Keep in mind that I live in the Pacific Northwest. I can't guarantee any of it will work for people in other parts of the world.
The most important thing, in my opinion, is to realize that about 85% of gardening is completely out of your control. You can do everything right and then have a family of voles take up residence in your potato patch and quietly eat 3/4's of your crop (that happened to me two summers ago). Or a late frost can kill the fruit that just set on your peach tree (last spring we had no peaches). So you have to have the mindset "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." Gardening is mostly about hope and faith.
Starting in February
1. Pick the location - You need 8 hours of sunlight per day from April to September for most garden plants. Don't pick a shady location. Some tree pruning may help.
2. Raised bed - I recommend only doing raised beds when you start gardening. This way you can add the best soil and not worry about the conditions of the ground (pH, contaminants, etc.)
3. Sizing - Your raised bed should be a maximum of 4 feet wide and as long as you want. 4 feet lets you reach the middle of the bed. Make the beds about 12-18 inches deep so you can grow carrots.
4. Plot it out - Use some wooden stakes and string and plot out where your raised bed(s) is going to go.
5. Weed barrier - To kill the grass under the raised bed and prevent weeds from popping up, cover the plotted area in cardboard or 5 layers of newspaper (black-and-white print only).
6. Build it - Build the frames using 2x8 lumber attached to 4x4 posts. See the diagram below. Cedar is naturally resistant to rot. 7. Add soil - Purchase a really, really good raised bed mix from your local nursery. Don't skimp on price - better soil will last longer. A little math is required to figure out how much you need. For a 4 ft x 4 ft bed that is 12 inches deep, you need 1/2 cubic yard of soil.
Before You Plant - March
1. First time raised bed - Early in March, the bed should be full of soil and settled by the rain. Smooth it out with a rake before you start planting.
2. Established beds - Each year after the first you need to amend the soil to keep it healthy. You can add compost, chicken poop, coffee ground to add nutrients. After a few years, you will probably need to add a layer of new purchased soil. Early in March, work the soil with a shovel to turn the compost/soil in, loosen the soil and get air down.
planting, get metal triangle trellis based on what you expect to grow and decide where they will fit in your raised bed. I prefer metal triangle trellises because they hold up year after year and can easily be moved.
What to Plant and When
1. Only plant things you like to eat. Zucchini is the easiest thing to grow - it's basically a weed. But if you hate zucchini then don't grow it. Same with radishes - so easy to grow but not everyone likes radishes. Below is information about lots of plants.
2. Plant stuff that will fit in the space you chose. Corn is a favorite vegetable but it needs to be grown in rows - 4 rows of about 10 plants per row, each row spaced 16 inches apart - that is a huge amount of space. For a first-time gardener, here is what I recommend you start with: peas, arugula, carrots, beets, cucumbers, sugar pumpkins, green beans, yellow summer squash or zucchini, tomatoes, green peppers, basil, rosemary and chives.
3. Flowers - It is important to include flowers in your garden to attract pollinating bugs like butterflies and bees. I prefer to keep my flowers out of my garden beds. I do hanging pots on fence posts and potted flowers around my patio.
4. Timing - This depends on the zone you live in and the zone is based on the last frost date. Look up your zone. Then Google "gardening in zone ..." to see when you can plant. Peas, dark greens (kale, spinach, arugula), broccoli, radishes are all cold-weather plants and can go in early. Tomatoes, bell peppers, summer squash are all warm weather plants and have to wait.
How to Plant
Each seed packet, on the back, will have recommendations about planting. For example, peas are planted in rows with each seed planted at 2 inches deep and 2 inches apart. After they sprout you thin to 4 inches apart. In contrast, zucchini needs about 2 feet between each plant. Use the information on the seep packet and draw how you plan to plant the bed.
Each seed packet, on the back, will have recommendations about planting. For example, peas are planted in rows with each seed planted at 2 inches deep and 2 inches apart. After they sprout you thin to 4 inches apart. In contrast, zucchini needs about 2 feet between each plant. Use the information on the seep packet and draw how you plan to plant the bed.
A 4 ft x 4 ft bed could have two tomato plants (they each need about 2 feet of space), a row of green onions, a row of arugula, a row of radishes and a basil plant. This would be a great first garden!
Watering
You should water at 4am. Yes that is what I said, 4am. It's cool out so all the water goes to the plants and doesn't evaporate into the air. If you water at night the water will sit, not being used by the plants which aren't growing at night, and the soil will get all funguses and mossy.
Watering
You should water at 4am. Yes that is what I said, 4am. It's cool out so all the water goes to the plants and doesn't evaporate into the air. If you water at night the water will sit, not being used by the plants which aren't growing at night, and the soil will get all funguses and mossy.
Get a timer, unless you like getting up before the sun. The timer should have options of watering for 15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes. Starting in May or June, depending on when the rain lets up, I water every day. Starting at 15 minutes, I up the time until the water is running for 60 minutes in the heat of August. It should be noted, that drip watering is best because less water is wasted. But I use a sprinkler due to the size of my garden and all the hose I'd need to drip each plant. If you water from the top, you will probably get fungus on the leaves of winter squash, which don't like top watering. But it doesn't hurt the fruit.
Fertilizer
Feed your plants. When the seeds sprout and are the shoots are up a 2-3 inches, add some fertilizer. Use an all-natural, organic fertilizer and follow the instructions for how much to add. (Note - If you buy a high quality soil, then no fertilizer is needed the first year. But plan on fertilizing every year after that.)
