Gardening can be intimidating. You may not think you have a green thumb (I used to think I had a brown thumb), be unsure of how to start, or where to start. Plus, it also depends on the space you have. First, let's tackle the where to garden. Some of you may be in high rise apartments, homes, dorms, or out in the country. Regardless of where you live, you definitely can get a mini (or large) garden going. Here are a few ideas of where to plant...
Lacking space, but want an herb garden? Try planting your herbs in some tin cans or terra cotta pots. Make sure to poke holes on the bottom so water can leak out.
Not much ground to plant on or have a balcony? Try your hand at some metal containers or find a vintage wooden box and add some casters. Instant raised beds!
Got some ground? Then, plant straight in it. You might want to go to your local nursery to find out if there is anything you need to add to the soil to help get it ready for planting. We have really clay like dirt here so I had to buy good planting soil and mix it in to get my ground ready.
Are you ready to get serious and grow your own produce section? Make some raised beds (and maybe add some wheels to make it moveable). My husband made ours (we used this as a guide), but your local hardware store might have some ready made ones available. If you anticipate possibly having any gopher/mole problems, put a 1/4'' wire mesh on the bottom to protect your garden. We didn't do that in the beginning and started having problems a year later, so we had to take all the dirt out of each bed, put down the mesh, and put all the dirt back in. It was a good arm and back workout! We also have one raised bed with wheels so we can move it around.
We have grown tons of stuff... various herbs, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, swiss chard, carrots, tomatoes, strawberries, root vegetables, beets, peppers, and so much more. We have typically done a winter garden and a summer garden. We live in Southern California so we did research on books that were for our specified area. This book has been really helpful for us, but you might want to consult your local garden store for some resources based on your area. We are by no means professional gardeners. We make tons of mistakes and get better every year, but we enjoy the process. Here are a few tips that have been helpful for us...
1. Read up on what you are planting. Ben was the diligent one to do research on what we were planting and how to plant it. There is so much to know and having a garden can get costly, so make sure you study a bit, so you can really take care of your investment.
2. Space plants appropriately. At first I thought you just throw the seeds anywhere and they will grow. No siree. Plants need room to grow, especially vegetables. My husband makes a chart of how far to space everything out. It really makes a difference. As far as my floral garden, I like gardens that look messy and the plants tumbling over each other, so I do plant my flowers a bit closer, but I still give them plenty of elbow space too.
3. Not all plants need the same amount of water. Again, this goes back to reading up on what you are planting. Our first year we grew tomatoes, we thought it was good to water them every other day, then we went to a garden show and listened to a professional tomato grower speak, and he said they really only need deep watering once or twice a week! We did that the following year and got so much better results.
4. Pay attention to the sun. For us, we have found that most things we have planted require full, all day sun, so you will want to plant according to the amount of sun your plant will need.
Again, we aren't garden geniuses and these things are just basic things you may have heard already, but we just enjoy growing plants and vegetables for our family and encourage you to give it a shot. Having a garden (small or big) is wonderful and gives us yummy food on the table. Plus, gardening is just another way we like to make memories together as a family. Everyone is involved. It is all a learning process and you will learn something new every season. Not everything we have planted turned out great, but get a good garden book and read up on the basics and give it a go. I think gardening is a learn by trial and error thing and you will just get better every year!
Happy gardening!!! Rubyellen
Fantastic!
Posted by: Anuszka | May 14, 2012 at 02:25 AM
Thank you for considering apartment dwellers! I have a tiny porch in S.Korea and have killed all herbs that have walked this way...but vines/big leafy plants fair very well here:) I love the rolling bin idea, it is brilliant! Just a hint of green truly can spruce up a space
Posted by: Lindsay | May 14, 2012 at 02:42 AM
I was looking for something like that! Thank you!
Posted by: Ula | May 14, 2012 at 02:45 AM
oh my, this is so inspiring to me. i am completely intimidated (but in awe of) gardening. love this guide! xo.
http://blog.tarapolly.com
Posted by: tara polly | May 14, 2012 at 02:47 AM
we only have a back yard but my husband still manages to grow tomatoes out there! We are doing our back yard up this summer so that we can have friends round for bbqs or pizzas (we want to get a pizza oven).
