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| Half of my lovely garden --2018. Photographer: Me |
Nutrition and gardening go together for me. I have been on a long road of weight loss so far and I still have a long way yet to go (more on this later ;). If you find yourself like me and you don't have a lot of money to buy fresh fruits and vegetables, gardening could also be a worthwhile venture for you.
I know it sounds intimidating when you are just starting out. Tools, and seeds, and making sure the soil is right are all important. Worry you don't have the space for gardening? Great news!!! Gardening is not a cookie cutter activity. My best advice for gardening is good advice for almost anything in life; start small, and work your way to the big time. Here are a few baby steps you can take, but feel free to take them at your own pace!
1. DO YOUR RESEARCH
Whichever plant(s) you choose to garden with should be researched. Find out how much sun and water the plant needs, how tall it gets, and what pests are attracted to the plant, as well as how to prevent or get rid of them. Also read up on what plants yours will get along with and which will cause issues. Getting in the habit of doing this will give you the information you need to be successful with any size gardening project, and will help you grow the more you do it; both personally and plant-wise!
2. BEGIN BY CONTAINER GARDENING
You can make or find containers of almost any shape and size. First think of the plant you want to start out with. Many people choose tomatoes, as they are very nutritious, versatile, and are fairly easy to grow. I've only just started growing my tomatoes from seeds, and definitely recommend that beginning gardeners start out with germinated plants from a trusted source or grower. (Nothing is worse than purchasing and caring for a plant that soon dies due to poor prior care.)
Once you know what plant you are going to grow, you can choose a container that will fit it. Keep in mind the size the plant will become and not just how big it is when you get it. Many plants will grow exponentially and you want to make sure it has a big enough container for the roots and water. It's important to have good drainage so your plant (s) don't get waterlogged, and/or get root rot. Let's stick with the tomato example. You could go to a store and buy a nice, new container ranging from $10 - $50 at a store such as Wal-Mart or, a chain hardware store. Another option is shopping flea/thrift markets, garage sales, and even farmers markets for something the same size, but a little more budget friendly. You could also choose to DIY a container out of something like a 5 gallon bucket or upcycle a milk jug. The options are endless!
3. AVOID RE-PLANTING/TRANSPLANTING
Root systems are complex, generally very fragile, and unfortunately very necessary to the well being of plants. The tiny hairs are so easy to break and often you won't know until days later (sometimes hours) that you've killed your plant if you accidentally cause too much damage to the tender roots. The easiest way to ensure you don't manhandle the threads of your plants' life is to use a container or space big enough that you don't have to move/transplant, or 'repot' your growing flora. This is why buckets can make a great container for even a small tomato plant.
Tomatoes grow vertically and branch out like trees so they tend to have large root systems. The most successful way to plant a tomato using a bucket is to start out planting the tomato plant deep in the bucket using up only about 4-6" for the soil and root system, depending on how big your plant is. As the tomato plant grows up and out of the bucket simply prune leaves low on the plant so there is 1/3 to 1/2 of the stem bare. Then fill in about half that space with fresh soil for container gardening. Repeat the process until you begin to see flowers/fruit and then let your tomato plant go crazy. Likely the soil like will be close to the rim of the bucket and the fruit easy to pluck and eat. YUM!
Once you feel confident, keep trying new plants, or methods of growing. If you have the space in your yard, try ground gardening. It's more labor intensive but can be equally more rewarding!
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| 2nd Half of My Garden -- 2018 Photographer: Me |
I'd love to hear 'em!
