You’ve decided that you want to start your own garden, Congratulations!

Before you begin a garden it helps to know what growing zone you’re in. This will help you to determine which plants are better suited for your area, and when it is safe to start your plants.

You can go to the National Gardening Association’s website to find the USDA Hardiness Zone Map.

The next thing that you need to do is select a site, a vegetable garden will need a site that gets at least six hours of sun per day, 4 or 5 is ok, but the more the better!

You’ll need to prepare the soil; this is the most important part of growing. Most all soils will need help with fertility. I recommend getting a soil test before you start to prepare your soil, you will get a report on the soil and which nutrients need to be adjusted to balance your soil. A well balanced soil will produce healthier plants that will produce superior vegetables in greater amounts!

Tests can be obtained at County Extension Agencies, or professional labs such as A&L labs in Modesto California, please check our Soil Testing Post for more info.

Start by tilling the area you have planned for your garden.

Remove any clumps of grass. Spread any amendments that you need as per your soil test, and add compost and or well composted manure. Do not add more than you can incorporate into your soil with your tiller. Remember, it will take several years of working your soil to achieve perfect soil, don’t try to do too much at one time.

Another option is growing in containers if you don’t have room for a garden, we have been growing Tomatoes, Peppers, Onions, Eggplant and more in containers very successfully for years, We currently have Tomato plants in 20 gallon containers that are over 7 ft tall, 4 ft wide and loaded with fruit!

The goal is similar to preparing soil, you need to prepare a soil that will drain well, allow air to the roots. The biggest mistake is going out and buying a bag of potting mix and packing it down into the containers. The roots need to breathe and the soil needs to drain.

We use a mixture of Peat, Perlite, and pine bark mulch to create the necessary air pockets, along with a small amount of dry organic granular fertilizer, Garden Lime to supply calcium, magnesium and raise the ph, and a few organic feeder packs per container.  Our plants have been some of the healthiest plants that we’ve seen.

Growing your own garden is very rewarding; we start all of our seedlings from seed indoors about 6-8 weeks before the last frost. This is a very simple process, but, if you prefer, you can buy most any plant at your local garden center.

Schedule plantings around the two main growing seasons which vary by region: cool (spring and fall) and warm (summer). Common cool-season vegetables include beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, lettuce, peas, potatoes, radishes, spinach and turnips. Warm-season crops include beans, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, melons, peppers, pumpkins, squash and tomatoes.

Make sure that you give yourself plenty of room between plants, my tip for a new gardener: mark out the room that you want to give each plant, then double it Make sure you give tomatoes 4 ft between each plant, we learned the heard way!

When you know there’s no chance of a late frost, you can plant melons, squash, cucumbers and beans. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, pumpkins and basil can also be planted at this time. When you plant corn, set out at least four short rows rather than one long row because they pollinate properly that way. You’ll also want to use poles or trellises for beans. Tomatoes, peppers and eggplant are best transplanted or purchased as plants prior to setting them in your garden.

Once your plants are transplanted, you will need to care for them daily. Container gardens need to be watered daily. You will need to fertilize your plants at least once a week, and check daily for any signs of insects or disease.

If you follow this, you will be on your way to eating the freshest veggies available!