Lovely post and so inspiring as always!
love
amy
x
http://dottypinkdesigns.blogspot.co.uk/
Posted by: amy | May 14, 2012 at 02:52 AM
I don't have any space really to plant so instead I grow upside down hanging tomatoes. There is always a way even if you have no space.
Posted by: C Maine | May 14, 2012 at 03:16 AM
Wow! great! We've only a balcony, but my mom plant flowers and herbs every year (since we live here). And this year I also feel like this could be fun! So thanks for your inspiration and tips :)
Posted by: Luu | May 14, 2012 at 03:39 AM
And I love your photos :)
In our old home we had a huge garden and also planted vegetables and berries there.
http://glueckskindsucht.blogspot.de/
Posted by: Luu | May 14, 2012 at 03:40 AM
I love the idea of the moveable vegetable planter on wheels - I would love to try that.
I rent at the moment so it woul dbe the perfect way to grow veg and be able to take it with me if I move on.
I definitely want to do the self-sufficient Good Life thing of growing veggies that's for sure!!
Sarah
www.acatlikecuriosity.blogspot.co.uk
Posted by: Sarah | May 14, 2012 at 03:50 AM
I love our little garden and can just agree, more you do it, more you enjoy and have every year better results.
The vegetables and fruits just smell so much better from if you have see them grow up.
♥
http://signoraaurora.blogspot.com
Posted by: signora aurora | May 14, 2012 at 03:53 AM
I've been loving this series of posts - so inspiring and the photos are beautiful! I can't wait till I move out of my tiny flat to somewhere with a bigger outdoor space. :)
Faye x
Posted by: Faye | May 14, 2012 at 04:42 AM
Gardening is so much fun to do when you live in an apartment. You really have to think outside the box a bit! The Mister and I had hanging shoe racks that we tied to our balcony railing with twine. We grew cabbages in them but rocket or herbs would be better probably. We've just moved to a place with a massive garden so we're adjusting to raised beds!
Love this post! *high five*
Posted by: Journey Inland | May 14, 2012 at 04:47 AM
Beautiful, beautiful!
xoxo
http://natashafatah.com
http://natashafatah.com
Posted by: Natasha Fatah | May 14, 2012 at 05:08 AM
I spend yesterday in our little yard, me and my little girl are growing veg and herbs at the moment.
Zoe
http://gypsiesister.blogspot.com
Posted by: Zoe | May 14, 2012 at 05:53 AM
This is just the inspiration I needed for starting a new garden!
Over here in Australia we are just getting into the colder Autumn weather, but I think it's time to plant some broccoli.
Great post!
Posted by: Sarah Joy | May 14, 2012 at 06:17 AM
Great post today & grat pics!
Have a good start of the week!
http://robertascoolestplaces.blogspot.com.es
Posted by: Roberta | May 14, 2012 at 07:15 AM
I love the post, I would really like to garden but as you say it is intimidating. My mom actually have a garden, which she tend to a lot, alas it is one of the things she and I differ from.
xoxo, Aves Gry
Posted by: Aves Gry | May 14, 2012 at 07:16 AM
Gorgeous photos in this post, and great advice. The only thing I would add is that if you're planting edibles right in the ground you want to make sure to have the soil tested for toxins such as lead, which can end up in your veggies, making them unhealthy :).
Otherwise, I've found that if you're not concerned with getting the biggest bumper crop, you can grow just about anything in a container and get at least some yield! Experimentation is the name of the game!
Posted by: Maria | May 14, 2012 at 07:35 AM
THIS IS FANTASTIC, PRACTICAL AND INSPIRING POST!
CHEERS ELSIE... SUCH A GREAT BLOG!
X X X
http://bleednread.blogspot.com.au/
Posted by: SHIV | May 14, 2012 at 07:56 AM
Thank you so much for sharing this! I just planted my flower garden yesterday and want a garden so badly. I have killed three plants this year, though. Potted plants. I needed this!
Amanda Rose
http://sewmuchtosay.blogspot.com
Posted by: Amanda Rose | May 14, 2012 at 08:11 AM