Tips from Olle Garden Bed: Planting Your First Garden: A Beginner's Guide

So you decide to plant a vegetable garden. Congratulate! You have made an excellent choice with far-reaching benefits. The following content also has some reference value for raised garden beds.

You can not only get cheap sources of fresh vegetables, but also completely control the way crops are grown - so they can be as organic and natural as you like.

You can also plant extra cans and freezes, and make your own jam, jelly, pickles, and preserves - this is a good way to extend the essence of the garden (and food budget) to winter.

Most importantly, working with soil and plants is a good stress buster. This is one of the easiest activities to practice mindfulness, and working with Earth is a natural antidote to anxiety and worry.

Research even shows that children who are gardening eat more fruits and vegetables. They also scored higher in the scientific achievement test, and significantly improved important life skills, such as self understanding and teamwork - these are good reasons for children to participate!

Obviously, vegetable fields have many positive benefits.

In order to give you the best start, in this article, we will introduce how to choose the location, the basic tools you need, how to prepare garden beds, plant selection, companion plants, successful planning, sowing, watering, weeding, fertilization, small space gardens and vegetable containers.

Let's turn the turf!

Select your plot

If you are new to gardening, you'd better start small.

Preparing the soil and planting is only the first step to a good harvest. As spring and summer progresses, your garden will need to be weeded, watered, and maintained – all of which will take time and effort. To prevent being overwhelmed, start with the manageable plot of you and your schedule. An area as low as 8x8 feet will provide 64 square feet of workspace, which is enough to produce good output -- and maintaining it will not take up every minute of your free time.

A horizontal area that receives six to eight hours of sunlight per day is ideal. It should also be sheltered from the wind and easily accessible to water sources such as faucets.

Basic knowledge of garden tools

Some basic tools will prepare you for your first effort. As your expertise develops, you can add special projects to the tool shed.

In order to obtain the best value, please invest in sophisticated tools made of high-quality materials suitable for your size and construction.

A round nosed shovel used for digging.
Fork for turning and loosening soil.
Steel bow harrow for cleaning and leveling.
A hoe or cultivator used for weeding.
Hand spatula or spatula and hand cultivator for transplanting and weeding.
Garden hoses and nozzles, or watering cans.
You will soon appreciate these additional features:
Gardening gloves with nitrile coated palms and fingers.
The bypass shear is used for trimming and cutting.
Sharp scissors or garden knives for harvesting and pruning.
A tool kit for carrying your gear, seeds, and hand tools.
A unicycle used to transport turf, soil and compost.
Lightweight gardening bag for collecting leaves, weeds and grass scraps.
A kneeling pad to save your knees.
A weed torch, save your back.
A tool kit for carrying your gear, seeds, and hand tools.

A unicycle used to transport turf, soil and compost.
Lightweight gardening bag for collecting leaves, weeds and grass scraps.
A kneeling pad to save your knees.
A weed torch, save your back.

Don't forget to take the time to maintain your new shiny tool.

Scarifying

If your vision is good, pace your garden area and place four stakes in each corner you plan to allocate.

If you need a clearer boundary, use a tape measure to measure the area, and then mark the perimeter with stakes and ropes.

Next, start digging.

Square nosed shovels can be used to create equal sections in a grid pattern. Then, use a fork to lift the sod from each part and shake out the soil. Discard the turf or use it to build any low areas in the yard.

To prevent the invasion of weeds and grass, you can install plastic or metal edges around them - the deeper, the better.

Using a fork or pointed shovel, dig deep and turn the soil to a depth of at least 12 inches, preferably 18 to 24 inches.

Remove any rocks, tree roots and other debris and decompose the soil as it progresses.

Once the soil is turned over, cleaned, and aerated, spread two inches of organic material, such as compost or rotting manure, on top of it, and then put it into the soil.

Finish your preparation by leveling and raking the surface until it has a uniform and fine texture.

Plant selection

Now, it's time to get into one of the really interesting parts!

To know how much inventory to buy and allocate enough space, you need to determine the approximate yield of each plant. Remember, if you want to keep any of your gains, you need to buy some extra items.

Once you know what you want to plant, refer to the planting chart for your area and planting area. This will help determine which vegetables can be sown directly, which seedlings can be started at home, and which seedlings must be picked up in the nursery.

For small plots and containers, select the species labeled "Shrub", "Compact" or "Short". Select resistant strains and, if possible, cross sectional varieties with different maturity dates to extend the growth season.

Print out the planting date, frost date and agricultural cold resistant area information in your area, such as information in the United States and Canada, and then refer to them for planning.

Plan your layout

Draw a rough blueprint with pencil and paper to guide your planting.

Check seed packs for information about lighting requirements, spacing, scatter, and height, and then mark their location on the sketch.

It is better to place tall plants and plants that need support (such as beans, corn, peas and tomatoes) on the north side of the garden bed, so that they will not cover shorter plants.

Remember, the sun travels from east to west, and all your plants need sunshine.

Companion planting

Companion planting is the practice of using complementary plants to provide natural pest control, potentially improve flavor, and attract important pollinators into the garden.

Marigold is among the best in pest protection and can be planted freely in the whole garden.

