Growing and harvesting your own food can be quite satisfying. Just imagine never visiting a grocery store! Growing different foods in your garden is quite rewarding.
There is nothing more fulfilling than making a sumptuous dinner from foods planted in your garden. There are so many benefits to growing your own food.
First, you’ll be cutting on all grocery bills. You can also be sure you’re enjoying fresh and safe food.
Whether you’re in the suburbs or countryside areas, planting your own food is a lot easier than you can imagine.
Keep reading as I break down 5 things to prepare for growing your own food.
Choose the right spot
This is a crucial step to growing your own food. You need to select a spot in your backyard to create a garden. Most people think they need to rent an allotment plot to grow their own food.
In the same manner, you design your home’s interior, make sure you design your exterior space. Is there a space you can set aside for the plants? Visualize your outdoor space and see where you can grow your own crops.
You should start small. Section a small area of your garden and create raised beds. Some farmers even start small by having their first crops in containers.
There are several factors to consider when choosing the right spot. These include:
- Access to sunshine: Avoid spots in your home that are shaded. Most crops require at least 8 hours of sunshine. While some crops like leafy greens do well in shaded areas, always consider areas with sunshine.
- Access to water: The right spot should also have good access to water. Make sure the spot is close enough to a water source. Consider spots with a good view from your kitchen. It becomes easier to check on your garden if you can view it regularly.
- The right soil: Does the spot have the right soil? Soil is a crucial component to the success of your garden. You need soil rich in organic nutrients. You need to create raised beds on the spot to separate your garden soil from the ground soil.
Prepare your soil
Having selected an ideal spot, you need to prepare the soil. Creating raised beds on the spot is the first step in separating your soil from the ground soil. Depending on the crops you’re growing, the soil needs to have the right nutrients.
You can perform a soil test to check the available nutrients. However, most homeowners avoid this step as they are growing few crops for home consumption.
So in case you don’t do a soil test, you can apply a triple 13 fertilizer for the initial. Mix it well with the soil to ensure the soil has enough nutrients to support your crops from germination.
But not all crops need a raised bed. You need a little research on the crops you’ll grow. For example, carrots, onions, and potatoes can do well in clay ground soil However, crops like strawberries require a raised bed.
Decide the veggies to grow
With the soil ready, you need to decide on the right vegetables to grow. From crunchy cucumbers, plump potatoes, ruby red raspberries, and carrots to strawberries, there are varieties of choices to grow.
You need to think critically and choose the right veggies to grow. What are farmers nearby growing? You need to avoid that and choose something different. You don’t want to grow food that is already available in the farmers’ market nearby.
But if you’re looking for quick results, then consider some quick-growing vegetables. Vegetables like baby spinach and lettuce can be ready in a few weeks.
It’s always good to choose the foods that your family eats the most.
Get to planting
Depending on the crops chosen, you can plant from seeds or get ready seedlings. Most farmers start with seedlings of seeds grown indoors during the winter season.
When sowing seeds, make sure you label them to avoid confusion when they are young.
Keep plants watered and supported
Once the plants are in the ground, they need to be watered to help them settle. Most plants require at least one inch of water per week. You can tell when your plants require water by checking for signs of wilting.
In addition, you need to provide support for crawling plants like tomatoes.
Harvest timely
Lastly, you need to plan your planting period to ensure you harvest at the right time. You don’t want your crops overstaying in the garden.
The good thing is that you have control over when you can harvest. Some crops taste better when harvested earlier.
Overall, when crops are ripening, it’s a great time to keep an extra eye on them. Harvesting on the right helps the plant produce more and bigger fruits.