Start your own vegetable garden

With all these high prices in the supermarket, it might be an idea: your own vegetable garden! Personally, I have absolutely no green thumb. I tried to keep a basil plant from the supermarket alive, but it didn’t work out. But those seeds from the Albert Heijn vegetable garden did quite well here at home! If you are planning to start your own vegetable garden, read on. We have some tips!

What do you need?

First of all, you need a few pots and fresh soil. And, of course, seeds of the crops you want to grow. Fine is a small greenhouse, which you can buy at a garden center. A shovel, rake and something to turn the soil with are also handy, especially if you don’t want black fingers. You can also use gloves, of course. You can buy seeds and fertilizer at the garden center. They are unfortunately closed at the moment but most garden centers have an online shop. This way you can safely order everything you need for your vegetable garden from the comfort of your couch and it will be delivered to your home a few days later.

What are you going to plant?

Are you a beginning vegetable gardener? Then it might be an idea to start with easy crops. Lettuce and tomato always do well, as do cucumber and strawberry. Divide your greenhouse or soil into several compartments and plant species by species. Then your plants will thrive better. Adding an herb garden is fun, too! Herbs are not only easy to grow, they also give off a wonderful fragrance. For example, grow mint, which is delicious for tea (wash well first!).

When to plant?

You can start your vegetable garden in two ways. From inside or immediately outside. If you want to start your vegetable garden indoors, you can start sowing as early as February. You’ll need a few pots for that and a window sill, because plants love sunlight. In April, the plants, which have probably grown quite a bit, can go outside. If you want to get started outside right away, wait until the frost period is over. That may not be until early April, because a night frost is certainly not out of the question in March. Want to start your outdoor vegetable garden earlier? Then use a greenhouse because under glass it is always warmer and the plants already do well. Advantage is: every ray of sunshine is for the plant.

Garden or balcony?

It doesn’t matter how much or how little space you have. Even on your balcony you can start an excellent vegetable garden. Conditions for a successful little garden are there. A bright spot without too many drafts is best. If you have a draughty balcony or a spot in the garden where there is a lot of wind, it is advisable to buy a small greenhouse. These come in all shapes and sizes, small and somewhat larger. So you don’t have to have a lot of space. The advantage of a small greenhouse is that it is always nice and warm and safe from the neighboring cats who might tend to do their business in your garden. Another advantage of a greenhouse is that the birds have no chance of pecking your strawberries before you have had the chance.

Direct and indirect sunlight?

In the spring, your vegetable garden can do just fine in full sun. In fact, 6 to 8 hours of sunlight is recommended. But when it’s high summer, it’s a different story. Chances are you’ll find your long-cherished vegetable garden withering away. You can move a greenhouse or a pot, but if you have planted your vegetable garden in full sun, it becomes tricky. Therefore, look first at the characteristics of the crop you are planting. Can it tolerate direct sunlight?

How much water should you give it?

Make sure your plants get enough to drink. Dry soil does not make them happy, but the roots should not be too wet either, so they rot. The latter is less likely to happen if you plant in full soil. Watering is best done at the end of the day, especially in summer. The drops of water can cause your plants to burn faster.

Fertilize

When you plant your vegetable garden in fresh soil you don’t have to add nutrition right away. It is already there. But still it is wise to have it in the shed, because if you want to grow fast you need more than just water. Same goes for us, right? For more flavor to your vegetables, you can choose organic vegetable food. Perfect for herbs and vegetables. And if you want to grow spinach, use nitrogen. Might sound a little scary, but you can just buy that at a garden center. Be sure to pay attention to the fertilizer products section. There is something for every crop.

Weeding

Of course, you don’t want weeds to absorb all the nutrients from your vegetable garden. So weeds need to be pulled out of the soil. As a result, it immediately looks a lot better. And the presence of weeds can be attractive to pests that you definitely do NOT want in your vegetable garden!

Lice in your garden

Unfortunately, you share your garden with other residents. Most animals are useful, such as worms. These dig tunnels in the earth that allow your plants’ roots to get more oxygen. But there are insects and critters that are not so good for your garden, such as lice and slugs. Lice feed on weeds. So another reason to weed. It is also important to keep your garden healthy, so fertilize regularly. However, over-fertilization causes lice. So keep that in mind. Plants such as dill, sage, garlic, onions and lavender are not a favorite for lice, so those will do just fine. Should all these things not work, there are also organic lice killers. You can buy those at the garden center.

Slugs in your garden

Snails may seem harmless, but these slimy invaders are not. Especially if you grow lettuce, you notice how harmful they can be. After all, snails love lettuce. And leaves, because they like to hide in them. So make sure you remove leaves from your garden. This will make your garden less attractive to them. Weeding also helps and make sure the soil is not too wet, as they love wetness. One way to protect the soil around your plants is to put gravel, cocoa shells, sawdust or ground egg shells around them. These materials are sharp to the snail and it doesn’t like them. Coffee grounds also work! And also keeps cats out of your garden. There are pesticides for sale (including organic ones), but try it this way first.

Harvest time!

Finally!!! After weeks or months, the time has come! You can harvest your homegrown vegetables, herbs and fruits. A fun chore to do with your kids. Be sure to check in advance the way certain vegetables and fruits should be cut. It would be a shame if you don’t do this properly, because you might be able to count on a second harvest. Maybe find out now that it was inconvenient to plant 11 heads of lettuce, because they finish about the same time. No one wants to eat lettuce all week. But, you can also freeze many vegetables or (even nicer) give them away to someone dear to you.

Winterizing your vegetable garden

Once everything is harvested and winter is upon us, it is important to get your vegetable garden ready for winter. Remove all plant debris and hoe the garden. All the nutrients are still in the soil now and next year’s plants can make good use of them. Make a map of what you have planted where. Useful to know: planting the same plants every year exhausts the soil. So do some crop rotation. So grow something different in that spot. Good luck with your vegetable garden!

Credits photos: www.canva.com