It is said that planting basil near tomatoes can improve their taste, while lettuce likes to be close to the protection of onions and radishes.

Oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme and other flowering herbs can drive away many pests and act like a bee magnet. This is important for any fruit or vegetable that requires pollination to produce fruit, such as beans, cucumbers, melons, peas, peppers, and tomatoes.

Sowing seeds

It is best to start planting seedlings or nurseries on cloudy days to minimize the impact of transplantation. If this is not possible, be sure to plant in the morning when the weather is cool.

Sprinkle a pinch of bone powder in each planting hole, place the plant in place, and gently collect the soil around each stem. Firm the soil, but do not pack it, and then use a soft water shower to precipitate the seedlings.

To sow, follow the instructions on the seed package for sowing depth and spacing requirements, firmly place the soil in place, and gently water it.

If any of your vegetables need to be pledged, please set up stakes as soon as possible to prevent damage to the roots of growing plants.

Remember to make room for late season hot food lovers such as lettuce, salad vegetables and cucumbers, melons, peppers and tomatoes.

Maintain

For best results, you need to keep the garden bed free of weeds and provide adequate irrigation and fertilization.

Watering

The seedlings are very tender and need to be touched gently when watering.

Use the "shower" setting on the hose nozzle to water the soil around the plant to avoid leaves and immature stems.

The best time to water is in the morning, because early watering provides plants with the water they need in hot weather and makes them easier to absorb nutrients from the soil.

Watering in the hot afternoon sun will have an impact on the seedlings and cause the tender leaves to burn.

Watering at night should also be avoided, because under the cool night temperature, too much water left on the leaves will promote plant diseases, such as wetness and powdery mildew.

To save time and ensure that your plants get water when they need it, buy soaking hoses to water you - they are cheap and take time-consuming tasks out of your plate.

Apply fertilizer

Once the plant is four to six weeks old, you can start fertilizing it.

For light feeders, such as green leafy vegetables and root vegetables, follow the recommendations of seed packs and nurseries to understand the frequency and intensity.

For heavy feeders, such as beets, corn, tomatoes and brassica (broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower), top dressing of decomposed manure or compost is a popular supplement - as well as regular water soluble fertilizer feeding.

Weed

If you persist in weeding, it is easy to deal with - even 20 minutes every day or two can help control these persistent growers.

To quickly and easily remove weeds and their roots, pull them by hand, use a manual cultivator, or gently hoe when the soil is wet.

If the soil is too dry, the green top usually breaks off, allowing the roots to regrow.

Weeds in the access road can be quickly dispatched by the weed torch. Alternatively, you can lay some paving stones or bark mulch to prevent weeds from entering the path.

Suitable for small spaces

Preparations require more initial effort, but once planted, less watering, fertilizer, and weeding are required.

Double digging creates deep, loose, and fragile soil, allowing the roots to grow deeper than normal, to a depth of about three feet. This means that vegetables can be grown more closely together, and this increase in plant density will result in two to five times higher than an ordinary bed of the same size.

In a typical garden bed, the roots hit a hard pan about 12 inches deep, which causes them to spread laterally. This lateral growth leads to competition for water and food, which means that plants need to be further spaced to ensure that they all get enough nutrition and water.

Raised garden beds

You can also create a permanent raised garden beds by purchasing a kit or building your own kit.

Utensils

Of course, if your space is more limited, or you only want to grow a small amount of fresh vegetables, containers are the best choice for all kinds of vegetables.

Carrots, beets, vanilla, collards, peppers, potatoes, radishes, salad vegetables, onions, spinach and strawberries are skilled container growers.

When choosing containers, make sure they are the right size for the container you plan to grow - you need a deeper potato pot than parsley!

Look for varieties marked "bush", "compact" or "short". As the name implies, these varieties are smaller when they mature, making them a wise choice for flowerpots and flowerpots - especially for deeply dug vegetables, such as carrots - or tomatoes, which can produce top heavy fruits.

The soil of the container needs to be rich in organic materials to ensure proper nutrition within the limited range of the planter. It shall also be modified by mixing light materials such as perlite or peat to prevent compaction, supply aeration and retain moisture.

Vegetable cans also need good drain holes, with plenty of drain material at the bottom - one or two inches deep, depending on the size of the container.

When growing in containers, you must also fertilize more frequently, but dilute the intensity. Use compost tea, fish lotion or water soluble fertilizer diluted with water, with the intensity of half or one-third, and apply it every 10-14 days.

Since the soil in the container also dries faster than the ground, make sure it remains moist, but not oversaturated.

Start a garden diary

Garden diary is a convenient planning tool.

It can help you track weather data, repeated planting, plant rotation, which are effective and which are not.

You can also write down ideas you want to try in different seasons or next year, make sketches, plan gardens and collect inspirational clips.

Pick up a simple binder to start, and then add a beautiful diary to your wish list - family members will love this great gift idea!

Harvest returns

You can't say too much good to the vegetable garden.

Of course, they made a lot of efforts. But the happiness and satisfaction they bring is priceless. When you reap the delicious and nutritious rewards of your efforts, you will forget all the work!

For maximum enjoyment, please keep your plot size controllable. First, use the planting map to plan, and master the maintenance work such as watering, feeding and weeding. Involve children - they love gardens too!