Let It Grow
By Tammy Thornton
Growing your own food can be a very rewarding hobby that can lead to an enjoyable lifelong journey. But unless you apply some basic gardening principles, a lot of time and effort may be wasted, leaving you feeling frustrated and fruitless. Knowing some of the fundamentals of growing herbs and vegetables will increase your chances of success and will encourage you to try again the following season, building on what you’ve learned.
My first word of advice to a new gardener would be to start small. While it’s great to “dream big”, if you get overwhelmed by raised beds full of wilted tomatoes and trays of unplanted seedlings, you will be tempted to throw in the trowel before your first cucumber. Small successes (and small failures) will help you gradually increase your gardening knowledge and give you enthusiasm for the next step. Before you know it, you’ll be checking the survey plans of your yard to see how far you can push your boundary lines for planting more. Start by growing small pots of herbs like mint, thyme, and rosemary to learn some of the basics of gardening (and to make your favorite foods taste even better). Build on your successes. Move on to a small raised bed of cool-season vegetables like lettuces and snap peas in early spring, followed by tomatoes and basil in the summer.
One key to success is location, location, location. Carefully choose the correct place for the plants you are growing based on their sun requirements. Observe different sections of your yard for a few days. Is your future garden sunny only in the morning, all day, or only in the afternoon? In my own garden, full-sun exposure areas are prime real estate that only occur in a small section of my backyard. Plants like zucchini, tomatoes, and basil need full sun to thrive. If your garden doesn’t have those precious six to eight hours of full sun, don’t set yourself up for failure. Instead, grow vegetables that only require dappled sunlight or partial shade. Root vegetables or those grown for their leaves such as kale, spinach, and lettuce prefer partial shade. If most of your garden is sunny, you can create your own partial shade to protect plants that would otherwise wilt or bolt in full sun. Using companion planting methods, grow taller vegetables facing the full sun, but underplant part-sun vegetables and herbs in the shade that these tall sun-loving plants will provide.
Of course, good soil is key to growing healthy herbs and vegetables. If growing in pots, use a good quality potting mix labeled safe for fruits and vegetables. Growing in raised beds will allow you to control the soil as well. Starting with a combination of top soil and compost with a little peat moss mixed in will give you a good start for a new raised bed. Ask your favorite garden nursery for advice. Many will offer a premixed raised bed soil or suggest a combination that you can mix yourself. This will be one of the biggest investments when starting your raised bed, but a vital part of your gardening success. After your initial investment in the first season, you can simply add compost to the existing soil which will continue to build the structure and increase the health of your soil.
Don’t forget a water source. This is another reason to start small. If you are lugging a watering can back and forth constantly, you may start slacking off with good watering. Newly planted vegetables and herbs need to be watered regularly until their root system is established. But be sure they also have good drainage, most plants hate to have their “feet” wet. If growing in containers, make sure they have drainage holes, but keep in mind that container plants also dry out more quickly than those planted in the ground. Raised beds are more forgiving, but will also need to be monitored for the plant’s watering needs. When watering plants such as tomatoes, water close to the ground and not from above, since soil splashing on the leaves can make them vulnerable to disease.
A word about growing plants from seed. It is very gratifying to grow a plant from seed, but some plants are much easier to grow from seed than others. If you are new to gardening, growing from seed can take a lot of patience and lead to a lot of frustration. Many plants such as tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini must be started indoors weeks before the last frost since they are susceptible to cold weather. Transplanting them from your coddled indoor environment can be tricky. Buying young seedlings from a reputable nursery can boost your rate of success and give you a jump start to the season. If you’d like to earn your gardening scout badge or a gold star from your neighbors, some of the easiest plants to grow from seeds are lettuce, spinach, beets, peas, and radishes. Involve your children and they will marvel at the process and be more inclined to sample the fruit of their labors.
Finally, consult with those who have gone before us. When I first planted my garden, I gobbled up gardening books from the library like I was researching for a thesis. Along came the internet, and now the information at our fingertips is limitless. One of my favorite sources of information from fellow gardeners is gardening social media groups like South Jersey Gardener’s Group or New Jersey Gardeners on Facebook. Members can share pictures or ask questions, and gardeners eagerly share advice. You can also join a local gardening club like the Offshore Garden Club or the Green Thumb Garden Club. Another on-line source for information is farmersalmanac.com. Of course, the Shore Local Gardener would love to see your pictures, hear your comments, or answer your gardening questions. Please email the: shorelocalgardener@gmail.com. Can’t wait to hear from you!
Tammy Thornton is a mom of four, a substitute teacher, and a Sunday school teacher. She is passionate about gardening and cooking, and loves the beach.
