Top 5 Tips for Beginning Gardeners

Gardening season is here! If you look forward to the gardening season, you're probably itching to get started! It's always so rewarding to harvest the vegetables that you have grown from the beginning as a seed or small plant.

Along with gardening season is also farming season! Gardeners and farmers are both seeking the warm weather ahead to get their crops in the ground. They both work the ground, plant the seeds, care for their crops, and harvest at the end of the season.

Gardening and row crop farming are comparable in several ways, the main one as a way of producing food. The overall goal with both gardening and farming is to grow. Thought and preparation are needed for a successful and bountiful harvest. Taking great care of the plants in the field or the plants in the garden are essential for the end result, the harvest!

Gardening and row crop farming both endure the same challenges such as weeds, diseases, and bugs they they might encounter within their crops.

Gardening and farming both take great care of the land and have the soil's health as a great interest.

Here are several basics for creating a successful vegetable garden.

1. How to Plan Your Vegetable Garden
Think about what vegetables or fruit you want to plant, are you wanting to just eat fresh from the garden or also wanting to can and freeze produce from your garden. This might make a difference on how much you want to grow. Pick out your location for your garden and buy seeds.

2. Starting Seeds Indoors
Growing your own plants from seeds is a great way to save money on your garden. Grow your own seeds indoors early in the year so they are ready to be planted when the weather is warm enough. There are a lot of seeds that do great with starting indoors, but keep in mind some also are best for direct sowing right in the ground at the beginning of the season.

3. Companion Planting in Your Garden
Companion planting is a simple concept. It is planting two or more plants together for a mutual benefit. Companion planting with vegetables can enhance quality and growth.

4. Easy Cold Weather Vegetables to Grow
You can extend your growing season by planting these cold weather crops in early Spring (as well as late Fall). The nice thing about cold weather vegetables is that they can be planted outside as soon as the ground can be worked. Cool weather vegetables are meant to be planted in cooler weather. So Spring and Fall. Plant in early Spring for spring harvest and late Summer for Fall harvest.

5. Mulching
A well mulched garden will save you hours of weeding. A good layer of mulch between rows and plants will shade the soil preventing sunlight to reach the weed seeds to germinate and grow. The mulching also helps the soil withhold moisture underneath.

Gardening is a great activity to get your kids involved with helping. It teaches them where their food comes from start to finish. Gardening with kids is a big part of our life as ours help us each season! Check out my gardening with kids series, about planting, about harvest, and benefits of gardening

To learn more tips about growing a few specific vegetables check out these posts:
Lettuce
Heirloom Tomatoes
Kohlrabi
Potatoes

If you aren't able to grow your own garden, a CSA is the next best thing!

This post is sponsored by Indiana Soybean Alliance, but all thoughts/opinions are my own.