If the soil in your garden doesn’t drain well, water will puddle at the roots and can cause root rot. To make it easier to garden, pick a location that’s level and doesn’t have trees or shrubs that you’d have to work around. Some vegetables like radishes, turnips, and beets can do fine with closer to 6 hours of sunlight, but the more sunlight the better!
If you don’t have space for an in-ground garden, don’t give up! You could plant herbs in containers or set up raised beds for vegetables if you’ve got patio space. If you have some gardening experience and want a larger garden, aim for a garden that’s 300 to 500 square feet (28 to 46 m2).
If you’re still unsure about what to grow, think about the produce that you buy every week. If you go through a lot of lettuce or zucchini, give them a try! Practice companion planting to keep pests away—grow fragrant marigolds throughout your garden, especially near cabbages or melons to keep beetles away.
Use recommended spacing as a guide for your garden layout. For example, plants like okra need 3 feet (0. 91 m) of space between their rows. You could alternate rows of onions between the okra since onions only need a minimum of 1 foot (0. 30 m) of space between them.
Gardening gloves to protect your hands from calluses or splinters. Fertilizer for improving the soil or compost to enrich the soil. A sprinkler for hands-off watering or a hose to water larger gardens. A ruler to measure planting depth and space. A string and stakes to support tall or trailing plants like beans or cucumbers. Fencing supplies to keep out garden pests. A garden notebook to track what you planted and how it did.
Plan on using 1 pound (450 g) of fertilizer for every 100 square feet (9. 3 m2) of soil. Most vegetables will be fine if you fertilize at the start of the growing season.
Beans, cantaloupes, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, okra, peppers, pumpkins, southern peas, squash, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and watermelons.
Beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, collards, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard, onions, peas, potatoes, radishes, rutabagas, spinach, Swiss chard, and turnips.
Keep in mind that seeds aren’t planted very deep because they need to get sunlight as soon as they germinate. If you prefer to have straight rows of seeds, use your ruler to mark straight rows. Then, drag your finger lightly through the soil to make a very shallow indentation. Place your seeds in the rows and cover them with the soil.
It’s best to water during the day, so water can evaporate from the leaves.
If you have trouble with wildlife in your yard, put up a fence around your garden to keep pests out.
