In March we put work into our garden beds, and they’re already yielding beautiful produce!
It’s about delicious food being grown with our own hands – which we will be sharing with others around our dinner table.
And it’s not too late for you to start!
The increasing number of gardeners in the United States stands for something. It says that people are interested in fresh. People are tired of paying the prices and they want to know where their produce is coming from! The lost art of gardening is returning! I can also tell by the number of emails and comments from people who are inquiring, that more and more people are growing gardens again, but they want help with the basics.
Dear Sandy …
This is the year I’ve decided to get into gardening. I want to use homegrown produce while I’m entertaining, but the costs are so high! What are some general tips that you could give me?
This is the month in which gardeners start itching to get out into their yards. And for my husband and me, it all boils down to 3 simple key points that can make or break our attempts! But before I share the simplicity of these three (in tomorrow’s post), keep these ideas in mind, if you are a new gardener.
Write out a very simple garden plan for the year!
Where do you want your beds, what existing beds do you plan on changing over to vegetables, how much money can you spend? What would you like to serve to your guests? Start small – choose only a few items to grow the first year!
How do I know what kind of vegetables to grow?
Decide what vegetables you think taste better homegrown than store-bought. What can save you money, or come close to saving you money by growing rather than buying? For example, we’ve found that it’s not worth our time and money to grow garlic or onions!
Start with produce that is very easy to grow – like zucchini, tomatoes, strawberries or green beans. If you’re new to gardening, don’t grow corn! Unless you have a huge garden space, you can probably buy corn pretty inexpensively at the local grower’s market! Two foods that grow well in containers are tomatoes and strawberries, if you do not have a yard or much space for a garden. We start early in March with lettuce, but we have to cover it up with garden cloth because it’s still too cold outside.
Buy starts!
Unless you are a seasoned gardener, or you have a greenhouse and can daily take care of the plants, you won’t want to mess with seeds. Buy starts and keep it simple! You want to have success! (Remember this is advice for a brand new gardener!)
Come back tomorrow for the 3 simple key components to a successful garden! In the meantime, the photos in this post are of the lettuce in our beds – right now! Beautiful lettuce, ready to be picked, spun, and indulged in! I can’t wait!
Oh, and take a peek under the garden cloth at the lettuce which has sprouted from seed, even though it’s still covered – it is still growing!
Do you have a garden plan this year? Are you a new gardener or a seasoned gardener?
Don’t forget to LINK UP on Wed. this week to Home is … and share an apron story! Or even share a picture of you in your favorite apron!?
Hi, I'm Sandy. Five years ago I stocked up on beautiful glasses from the Dollar Store. As I started writing about dinner parties, I realized that this “icon” portrays a great message. 
We are getting ready for our 2nd year of gardedning. My husband worked the soil this past week. I’m very excited about beans! I learned we need to plant beans every couple of weeks – so we will have them longer over the summer.
.-= Kim´s last blog ..Please Help! =-.
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My honey do list this year includes a raised bed! I can’t wait to get started!
.-= LoveFeast Table´s last blog ..Fancy Friday Dishes =-.
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We are gardening for the first time this year. Someone told me about the square foot garden and since my family is small, I think this is perfect for us. We shall see how it goes….=)
.-= Kristina´s last blog ..Live. Today. =-.
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I am thrilled that so many are gardening for the first time. We always had gardens when I was growing up. Last year we made a raised bed, of sorts. This year we will not garden but hope to next year. My MIL next door does grow lettuce, tomatoes, eggplant and a few other things. We will likely put some peppers and tomatoes in containers. They make such great toppers broiled with olive oil and cheese on a good stiff bread.
Have a great day!
Becky K.
Hospitality Lane
.-= Becky K.´s last blog ..The Suit Had to Be Blue! =-.
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I have garden fever. I love our garden – and find myself out there everyday. Vance finds it funny that I got really excited about seeing squash flowers bloom this past weekend. It’s the small things in life for me LOL!
.-= sheri´s last blog ..Leaving my comfort zone. =-.
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Never gardened before, and live out in the High Plains, Front Range, Rocky Mountain area. Got a lot of issues here, but the biggest may be that our tap water has about the most dissolved solids of any place I’ve ever lived. As a result, our water softener works full time, and our tap water leaves all sorts of deposits. Is this going to be a problem for watering the beds?
.-= The Training Table´s last blog ..When was the last time you ate outside? =-.
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Sandy Reply:
April 19th, 2010 at 8:48 am
Oops, somehow I replied to the wrong comment! LOL
Good question. Why don’t you browse around on this post and see if you can find your answer. I really like this site!
http://www.gardenguides.com/water-irrigation-tips/
)
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Hi Sandy!
I am wondering about the hay around your lettuce? Is it to keep it warm? If so, I guess I don’t need any for mine here in Florida.
Best,
Betsy
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Sandy Reply:
April 19th, 2010 at 9:14 am
In tomorrow’s post
We use straw (not hay) for mulching.
Mulch with partially decomposed straw, shredded bark, or newspaper (you don’t want to use straight straw, because it will sprout).
I’m jealous you are in WARM FL, Betsy!
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I have a vegetable garden every year. I mulch with grass clippings to keep out weeds. I grow all my vegs from seed!
Lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumber, beans, okra, basil, radishes. It’s really not a huge garden, but it all fits in there!
.-= Weedwacker´s last blog ..Fiber-Filled Fifty =-.
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I love gardening. I love getting my hands in the dirt and enjoying the fruits of my labor.
I’m still waiting to get my ground tilled up. I was hoping to have it done and even be able to start early, but nope not yet.
I would say I’m a “lightly” seasoned gardener. Last year was my first year in a long time gardening, but I wasn’t a novice either.
I’m a fan of companion gardening which is wonderful and utilizes space when space is limited, it also attracts beneficial bugs and deters harmful beetles.
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I’m new and have my supplies all ready to go. Now I just need to go and buy packing peanuts! ; )
.-= the BLAH BLAH BLAHger´s last blog ..My Creepiest Prank Ever =-.
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After gardening the last few years here we have learned a few things. First, we need to get a good deer proof set up going. I cringe to even think the amount of time, effort and money that has gone to feed the local deer.
Second, as I have worked in the soil I have come to realize it is not very good. We plan to do some raised beds (with deer fencing all the way around), but of course that will all take money which means some time to save.
I’ve never gardened in raised beds, always straight in the ground. Question: as we prepare for raised beds, do you roto-till your beds or prepare the dirt with a shovel? (or some other method).
I have a very large tiller that we are thinking we may sell to generate the $ for our deer fencing, but wondering if I would need it for raised bed gardening?
.-= Donnetta´s last blog ..There is Nothing Greater =-.
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Erin Reply:
April 19th, 2010 at 2:05 pm
Hi Donnetta,
I’m a huge fan of raised bed gardening, and we use a shovel to dig up the base of the bed and loosen the ground soil. Then we use a pitchfork to mix in new compost each year, followed by a wire rake to smooth out the beds. Good luck!
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Good question. Why don’t you browse around on this post and see if you can find your answer. I really like this site!
http://www.gardenguides.com/water-irrigation-tips/
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We just planted our very first garden using the square foot garden technique. The directions are easy to follow and our garden is growing. We are so excited to see what’s just popped up(we planted seeds and got some starts). I just posted a photo of one of our beds on my blog. Can’t wait to taste some of our food from our garden.
Connie
.-= Connie´s last blog ..Look at what I’ve Been Up To!! =-.
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Great post! I love this blog and am so excited to be following!
We moved over the winter and I had big, big plans for gardening. But life gets in the way, doesn’t it? I also found that there is way more to it than I thought (duh). Still, I want to get some tomato plants this weekend – I have two large containers in my yard and I feel like this would be a great place to start! Plus I have basil growing in another container – hello! Tomatoes and basil!
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Oh, also – apple pie in a jar? Do tell!!! haha
.-= Mrs. Jen B´s last blog ..I’d Like To Thank The Academy… =-.
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Sandy Reply:
April 19th, 2010 at 1:38 pm
Hello, and I’m so glad you made it over here to visit RE today!
I’ll send you the link to Apple Pie in a Jar!
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At my place the Man of the House does the gardening. We are just finishing the winter garden (celery, kale and other greens) as the new summer garden goes in. All I ask for is tomatoes, after that I’ll cook whatever he wants to grow.
Darla
.-= Darla´s last blog ..Mid April in The Garden =-.
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I haven’t done much in the garden since I was a kid and my mom was doing it. We moved when I was in 8th grade to a house with too much shade for a garden, so I don’t remember much! This is the first year my husband and I have owned a house though, so I am totally going for it–and loving it! (And calling my mom every few days to ask questions
) I just finished planting squash and beans, and there are already tomatoes and lettuce and a cucumber plant in the garden. We’ll see how it goes!
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Hi Sandy,
Great gardening post! Your lettuce looks fantastic. I just started my lettuce seeds, and this will be my first year attempting to grow lettuce “from scratch”. But I totally agree with you, starts are perfectly okay for beginner gardeners (or those in a time crunch!)
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Can’t wait to get going in the garden! We have a few weeks to go before we can put any seeds in-we usually do lettuce and spinach from seed, and peas too. But a short growing season means we need big, healthy starts for the rest-The good thing is that our cold season crops do great! Your lettuce looks great.
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How’d you know I was just going to go surf the net for some easy beginner garden ideas? Love it! Thanks so much and look forward to tomorrow’s post! Hugs!
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Those fresh greens from the garden look SO perky! Currently, I’m gardening in containers. Still works just as well, but I miss the real dirt!
Thanks for visiting Susannah’s {Kitchen} Aprons!
Blessings, e-Mom
.-= e-Mom´s last blog ..Bible Cuisine: Abigail’s Feast—Fit for a King =-.
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This is my first year with a garden. So far I’ve planted a few seeds – not much available for started plants here. But I started with a small plot and just a few things! And a few tips on how to keep the bunnies away!
.-= Abbie´s last blog ..Tulips =-.
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I would love to see pictures of your entire back yard – I’m having trouble visualizing how the pool and garden “work” together. I love your gardening posts – any tips are welcomed.
I built 2 4×8 raised beds and have started, beans, peas, sugarsnap peas, carrots, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, and peppers. I do not have a fence around it and I’m hoping the bunnies and neighborhood groundhog do not visit.
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