenty of yield from the plants. You can use commercially available fertilizer or choose to use compost from your own kitchen which is far better for the plant as well as your budget.
Pick and enjoy!
