There’s a lot of information out there about how to plan a garden. What you should plant should be planted with this plant, fertilizers to use, and how to amend soil. What all these “tips” seem to be lacking is you, your area, and your resources.
It might be tempting to purchase a tiller and dig up a few acres on your first attempt. What they forget to tell you, though, is how easily a first-year garden can be overwhelmed. Each plant has different individual needs at different times during the year, not to mention the constant pulling of weeds in the spring and harvesting in the fall. With a slow start and few sensible tips, you can have a crop that will produce in your first year.
Start Small
As mentioned, it can be easy to overwhelm yourself in the first year. However, you should limit yourself to only 2-3 types of harvestable crops and a few flowers, depending on how much space you have and what you want to plant. I actually till by hand
Small plot for snow peas.
Perennials are a good place to start with general vegetation and flowers, but you will want to look locally. Ask friends and neighbors in the area if they are thinning perennial flowers any time soon, or get starts from a local farmers market. Flowers such as lilies and iris are best started with fresh bulbs locally, and so are certain types of hosta. These plants are wonderful for attracting beneficial bugs and local wildlife, and are can be more or less maintenance-free after the first year, aside from general pruning or thinning in the spring.
Vegetables and herbs for first year gardeners are best started from established plants from local greenhouses or farmer’s market, although if you start early enough you can attempt from seed. Some vegetable plants will require you start from seed and direct sow, but take caution that you don’t over-plant and overwhelm yourself with the task of weeding or thinning. You probably won’t use that entire seed packet on your first run, so just save the rest for next year.
Understand Your Space
Aesthetics are just a small part of your garden plan. It’s more important that you understand when and how your garden will be in the sun, how much water it gets, and what problems it might have down the road. You’ll need to watch the path of sun as trees and building can block garden spaces during the day and also at certain times during the year. The garden may not get the same amount of sun in the winter as it does in the summer, so you should pay attention to these patterns for at least a year while you expand your garden slowly (remember the first tip of starting small!).
Old foundation outline found during a drought, turned into a garden bed.
You will also want to make sure your garden isn’t near a property line where the neighbor sprays for weeds. Even if it doesn’t kill your plants, they still might be contaminated. Just in case, try to plant flowers or non-edible plants near fences and property lines, and go accordingly to what your city will allow. Be sure to check your city codes for information on what you can and can’t plant near a property line.
Natives and Local Plants are Best
While exotic flowers and unique vegetables might seem fun, they are often very difficult to grow in the wrong climate and thus eat up more resources (like water or soil) than they should. Instead,check your state or growing zone to find out what plants are natives. This will ensure they grow naturally and with less interaction from you, as they already know how to thrive in your area.
Hosta transplanted from other areas on the property.
You can do this research on your state and immediate area online or at the library, although if you are purchasing or transplanting plants locally you should naturally find items that will grow well in your area. Take your time with selecting plants – you don’t want to get overwhelmed or put in unnecessary work for a crop that won’t produce well with your soil type or doesn’t work well in your specific area.
Narrowing Choices
Even after making a list of local plants or natives, it might be difficult narrowing down your choices. Start with plants you need over ones that sound fun. For example, if you cook with a lot of spices, you may want to try herbs first. If your kids love salsa and spaghetti, tomatoes are an easy option for almost any zone. It’s a lot easier to replace items on your grocery list than it is trying to figure out what to do with a vegetable you rarely eat.
The family loves tomatoes because of their many uses.
Be sure to understand the requirements and space of each plant as you narrow your list, as you’ll notice that some plants fit better in specific areas of your yard than others. Do the homework on each plant, factoring in how much space and sunlight you’ll need, as well as factoring in basic companion planting rules (such as never plant dill and fennel next to each other).
Don’t be afraid to try and fail – all gardeners have unsuccessful crops. Take it as a learning experience and learn from your mistakes. Understand why something failed, and what – if anything – can be done in the future.
The Urban Ladybug 