I want to start a vegetable garden, but I have no idea where to begin!?

Question

I want to start a vegetable garden but I'm not sure where to start.

Any tips on a first time garden-grower?

What type of soil? plants for the season? should i start a compost?

Answer 1

Depending on where you live, it might be a bit late to start a vegetable garden at this point in the season.  (It certainly would be here in Minnesota.)

Good, rich soil works best, with some organic material. Composting will give you access to that rich material in a few months, so by all means!

As for the plants, what would you like to eat from your own garden?  (I'm a tomato, green bean, and green pepper fan, myself.)

Answer 2

If you're new, start small so you won't get overwhelmed.  Check with fellow gardeners in your area to see what works.  You can also snag some surplus plants or equipment to help you get started.  Without details on your zone or soil it is hard to give you more specific recommendations.

Answer 3

You need to start with the soil.  Most veggies want a fertile organic soil that is free of nematodes and other creatures.  If you live in the US start with finding out your zone.  Use the link I provided to find your location on the map.  Your zone will help you determine your planting times.  For example, where I am is zone 10 and this is not the time of year for veggies, this is when we work on our beds to get ready for our fall gardens.  That means we cover the beds with plastic for a few weeks to sterilize the soil, we add manure or other organic matter, and let the soil rest.  Another good resource if you are in the US is the Farmer's Almanac.  It will tell you for your area what to plant and when.  It will also tell you when to thin you plants and when to harvest.  I'll give you a link for that.  Your county should have an agricultural extension office that will have loads of information on your specific area.

Answer 4

Think of what your favorite veggies are and then find out if according to where you live the weather permits the growth.  You don't want to plant something you are not going to eat. Believe me I learned the hard way with my boys.Then make sure you have organic fertilizer and begin to mix with the dirt that you have selected to put your veggie garden in don't plant the seed in too deep that will take longer for you to see the sprout.

Answer 5

I started my first veggie garden in containers and still have some growing in them.  It enabled me to move them around the yard until I was able to determine where each kind did the best.  Start with easy to grow veggies, like peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, beans, squash and even herbs.  I use a variety of different types of soil available at the home improvement center largely because the soil around here is so poor that I have to amend it (Degenerated Granite, hard as a rock).  Ask at your nursery or home improvement center about your soil conditions and they can tell you what you will need.

Answer 6

It might be fun, from the standpoint of variety, to devote some of your greenhouse area to a few vegetables and herbs and practical, too, if you like bright red, summer-type tomatoes during the bleak days of winter, and gourmet seasonings for salads and stews. http://www.lovelygreenhouses.com/vegetab...

Answer 7

get some old potatoes, usually with roots coming on them,,make a furrow along the length of the soil (v shaped)..with your hand if you have to...about 4 to 6 inches deep...

put potatoes in roots down about 12 inches apart, cover and water lots....when the plants have grown, they will produce flowers on the top, (this is the indicater)...when the flowers die the spuds are ready...dig em up...

i've done potatoes and runner beans in mine and have never treated the soil.....

i just put anything in and see what happens...