There are endless reasons & benefits to caring for your own vegetable & herb garden.  For me, I find pride in cooking from my own harvest, as well as enjoying the pay-off from all my hard work.

In an age of additives and chemicals, it is comforting to know that my food is in its purest form.  That satisfaction is just as rewarding as watching a tomato turn green to a bright, juicy red.  As farmers markets, co-ops, and harvest sharing continues to explode, another great option for green food is planting your own garden.  While I would still encourage everyone to continue to support local farms and business, today I would like to focus on start-up garden basics and tips.

For a first time gardener, starting your own garden can be a bit overwhelming.  Often times folks won’t know where to start, what to plant or how to plant it.

My advice… Start Small!

Pick a few of your favorite herbs and vegetables and go from there. As you begin to get more comfortable with your garden each season, you can continue to expand and grow.  As your crops continue to grow and grow, so will your knowledge of the plants and techniques for a successful garden.

A few suggestions for newbie gardeners:

For starters I suggest plotting a modest six by four foot space.  If you don’t have solid ground to plant in, try using a few small planters and start your own contain garden!  By doing this, you can have your own garden right next to your house.  Need a snip of mint?  Just step our your back door and have what you need right there waiting for you.

{Sunset, one-pot vegetable garden}

{Gardening Gals: 4×6 raised garden bed}

What to plant?

One variety of tomatoes: {Roma, Beefsteak, Early Girl are great basics}.

A cucumber plant: {I love Sweet Slice, it’s a medium size cucumber that’s taste great in salads}.

Two pepper plants: {One hot pepper like Jalapeno, Hungarian Wax or Thai Hot and a sweet like Sweet Banana, California Wonder or Gypsy}. I personal love Gypsy peppers because of their sweet taste and bright yellow color.

Lettuce: {One six-pack of either Roman, Head or Leaf.  Once you harvest your lettuce, you can plant again}.

Herbs: {Spearmint, Basil, Thyme, Parsley and Cilantro are great staples that are used in the majority of your cooking}.

Now that you have these basics, you will be ready for the next steps in no time! Stay tuned next week for more suggestions and tips for intermediate and advanced gardening.

Start preparing your ground now.  April comes quick!