With so many things to do with your property, many people overlook the chance to use the area to put food on the table. You’re not one of those people, so you stopped by our blog to learn about starting a garden. With the strides made in engineering, anyone can garden, whether indoor or outdoors. For this blog our task is to explain what to do with outdoor gardening, but the possibility for a blog about indoor gardening remains. This will be the year that you start growing your own fresh vegetables! Follow along and become the best gardener in town!

When to Start?

A great resource for learning about when to plant is the Planting Date Calculator provided by Farmer’s Almanac. This will let you enter your zip code and figure out when you should be planting and harvesting your crop. In the Hudson Valley, the majority of outdoor planting occurs in April, so plan to start then! However, prior to April, you’ll want to make some plans and preparations for your garden. Do this in February and March, when you have a bit of downtime in terms of landscaping. During these months, feel free to prepare for the upcoming season.

Deciding on the Area

First, take the time to plan where you’ll have your garden. If you are in a town and have limited space, there are some solutions, such as planting vertically and planting boxes for those without much yard to plant in. You can also choose to build vertically or build planting boxes in an effort to save space to utilize entertainment areas. Also keep in mind that having a vegetable garden takes a little work, so start small and grow over the years as you don’t want to burn yourself out. Before deciding on location, remember that healthy plants need extended exposure to the sun, so finding a sunlit area is vital. Once you’ve chosen the location, mark it off with some grass paint or yard flags so you can visualize what you’re planing on doing. Don’t forget that some plants take up more space than others, so plan accordingly.

Preparing the Garden

Once the location has been marked, there are a few ways to prepare the garden. You can start removing the grass with a spade or shovel, but while this is the quickest way, it’s also the most strenuous. The other two ways take a little time, but are easy and just as effective. If you’re okay using chemicals, you can use herbicide to kill the grass. Be careful applying herbicides as they can indirectly kill other plants if you done on a windy day or the applicator is reused. It you’re conscious of your application, you’ll be fine. *You must let the herbicide sit for a few days for the intended effect. The other grass removal idea is to cover the area with newspaper or cardboard, as this will prevent grass growth. This must be done with some time before planting season, as it takes time to smother the grass.

Once you’ve completed killing the grass in the area, you’re going to want to mix or rototill the surrounding dirt. Mixing/digging or rototilling allows you to remove any rocks, while also allowing you to mix in compost for better growing. With mixed and fresh soil, you guarantee good garden growth! You can also plan on adding a layer of topsoil to further ensure good growth. Topsoil not only contains organic matter that will stimulate growth, but also helps with water retention. If you plan on topsoil, make sure you have enough to be a foot thick around your garden.

Plant Choice and Spacing

You almost have your garden! Now comes the final decision. What vegetables will you plant and how will you plant them? Keep in mind your location and the temperature that plants can endure. There are cold weather plants (these can endure morning frost) and warm weather vegetables that cannot. You can look up whether the vegetables you want to grow are warm or cold weather on the Planting Date Calculator . When deciding, know that growing vegetables in the Hudson Valley region starts later, and has less time to grow. A typical garden can include tomatoes, peppers, squash, beans and even carrots! These vegetables take up less room, thus allowing all gardens the chance to grow them. Depending on the amount of space you have, you can also venture into growing corn, cabbage, melons or pumpkin. Just remember that these vegetables take up a lot of space as they grow wide and are large!

The spacing of the seed planting should be about two feet for most vegetables described. Beans can be placed about two to three inches away from each other when you plant them. Carrots should be spaced with about three to four inches between seeds. By providing this space between the plants, it allows them to get the appropriate amount of water, sunlight and allows them room to grow. Remember that these plants don’t only grow vertically, they also grow horizontally!

Take your time and start small at first. Take notes on what seems to work for you and what doesn’t, as you can review each year. Thanks for reading!

Vegetable Gardening for Beginners (Farmers Almanac) – Planting Date Calculator – Vegetable Gardening for Beginners (gardeners.com) – Creating a New Garden Bed – March Tips for Gardening in the Northeast – 8 Steps to a New Garden