Chemicals
I don't use any chemicals in my garden. The best way to keep everything healthy is to plant lots of variety, add plants that attract beneficial bugs, rotate every year and keep the soil healthy. To keep the deer and rabbits from nibbling on my food, I use "Liquid Fence" which is combination of natural ingredients. It smells horrible, but works great.
Feed your plants. When the seeds sprout and are the shoots are up a 2-3 inches, add some fertilizer. Use an all-natural, organic fertilizer and follow the instructions for how much to add. (Note - If you buy a high quality soil, then no fertilizer is needed the first year. But plan on fertilizing every year after that.)
Chemicals
I don't use any chemicals in my garden. The best way to keep everything healthy is to plant lots of variety, add plants that attract beneficial bugs, rotate every year and keep the soil healthy. To keep the deer and rabbits from nibbling on my food, I use "Liquid Fence" which is combination of natural ingredients. It smells horrible, but works great.
If aphids show up, I mix some dish soap (1 T) in water (4 c) and spray on the infected areas. It kills the aphids but doesn't hurt anything else. For slugs, the best bet is to cut them in-half. Totally disgusting, but very effective. Another option is to plant something the slugs like more than the veggies - such as marigolds. The marigolds get eaten but your veggies stay safe.The thing to remember is if you wouldn't want your child touching or eating the plants right after the anti-bug repellant is applied, then don't use it. Everything in your garden should be safe for kids and pets. Plus you don't want to kill beneficial bugs like ladybugs, butterflies and bees.
Weeds
I weed every single weekend. My garden is about 1,500 square feet of beds but I only for about 30 minutes total. I use a stirrup hoe to scrape the bare soil around my plants. Agitating the soil like this prevent weeds from growing. I pull out any weeds right around the seed sprouts. If you do this routinely, you'll have a very "clean" garden with no weeds competing with your food for light, water and nutrients. And you won't spend hours weeding. You can also add mulch, like grass clippings around the plants, to slow the weed growth. Make sure the mulch is free of chemicals - those chemicals will get into the plants that you are going eat.
Diagrams
Weeds
I weed every single weekend. My garden is about 1,500 square feet of beds but I only for about 30 minutes total. I use a stirrup hoe to scrape the bare soil around my plants. Agitating the soil like this prevent weeds from growing. I pull out any weeds right around the seed sprouts. If you do this routinely, you'll have a very "clean" garden with no weeds competing with your food for light, water and nutrients. And you won't spend hours weeding. You can also add mulch, like grass clippings around the plants, to slow the weed growth. Make sure the mulch is free of chemicals - those chemicals will get into the plants that you are going eat.
Diagrams
Here are some planting plans to get you going.
Plants to Start With
Arugula - This loose leaf green is perfect for salads. It is hearty and can be planted early in the season, with a second planting in the fall. Plant seeds in a row. Thin minimally. Cut when the leaves are about 4 inches long.
Basil - I love basil but in the Pacific Northwest it is hard to grow. It likes full sun and a lot of heat. In May, purchase a started plant at the nursey. Harvest frequently to promote extra growth. Grow a single plant in a 1 ft x 1ft area of the bed.
Beets - Beets are very easy to grow. Plant seeds in rows in March. Thin to 3 inches between each plant. Harvest when the each is about 2 inches in diameter. You can plant beets in early spring and do a second round in the summer.
Bell peppers - Bell peppers love heat. Buy started plants at the nursery in May. Plant 1 foot apart. Put a "tomato cage" around each to support the plant. Do not plant near tomatoes or you won't get any fruit.
Broccoli - I'm not a big fan of growing broccoli because it get's bugs and I don't use pesticides. However, it's easy to grow from seed in rows starting in April. Thin to 6 inches between plants. Note, if you don't harvest quickly, it will flower which is great for bees but not very tasty.
Carrots - Choose a nantes variety. In April, plant seeds in rows and thin to 2 inches between plants. Harvest when the top is about 1 inch in diameter. Harvest using a shovel to loosen the dirt around the plants before pulling up (or else the tops may break off leaving the veggie in the ground.)
Cucumber - There are many varieties. Start with a basic slicing cucumber. In May, plant seeds at the base of a trellis. Thin to 4 inches apart. (Help move the vines up the trellis if needed.)
Green beans - I prefer bush beans to pole beans because bush beans produce more fruit. Bush beans plant the seeds in rows and thin to 8 inches between plants. Pole beans plant at the base of a trellis and thin to 4 inches between plants. Plant in April or May.
Green onions - These will last all winter long. Plant seeds in April in rows. Thin to 1 inch between plants.
Peas - I love sugar snap peas right off the vine! Plant in March or April at the base of a trellis. Thin to 3 inches between plants.
Pumpkins - In raised beds, you only have room for small sugar pumpkins on a trellis. These are great for pies and soups. In May, plant seeds at the base of a trellis and thin to 4 inches between plants. Help the vines move up the trellis as needed.
Radishes - Very easy to grow. Plant early in March. Plant seeds in rows and thin to 1 inch between plants. Harvest when each is 1 inch in diameter.
Summer squash - These need about 2 ft of space all around but produce a lot of fruit. In May, plant 2-3 seeds in a small circle, then thin to 1 plant. Do 2 rounds so you have 2 plants that mature - this is needed for proper pollination.
Tomato - Tomatoes love heat. Buy started plants at the nursery in May. I recommend cherry tomatoes and Roma tomatoes to start with. Plant 2 feet apart. Put a "tomato cage" around each plant. Do not plant tomatoes near bell peppers or you won't get fruit.
Zucchini - See Summer Squash.
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