The basics for success in any garden are sun, soil, and water. Most vegetables and fruit thrive with 6-8 hours of direct sun each day. Since sunlight is required for photosynthesis—the way plants make food–make sure the plants are exposed to as much as possible. Soil that drains quickly and is nutrient rich is critical, as is water in the right amount—generally, 1-inch per week whether from rain or watering. If you master these 3 things, you’ll be off to a great start.
Before you begin planning your garden, you should decide what you’d like to grow.
Tomatoes,
peppers,
lettuces,
potatoes, and
onions are popular choices and relatively easy to grow. But everyone has their favorites, some which require advanced skill. Do a little research and know what goes into growing your favorites before starting. Here’s a list of
12 easy vegetables for your first garden.
Here Comes the Sun
Pardon the Beatles reference, but before you start your garden, you must know the path of the sun over your property. You’ll want to take note of where the day’s first rays of sunlight dance across your lawn, objects like trees or walls that cast shadows (don’t plant there), and how late in the day direct sun still lights the proposed garden area. As mentioned above, you need 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily on your vegetable patch, preferably from dawn until late afternoon. Early morning light is preferred, as it warms the soil quickly and dries wet foliage early in the day, which really cuts down on the potential for disease. Direct sunlight means light contacting the leaves of the plant, not ambient light. Your best results will be in an area that receives light all day, but some late afternoon shade (after 4 PM assuming the garden is lit at sunrise) is beneficial in hot summers or during droughts.
Garden Bed Design and Direction
Will you be flat earth gardening or using raised garden beds? If you’re one of the few who are blessed with
perfect soil (dark and “loamy”—drains easily and is an earthy brown color), flat earth gardening should be fine. But if you live in an
urban landscape or on top of hard clay soil, raised beds are the way to go. (You can also build raised beds on top of concrete areas.) If you want to learn how to build a raised bed easily, see my post on
building raised beds.
For serious DIY-types, look here. I suggest using Cedar planks for the sides of your raised beds as they’ll last 10 years or more due to Cedar’s natural ability to resist rot (much of the wood will be perpetually wet on the inside). For optimal growing, position the raised bed on a south-facing axis perpendicular to the path of the sun. This orientation makes best use of direct sunlight all day and limits plant shadows inside the garden bed. This is not absolutely necessary, but it is optimal.
Soil is Critical
For flat earth gardens, know the quality of your soil before beginning. Vegetables and fruit all prefer quick-draining soil with plenty of organic material. If your soil is dark brown, free of rocks, and water doesn’t pool in it after raining, it might be good for growing. Ultimately, only a soil test will tell you for sure, but good indicators are: a dark brown color, it doesn’t stick together in your hand when wet, and it has a nice, earthy smell.
