Sow… you want to
Eat what you grow
All you need is desire,
a
few tools,
some hard work
and a bit of earth!
Decide what you want to accomplish for you efforts – or what
is your direction?
Such as: what kind of vegetables would we eat
A kitchen herb garden
Something to can or freeze
How will it look in my yard?
Figure out the zone you are in : here is a link to find your location
on the map
This is important so
you don’t plant things like lemon trees in Montana
Certain things grow
well in certain climates - the best way to figure out what grows best in
your area is to ask people with gardens (they
love to talk about their gardens) visit a nearby public garden, usually
near a university or a city park and see what they are successful at growing,
or visit a farm or garden store and talk an employee there, and garden bloggers.
A bit of earth –
clear of weeds and other plants.
If your soil is poor you may want
to add some mulch or soil pep.
If you soil is heavy you may also
want to add something like sand or mulch to lighten it up (otherwise you will
get stumpy carrots since they can’t push through the soil). This would also add
nutrients for you little plants!
You can make it fancy with raised beds or a fancy trellis but really..
all you need is dirt, sunshine, water.
Some basic things you’ll need:
Round pointed Shovel
Hoe
Rake
Trowel or hand shovel
Hand weed digger (looks like a huge screwdriver)
Good flexible hose
Vegetable fertilizer
Good shoes (I have work boots)
Clothes you can get dirty in (overalls are great)
Good gloves ( I prefer leather )
Extras would be:
Wheel barrow
Weed edger
Hand rake
Pitchfork
Various trimmers from hand held to branch removers
Knee cushion
Square shovel
Small shovel
Portable tool bucket
…... and any other cool tool you see at the store that you
think would be a time/ energy saver.
A word about getting a tool – if it is a good brand or well made and heavy
–
Probably worth it to
pay the extra bucks-
it’s a real project
wrecker to have your shovel handle break (and dangerous too) because you
cheaped out.
In the long run you
will not have to replace it and it will make the job easier having a tool that
can handle the job!
- Clear the way –
open dirt, turned over, no weeds
B – Dig a trench, with a little hill on one side
C – Seeds go in the hill part, about as deep as they are big
D – Lightly fertilize
E – Sprinkle water until seeds germinate and sprout
F – keep weed free, trench watering is the best – soak the
trench until the hill looks wet (up to where the seeds are) a couple times a
week depending on what you’re growing
G – Support what needs to be supported (tomatoes in cages,
pole beans on poles/twine, peas on some kind of trellis support)
H - Watch and harvest, maybe adding a little fertilizer if
needed to give a mid season boost
