If you are deciding that you want to grow your own garden, good for you. There are many advantages to it. Fruits and vegetables grown in your own backyard are healthier and more convenient than the store-bought alternative. You can control what comes in contact with your food and can benefit from the additional nutrients. However, growing your own garden takes a lot of work to even build one and dedication to maintain one. So to help you out with starting your own garden, here are some things you need to consider before starting one.
Plan Out What You Want To Garden And Start Slowly
If you are a new to self-gardening, consider starting off with the easier grown vegetables such as strawberries or tomatoes. Many people tend to get overly confident and start growing every fruit to vegetable they enjoy. Many of these people do not consider different care methods for their plants and end up with a bunch of dead plants. Consider staying away from vegetables that require a lot of space and special care like carrots and corn. Unless you have a huge field to grow corn, you might end up spending just as much to grow it than you would have buying from the store.
If there are certain fruits and vegetables you tend to favor over others, research those first. You do not want to waste garden space on things you won’t even end up eating.
Choose A Good Location
The location of your garden is essential to its success. Pick a spot where the plants will get at least six or seven hours of sunlight throughout the day. Also, make sure plenty of water is accessible nearby. You may want to consider buying a rain barrel to store the rainwater. This is a good method to avoid the expenses on your water bill.
Bed And Soil
When building a garden bed, you should consider building a raised bed. This way, you can control the nutrient mixtures and the soil itself. A successful garden begins with healthy soil. When you shop, make sure to look for contaminate-free soil. Add organic matter such as animal manure to the soil for its nutrients and water retention characteristics. Other organic matter can include compost or leaf moss. Be sure to have the soil prepared the best you can before planting your garden if you want to see large healthy vegetables.
Keep Your Garden Protected
Wild animals are everywhere and are always searching for food. There are many methods to keeping scavengers away from your garden. Some of the most popular methods are raised beds and wire around the garden. Raised beds will deter smaller animals such as rabbits and gofers away. But if you live in an area where you might see deer or other larger animals, you may want to consider building a wired fence around your garden.
Find Out What Ideal Vegetables And Fruits To Farm
Different types of plants will thrive in different locations due to weather and soil conditions. If you are acquainted with any other local self-gardeners or farmers, you should consider finding out what they have planted and what successes and failures they have experienced.
