Home Vegetable Gardening Made Easy with these 4 Tips

Don’t make home vegetable gardening harder or more complicated than it has to be. You may overwhelm yourself an invariably give up. Instead, follow these 4 tips, to keep home vegetable gardening light and more reasonably maintainable.

1. Start off Small - Try not to take on more vegetables, fruits and herbs then you can handle. Many times new gardeners (and sometimes experienced ones) will try to grow too much. The harsh reality of their situation may be that they do not have the space available or the time to maintain their garden. When this happens the garden suffers from overcrowding and lack of maintenance which invariable leads to weeds and under producing plants. Instead grow a select few plants of vegetables, fruits and herbs you know you will consume. Gardening becomes much easier when the end product will result in something you know you will eat.

2. Put it in View - The old saying, “out of sight, out of mind” is so true when it comes to vegetable gardening. When you do not have a clear view of your garden from your window you tend to forget about it at times. Instead try to keep your garden where it will always be in plain sight of where you will sit for breakfast first thing in the morning. When you see it every day, you are more likely to maintain it.

3. Try Not to Over Think - When starting out try not to over think your garden. There is a lot of information out there about how to optimize your garden. All of it is helpful, but if you try to implement too much of it too soon before you feel comfortable with home vegetable gardening, you can overwhelm yourself. For instance, there is companion planting, crop rotation, organic fertilizing and bug control methods to name a few. Forget about that for now and start small. Then over time start filtering these items in.

4. Keep the Tools Simple - You might be thinking you need a plethora of tools to garden, from motorized ones to the latest hand tools from your local home or garden center. Sure, many tools will make it easier for you and on your back, but what you really need are the basics. A pitchfork, shovel, and rake are all you will need to get started. The shovel allows you to get through tough soil while the pitchfork helps you turn that soil over and break up the clumps which helps aerate it. Throw in the rake to help “smooth” the soil over and you are all set.

These 4 tips won’t make you a master gardener overnight, but they will help you keep it simple so you can start off small and slow and realistically progress.

Note: This article may be freely reprinted or distributed in its entirety in any e-zine, newsletter, blog or website. The author’s name, bio and website links must remain intact and be included with reproduction.

About the Author
Michael C. Podlesny is the administrator for the largest Vegetable Gardening page on Facebook.