With the rising cost of food and everything else, there are many things that we can do to avoid spending more. One such way is to learn how to do vegetable gardening.
Even if you are not well-versed in gardening or planting vegetables, there are things that you can do and learn to start growing them in your backyard. There are also so many benefits that you can get from vegetable gardening.
Check out the guide below to learn more about the easy vegetable gardening tips for beginners.
Benefits of Vegetable Gardening for Beginners
One of the major benefits of vegetable gardening for beginners is it saves you tons of money, especially if you like eating vegetables.
Growing your own vegetables means that you cut down on buying them from grocery stores and markets now that you have one in your backyard.
You also get to live a healthier life now that you have easy access to vegetables that are good for you.
If you have kids, you can also teach them to live a healthy life and introduce vegetables into their diet to keep them healthy.
Tip #1 – Choose the Perfect Spot for Your Vegetables
Most vegetables thrive when they are grown in the most ideal spot, and the perfect spot is where the plants receive full sunlight.
You can also place your vegetable garden where it can receive at least 6 hours of sunlight if you have a limited area in your home.
Before you decide, observe which area of your home is exposed to sunlight for a long period and see if it is suitable for starting a vegetable garden.
You also need to check if it is exposed to animals or the elements.
Tip #2 – Pick Vegetables That are Easy to Grow
With so many vegetables to choose from, it can be very easy to be tempted by what to grow in your vegetable garden.
The first rule is to start small and grow a few selected vegetables in small patches. Let this be your trial and error phase. Additionally, grow what you love to eat.
This will give you the motivation you need to take good care of your vegetables and your overall garden. Lastly, try to pick vegetables that are very easy to grow.
Some of these include lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, peas, green beans, and beets.
Tip #3 – Understand How Fertilizers Work
Before you start gardening and adding more vegetables, you should know the importance of fertilizers and how they work.
You often see crops and vegetables that do not bear enough yield, and that’s because of the lack of nutrients from the soil.
Fertilizers work to enhance the nutritional value of the soil that you use when growing vegetables.
While it does help with the overall growth of the vegetables, you should still be careful about the amount of fertilizers you add to the soil, as it can also have detrimental effects that cause oversaturation of nutrients.
Tip #4 – Planting at the Right Time
Certain vegetables thrive in a humid environment, while others grow fully during the cold season.
Vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, leeks, spinach, and many others grow well in cool weather. Meanwhile, peppers, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and others thrive in the hot and humid summer months.
This is the reason why you need to plant at the right time, depending on the kind of vegetables that you want. Learn how each vegetable grows and how it thrives in certain environments and conditions.
Planting at the right time also gives you time to schedule when you’re going to harvest them and when you can start planting the next batch of vegetables.
Tip #5 – Deep Watering is Better Than Frequent Watering
When it comes to watering your vegetables, there are certain kinds of vegetables and crops that thrive in more water than others.
There is also a big difference between frequent watering and deep watering. Deep watering means that you allow the water to seep through the soil until it reaches the deep layers where the roots are.
This is very beneficial, especially for those who do not have enough time to monitor their garden 24/7.
Deep watering is much better than frequent watering as it also prevents pests and molds from growing, especially when unattended.
Tip #6 – Avoid Overcrowding Your Garden
One major factor in keeping your garden clean, safe, and thriving is when you allow your vegetables to grow properly.
This means that there is proper spacing between plants so that they have enough room to extend their roots and have as much nourishment from the soil as possible.
Avoid overcrowding your garden, especially with larger vegetables that have big leaves. These often cast shadows on your smaller vegetables, preventing them from getting proper sunlight.
An overcast can also become a breeding ground for massive infestations, as it collects moisture from the humidity. You’ll end up having to clean your garden of weeds, molds, mushrooms, and other pests.
Tip #7 – Look for Possible Problems
Speaking of infestations, there are tons of problems in your vegetable garden that you should be aware of or you should take notice of.
Pests and many other diseases can start overnight, and it is up to you to continually monitor each vegetable in your garden.
You might find your vegetable green and healthy one day, and the next thing you know, it is riddled with bugs and molds. You might also be dealing with oversaturation of the soil, which causes yellowing of the plants.
Check out all the products that you can use to prevent these problems from happening or resolve them the moment they appear.
Conclusion
Starting your journey in vegetable gardening as a beginner can be quite daunting, especially if you have no idea what to do. Fortunately, there are many great sources that you can find online to help you with starting your own vegetable garden. Make sure to keep in mind the easy vegetable gardening tips for beginners mentioned above to help avoid disastrous mistakes and let you enjoy the benefits.
