How To Start a Garden – Rogue’s 31 Days To Readiness [Day 27]

When it comes to gardening, it doesn’t matter how big or small, outsides or indoors, it just matters that we do it. It doesn’t even matter what exactly you plant, just that you begin your journey.

When you decide to begin gardening and start diving into all the ins-and-outs, it can be an even bigger rabbit hole than preparedness.

If you’ve never gardened in your life, don’t worry! There are a few things to keep in mind, but don’t be intimidated by it.

Here are some of my best tips to start a garden:

• Start small. I know it can be tempting to want to ‘go big or go home’, but there’s certainly a few things we need to learn first before we ‘go big’. Maybe start by buying an established mint plant at the store and take care of it indoors for a bit. You could also start by planting some seeds indoors. There are plenty of seed starting kits to help get you started.
• Consider container gardening. I think container gardening is a great first step into gardening. It’s incredibly easy and an astonishing amount of plants can be grown in containers. Of course, container size will be a factor. Always read the back of the seed packet to learn how much space it needs, specifically, how big the container needs to be.
• Grow what you eat. One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was to grow what we eat. In my case, I also grow what my livestock will eat, as well. I grow a wide variety of foods, but I’m not going to grow something that will never get eaten.
• Know your zone. One of the most important factors of a successful gardening season is knowing your zone. Can you plant anything in August and have it survive? You may be in a region like mine (8A) that has quite a long growing season or you’re somewhere that has a short growing season. Here’s where you can find out what zone you’re in.
• Stagger your food. Do you love lettuce? Me too! But my family can only eat so much. I can give some away and I can let my livestock eat some, as well, but once you pluck it all, that’s it. My suggestion is to stagger some of the foods that aren’t as easy to preserve, such as lettuce. Plant, then two weeks later, plant some more. You can do this as many times as your growing season will allow.
• There will be pests. Everyone’s going to want a piece of your delicious garden. Know how to deter pests and if deterring doesn’t work, know how to vanquish them. There are plenty of all natural ways to get rid of pests, depending on the type of pest. Do some research ahead of time on the type of pests you might experience in your area so you can be prepared and start deterring immediately.
• Plan your garden. I used to just throw seeds willy nilly in the dirt but then learned about companion planting and that certain plants should never be planted together. Not only that, but I plan exactly where things are going to be planted and when I’m going to plant them. Planning out your whole year of planting can be quite rewarding and will save a lot of time.
• Talk to local gardeners. Don’t worry, you don’t have to have a ‘green thumb’ or have anyone personally teach you how to garden. I learned everything on my own through tons of research and I asked experienced gardeners for advice. Never be afraid to reach out for help. If you’d like to get some books to reference, absolutely do that. Trust me, anyone can have a garden, no matter how big or small.
• Consider sprouting or micro-greens. Sprouting is a really easy way for seeds to offer a quick food source within just a few days. Growing your own micro-greens indoors is also extremely easy and offers a quick food source.
• Buy established plants. You may want to consider purchasing plants that have already sprouted and been established from local nurseries. I would recommend going to an actual nursery instead of a big box hardware store. The ones from local nurseries tend to have much better plants. Buying an established plant offers a great introduction into gardening.

Here are my top places to buy seeds online:

Preppers always talk about having huge gardens because the end goal is to be able to preserve as much as possible and of course, eat fresh.

However, I think everyone should have at least an herb garden in their window sill. Fresh herbs? Yes, please!

Don’t let the fact that you can’t have a ‘big’ garden deter you from growing at all. Even you have space on your apartment balcony for a couple pots, then great! That’s better than nothing.

Do some further research into the type of plants you want in your garden, get to know your growing region, plan your garden, buy your seeds and begin your journey.

See you in day 28!