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Why should you grow one? -

Although it seems like a lot of work, once you have laid the foundation, gardening is as easy as watering your plants a few times a week as necessary. Compared to the time you have to invest, the benefits are well worth it.

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Organic living -

Firstly, there are the benefits of organic living. You get cheap organic produce from your own backyard! It is also better for the environment because fewer chemicals are released into the air, and better for your body as you will not be ingesting any nasty chemicals accidentally.

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Meditative -

Secondly, gardening can be seen as another type of mediation. It is no wonder that so many temples are built in garden paradises. Working the land with your hands helps you feel connected, grounded, and focused.

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Activity -

Making a patch is a great way to teach children about biology while also giving them some responsibility to look after their own plants. They can see the circle of life in action, and hopefully, also eat some veggies at the end of it.

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Community -

To start with, you need to find a plot of land. If you do not have a backyard, then enquire about community plots nearby. This also makes gardening a good way to meet your neighbors.

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Sunshine -

To make sure that your veggies and fruits will grow strong, make sure the patch you choose has at least five hours of sunlight a day.

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Isolation -

If you have a busy garden, make sure your patch is far away from the other shrubs. Little critters such as slugs will travel from plant to plant, so you want your garden to be isolated.

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Turn over -

Mark out the shape and size of your patch using rocks, or you can be more specific and use a tape measure if you wish. Then, grab your shovel and start turning over the soil round and round.

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Turn over -

During this process, make sure you are removing all the weeds and roots that you come across. Turn the soil as deep as a spade's head.

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Only the patch -

Don't just try and turn over a large part of your garden without a planting plan. Only dig where you know you will plant, otherwise the weeds will take over again and make your garden look pretty bad.

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Compost -

In order to make the soil fertile for your seeds, put some homemade or store-bought compost on the top and mix it in with the normal soil using your shovel.

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Manure -

If you have a farm nearby or see some place selling manure, get some. Cow poop, or any kind of animal poop really, makes fantastic fertilizer. It's worth the stink!

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Can't dig deep? -

If you are unable to dig a spade's head down into the ground, you can compensate for this by piling on manure or compost. The heaped bed will give the seedlings enough space to grow.

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Raised bed -

If your ground is too shallow you can also make a raised bed. Get some old wooden planks, or any kind of panel, and hammer the corners together to make a box. It does not have to be super strong, just enough to contain your soil. It looks quite fancy as well.

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Soil inspection -

Take some soil in your hand and analyze it. What does it look like? If it seems more like clay or is more difficult to break up, add some horticultural grit to loosen it up a bit.

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Soil inspection -

If the earth looks more sandy, then it is easier to work with but is less nutritious for the plants. To make up for it, add lots of compost and mix it in.

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Planting -

When your soil is nice and nutritious, you can start putting the seeds in. It is recommended to draw what you want to plant first so you can ensure there is enough space between the plants. If plants are too close to one another, they strangle each other.

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Spacing -

Here are some general spatial rules for the most common veggies. Salads need 20 cm (7.9 in) of space, carrots need 35 cm (13.8 in), beans need 45 cm (17.7 in), and zucchini need 75 cm (29.5 in).

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Beans -

Most beans do not need space on the ground, but space in the air. They grow upward, so make sure they have something to climb up such as bamboo sticks or a wall.

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Beans -

If you have a wall that receives sunlight at the top but not on the ground, then it is the perfect place for beans because they will grow towards the light.

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Tools -

You do not actually need much to make a vegetable patch. The crucial basics are a shovel, a spade, gardening gloves, seeds, and a water source. A pitchfork and a gardening fork will also make things easier, but they are not strictly necessary.

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What to plant? -

The best time to plant your seeds is in the springtime because everything is just waking up from winter. The soil is a bit warmer, and so you will have produce by the end of summer. You can essentially plant anything in spring.

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Fruits -

Despite it being called a vegetable patch, you can mix it up by adding some fruit. You could plant some strawberries in among your carrots, or some raspberries on the fringe of your garden.

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Winter harvest -

If you are a little late to the game, you can still plant seeds in fall for a winter harvest. Vegetables sturdy enough to stand the cold are potatoes, shallots, onions, garlic, and spring onions.

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Keep track -

You want to make sure your seedlings are happily growing, so make sure you check on them a few times a week. A good way to do this is to buy a chalkboard and record their conditions, such as if it has been too rainy or too sunny for them.

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Protection -

Birds, slugs, mice–they all love a little snack. Your garden is the first place they'll go, so make sure you protect your patch. If you see signs of unwanted critters, buy some netting from a garden center and prop it up over your produce.

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Decorate -

You can make the project even more fun by decorating. You could plant pretty flowers on the border, or add some colorful labels to each line of seeds.

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Enjoy! -

Gardening enriches your life–you spend more time outside, eat healthier food, and bring yourself away from the everyday rat race. So take a moment, and appreciate what you have created.

Sources: (BBC)

See also: Sustainable tricks that will make you a better gardener

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