It's always nice to go to your back yard and pick a tomato fresh off the vine. They are so much better than most store-bought ones. Here are some tips to make growing your own vegetables in whatever space you have.
1. Grow What You Love. Make a list of what you truly love to eat, and plant accordingly. What good is it if you grow cabbages and you don't like them?
2. Grow for Flavor. Think about veggies that don't hold up well in grocery stores. Tomatoes and corn are good examples. These vegetables seem to lose their flavor a few hours after picking.
3. Grow Crops With Bountiful Harvests. Find plants that give all season-long. Tomatoes, beans, peas, and squash bear all summer long.
4. Grow Crops in Pots. If you don't have much land to work with, a lot of vegetables can be grown in pots. Just make sure the pots they are planted in allow ample room for growth.
5. Use Succession Planting. Crops that are once-and-done kind of veggies can be planted numerous times within the season. When one is done, start another. Leaf lettuces are a good example of this.
6. Grow Vertically. Use trellises and tripods for vine crops. It saves space, prevents the vegetables from rotting on the ground, and even looks pretty in your garden. Cucumbers, pole beans, and winter squash are good examples of veggies that can be grown this way.
7. Mix Edibles With Ornamentals. Vegetables don't have to be combined to a garden of their own. They can look pretty with other flowers. A tomato plant on a tripod can look really nice mixed with red zinnias.
Maybe we'd have luck if we plant in pots?
ReplyDeleteI find that growing plants in pots and raised beds is a lot easier than in regular gardens. You just have to remember to water them.
DeleteVery good advice about growing what we love. Looking forward to have our own garden one day.
ReplyDeleteYour daughter would probably enjoy helping you grow vegetables.
DeleteThanks for your tips in growing plants in our garden.I too love to grow veggies in the garden rather than buying in shops...
ReplyDeleteThey taste so much better.
DeleteHi Sherry - loved the picture and the thoughts here ... and thanks for coming by ... cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteI figured a lot of people might be thinking about starting a vegetable garden during this time of year.
DeleteWe grew a bunch of tomatoes and basil last year in my raised flowerbeds. It was my first successful garden.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you had success!
DeleteI find it easier to be a neighbor of a gardener. They always have too much and I benefit without the hard work!!
ReplyDeleteHaha! You're lucky to live next to a gardener - and one who shares.
DeleteDon't you just hate it when tomatoes have zero flavor? So, yeah, growing your own vegetables is a great idea. All it takes is a little love :)
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