Who else is wanting to start growing vegetables and herbs? With more time at home, I’m excited to work on my my raised garden – and my children are, too! Today I’m sharing tips for starting a home vegetable garden courtesy of Nicholson Hardie, plus pretty gardening accessories (that make great gifts, too!). Starting a garden is also a great way to support your local small business nursery!
I’m on my third year of a raised vegetable garden, which my husband built it for me as a Mother’s Day gift. There are some big mistakes I’ve made that I wanted to share with y’all. (Learn from me!) Also, Josh Bracken, from Dallas’ Nicholson Hardie, was so kind to share tips for successful home gardening!
You can grow vegetables and herbs in raised beds or just in pots.
Nicholson Hardie or your local nursery can offer suggestions for good containers like the one shown above. Many local nurseries like Nicholson-Hardie will deliver or offer curbside, contact-free pickup. They are considered “essential businesses” because of their agricultural status. Helping us grow food seems essential to me!
Potting soil is all you need for soil and eventually some fertilizer. If you already have a raised bed from last year, Josh recommends adding compost to the existing soil.
Don’t be scared of seeds.
Right now you can buy plants like peppers, tomatoes, and herbs to plant in your containers or raised beds, but most other vegetables should be planted by seed right now, according to Josh. This will prevent plants from growing out of control and taking over nearby plants. I am planting okra, cucumber and squash seeds in the same bed as tomatoes and peppers. Starting with seeds provides a teaching opportunity for children as well!
Vegetables need a lot of light!
Seems obvious, I know. I learned that they really need 6-8 hours of light my first year of gardening. I really wanted my raised bed in a certain, more aesthetically pleasing spot in my yard. But it just didn’t get enough light. The whole season was a bust!
Some vegetables need to grow up.
To save space, its best for many vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, etc) to have something to guide them to grow up: a trellis, a cage, a stake, etc. This also prevents plants like cucumbers from just taking over the other vegetables. On that note, some just need their own container. Like mint!
Don’t overwater!
Another mistake I made! I thought vegetables need to be watered everyday like some flowers. Nope. Unless seeds are germinating, for raised beds it’s better to give them a long watering where the roots get really soaked. Josh said once or twice a week is probably sufficient for raised beds. Container vegetable gardens will need more water.
Nicholson Hardie can put together a container garden for you and deliver. You can find vegetable garden resources on Nicholson Hardie’s website.
I’ve linked some great books on gardening below. Want to see more gardening tips? Let me know below!
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Lee,
Would you mind asking your sister how much potting soil she had to use to fill that elevated bed from Walmart? This would be super helpful for me.
Thanks a million!!
She said two HUGE bags!