7 Tips for Growing Your Own Garden

Tip#1: Plan in advance
Plan your garden today to ensure summer success. Decide what you’d like to grow. How much space can you devote to the project? How much time are you willing to spend? Answering these questions will help you to determine your priorities.

For those with small spaces (or small ambitions), a container garden is an excellent choice. Containers can also supplement a traditional garden, providing a handy pot of herbs just outside the kitchen door, an experimental area for kids to grow their own produce, and allowing tender plants to be moved according to the season.

Others might consider building a raised bed to use for square-foot gardening. Square-foot gardening allows you to maximize food production in a minimum of space.

Tip#2: Start small
When planning your garden, it’s better to start too small than to start too large. In order to enjoy your garden, you must be able to control it. Don’t get too ambitious. It’s better to start small and to expand a little every year.

Tip#3: Choose productive plants
Some plants are more productive than others. If you want a rewarding, productive garden, do some research to find out what grows well in your area.

Tip #4: Share with others
When you buy a packet of seeds, you generally receive more than you need. It’s fun (and frugal) to split the costs with others.

Also, share equipment with the neighbours. Careful borrowing and lending helps keep everybody’s costs down.

Tip #5: Buy quality tools
When you buy tools, it pays to purchase quality. Remember: thrift and frugality are about obtaining value for your dollar — not just paying the cheapest price.

Keep your eyes open at garage sales. Sometimes you can get great deals on quality stuff.

Tip #6: Read up on the subject
Your public library will have many books on the subject, some tailored to your location. There are also many excellent web sites that can help you get started. Here are some useful resources:

Books
•The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible by Edward C. Smith
•Square-Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew     
•Crops in Pots by Bob Purnell
•The Bountiful Container by Rose Marie Nichols McGee and Maggie Stuckey

Websites
•You Grow Girl, a blog about gardening
•GardenWeb, “the internet’s garden and home community”
•Garden Guides: Guide to container gardening
•Journey to Forever: Building a square-foot garden
•Kitchen Gardeners International


Tip #7: Have fun!
Most importantly, have fun. Don’t make gardening into more work than it needs to be. Your garden doesn’t need to be perfect. It’s great if you’re able to achieve a substantial return on your investment, but it’s also okay if you lose a little money. (You don’t want to lose a lot of money, though)
Pick a favourite fruit or vegetable, plant a few seeds, and have fun watching them grow to maturity. Make it a family thing.

Tips courtsey of getrichslowly