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A great way to start living a healthier lifestyle and becoming partially self-sufficient is to grow your own produce. Having a garden doesn’t have to be a scary task. If you’ve never had a garden before, here’s what I recommend for you to get started in baby steps:
1. Start with pots and containers. Places to find some cheap or free:
- Bakeries: Ask if they have any containers they are throwing out.
- Recycling centers.
- Thrift Stores and Yard Sales.
- The side of the road (I’ve seen buckets thrown out all of the time).
- Ask around because people and businesses are always getting rid of perfectly good containers.
2. Pick 3-5 plants that you would like to grow.
- See my list of the Top 5 Plants You Can and Should Grow.
- Herbs are really easy to grow indoors and are great for those starting out. I like Basil, Oregano and Cilantro the best.
- Tomatoes can be grown by pretty much anyone. Start out with a Cherry Tomato plant and see how things go!
3. Pick up some soil from a local garden center or a farm (look for broken bags at garden centers as these are usually discounted), and fill up your containers.
4. Plant your goodies, keep them in plenty of sunlight and water 1-2 times a day. You need to water more often if plants are in pots.
Once you feel confident after your first year of container gardening, you can try out having a raised garden bed area. See How to Make a Raised Garden Bed for more info. These are just a few simple steps to kind of “break the ice” for you if you are wanting to get started but are unsure how. Limiting what and how much you plant is really the key to starting out successfully. Don’t overwhelm yourself and you should do great! More to come this week on Gardening and Growing Your Own.
Recommended Reading: Square Foot Gardening: Grow More in Less Space!
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Great post. Could you possibly mean to water “1-2 times a week”? 1-2 times a day is way too much in my estimation.
Love your suggestion on the top 5 plants to grow! Jen, container gardening requires more watering than a traditional garden. Once a day is what I normally do, but sometimes twice if it’s a really hot day.