Happy Thursday pretty friends! If you follow me on Snapchat or Instagram you have seen that I like to post about mommy life and my vegetable garden! My husband and I really enjoy working on our garden and sharing updates with you. With summer almost here, our garden gets bigger and bigger each day. So far we have planted tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, lettuce, arugula, cilantro, mint, peppers and spinach. We’ve been enjoying most of the greens already and are finally getting some tomatoes and strawberries!
I’ve gotten a lot of questions about my garden so I thought I’d write a little post about it! Keeping a vegetable garden is really not a lot of work so don’t be intimidated by it. Follow these easy steps and you’ll be growing delicious, fresh vegetables like us!
Step 1: Pick a Spot
This is the first step and a very crucial one because it will determine what type of plants you can have. Most vegetable and fruit plants require A LOT of sun. This is something I underestimated in the past but you ideally want a spot that gets sun all day long. Also, pick a spot that’s relatively close by so you’re more likely to tend to it on a daily basis.
Step 2: Buy the Right Raised Bed
Raised bed comes in a lot of different sizes. Cedar is great because it has no added chemicals and is naturally rot resistant! You can order one HERE from Amazon or you can pick one up at Home Depot when you go buy the rest of your supplies. They aren’t very expensive so buy more than one if you want a large garden! We started with one but are going to go buy another one this weekend because our plants are getting out of control!
Step 3: Prep the Soil
THE most important step. We used a mixture of generic top soil and raised bed soil (both available at local home and garden center). Don’t forgot to grab a bag of starter fertilizer to promote good root development. This Miracle Grow is also a great add on!
Step 4: Plan out the Space and Buy the Plants
Make sure you leave enough room between plants. This will prevent overcrowding once they reach full size. Recommend at least 2 feet between large, bushy plants like tomatoes. Smaller plants like herbs or greens can be planted closer. If you decide to grow cucumbers try keep in mind that they are a vine plant. They tend to spread rapidly and can easily take over a raised bed if not given enough room. If space is an issue try growing them vertically on a trellis or along a fence line.
Also, incorporate a few flowering plants into your garden to attract bumble bees! These little helpers will pollinate your fruits and vegetables!
Step 5: Time to Plant
Whether your growing from seeds or small plants always follow the instructions given on the seed packet or container. Be sure to pay attention to the amount of sun needed and how big the full grown plants will be. Gently tease the roots and dig out a hole slightly bigger than the container. Cover back up with good soil and you’re all set!
Step 6: Water
The last step will be to simply water your plants. All plants have different watering requirements so be sure to check the proper watering amount for each one in your garden. For example tomato plants will require more water than kale or spinach. We typically water the raised garden bed 1-2 times per day unless it rains. Then we late nature take its course!
Please feel free to email me if you have any questions along the way! Happy gardening!
Xo,
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