By Aliza Gans, Arts and Culture Editor
So the idea for a garden has been planted in your mind but you have no idea where to start? Here are some tips to start off your garden.
Looking at the gardens on Instagram, you may think you need a large space to have an adequate garden, but in truth you can have a thriving garden in whatever space you have. The trick is to work with your given space — whether you have a backyard or just a small patch of space to work with. Pots are a great way to create a garden tailored to the space you have because they come in all different sizes and can be easily moved and adjusted over time. Some even come with little plates to make sure the water doesn’t leak. There are also raised garden beds, which can accommodate many plants in a small amount of space, but they tend to be more expensive.
For the beginner gardener I’d recommend starting with seedlings from a nursery or your local Home Depot rather than starting from seeds. Growing plants from seeds, while rewarding, takes longer and makes them more susceptible to pests as new seedlings. In addition, buying a plant that is already growing will give you a good idea of how it should look under proper care. When deciding on plants, it is also very important to make sure that each plant is being given the proper physical support, whether it is a trellis or just growing against a fence.
Certain plants are easier to grow than others. Herbs like rosemary, basil and mint are fairly easy to manage and can be used in a variety of recipes. Mint is even perennial, which means it comes back every year after the wintertime. A word of warning, though — do not plant mint straight into the ground unless you want it to take over your entire yard! Tomatoes are also a simple plant to manage and will yield a bountiful harvest into the fall, just make sure to get a tomato cage to give the plant the proper support. Tomatoes are great because they can be harvested early and will continue to ripen off the vine, which helps them avoid being eaten by animals. As long as a tomato is blushing, turning red, it can be picked — and all you need to do is leave it on the counter to ripen. If you are looking for something particularly fast, leeks and scallions can be regrown from their roots. Simply collect the white bottoms and stick them in water for a few days, then transfer them outside to a pot. Leeks and scallions grow so quickly that even in a few hours you can see that growth has occurred.
You are not the only one hoping to enjoy your harvest. The garden is full of animals big and small hoping to get a bite of their favorite plant, ready to use your garden as an all-you-can-eat buffet. While pesticides and insecticides can be effective at keeping pests away, they often contain harsh chemicals and may harm beneficial insects like bees, ladybugs and butterflies. A mesh plant cover can help keep deer, bunnies, groundhogs, birds, and larger insects away from your plants while not having to depend on pesticides. One of the best tried-and-true methods is to check your plants and leaves for bugs, slugs and eggs. Slugs like to hide in dark damp areas like under your pots, and the best way to get rid of them is to check for them before they become a problem. The same goes for checking the leaves of your plant for insect eggs — that will help you catch them before they become an infestation.
While at first glance it can feel like a daunting endeavor, a garden can be relaxing and there is truly nothing like the pride of sitting down to eat something you just picked fresh off the plant.
Photo Credit: Aliza Gans
Photo Caption: Tomatoes, peppers, and strawberries harvested from Aliza’s garden