How to Plan and Plant Your Own Garden

I started gardening with my dad when I was a kid. He instilled in me a real love of getting my hands dirty and growing different types of vegetables. That love has stuck with me into adulthood and when I moved into my first place with my now husband I knew I wanted to grow something of my own! I have been growing my own veggies ever since! If this is the year that you are wanting to start your own garden you’re in the right place! Today, I am sharing how to plan and plant your very own garden! It’s easier than you think!

There really is nothing like the taste of a homegrown tomato. The pride you feel when you harvest your first zucchini or a bunch of green beans is the best! A day out in the garden is a day well spent if you ask me and I am so excited that you’ve decided to start your own garden! Before we get into the steps, here are a few tips and pieces of advice that I’ve picked up over the years when it comes to gardening.

Tips for the Beginner Gardener

Let go of perfection. There is no perfect way to garden. The best thing to do is just start and learn as you go. I have learned so many things in my garden!
Keep a journal. This is something that I have only started in the last few years. I keep a log of what seeds I am starting, where in my backyard I am going to plant things, notes about what worked and what didn’t work in the last growing season. It is really helpful to have this to look back on when I am planning for the upcoming season.
Learn what gardening zone you are in. This determines your growing season and gives you a timeline on when things should ideally be planted to get the most out of your season. You can find this out on the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Where I live, we are in zone 8b!

Plant things that you enjoy eating. If you hate beets, don’t grow them, if you love cucumbers grow more of them! Don’t waste your growing space with something you and your family won’t eat!
Make sure your water source is close. There is nothing that will burn you out more than having to lug your water to your thirsty plants. Make sure you invest in a hose and make sure your gardening space is close to the water!
Healthy Garden = Healthy Soil. Invest your time into learning as much as you can about soil health that you’ll avoid a lot of heartbreak and disappointment in the garden!
Start small. Don’t try and do it all at the beginning! Start with a small area to avoid overwhelm!
Consider growing flowers to attract pollinators. They look beautiful too! Check out my post on my favorite flowers to start from seed!

Have fun!

What Gardening Method Should You Use?

Deciding on what gardening method to use is dependent on the amount of space you have to grow! Don’t let the fact that you live in an apartment or rental deter you from growing! Here is each method so you can decide what is best for you!

Container Gardening

Container gardening is perfect for someone who lives in an apartment or someone who doesn’t have a lot of space. If you have a sunny space you can garden in containers. You’d be surprised at how many things you can grow in a container! I grow a ton of herbs in containers and love growing some lettuce in a container as well! Here is a great article from The Spruce on Vegetable Container Gardening for Beginners!

Raised Bed Gardening

Raised bed gardening is what I am most familiar with. My dad always had a raised bed garden and the majority of what we grow in our backyard is grown in raised beds. I love the way they look and they are easier on my back when I’m out in the garden. There are a lot of pros and cons to raised bed gardening. You can read about some of them here on Gardening Know How. I would also recommend this book called The First-Time Gardener: Raised Bed Gardening. You can pick that up on Amazon!

In-Ground Gardening

This is the most affordable method of them all. Here is an article on the Old Farmer’s Almanac website that shares the pros and cons of all three gardening methods!

Steps for Planning Your Garden

1. Make a Plan for Your Garden

This is your opportunity to map out the logistics of your gardening adventure. Here are a few things you should think about before you start your garden:

Pick the area you want to use. Make sure it gets at least 6 hours of sun as that is what most plants need to thrive.
Assess the size of the space and determine what method of gardening you want to do.
Be practical and think about how much time you are willing to spend or have to spend on taking care of your garden.
Determine how you will water, is a hose close enough or will you need to use a watering can?
Decide on what you want to grow!

2. Gather the Materials and Prepare Your Garden Space

Now that you’ve considered all of the above, it’s time to gather your materials and prepare your gardening space.

Container Gardening: Containers, potting soil, compost.
Raised Bed Gardening: Materials you are using to create the raised bed. There are tons of kits you can order online. Jake and I purchased these corner bricks and some lumber to create this one and create the walls for our other two raised beds. If you’re worried about the additional cost of filling the raised bed, you can find loads of videos online on how to fill a raised bed more affordably.
In-Ground Gardening: Here is a great article on GrowIt BuildIt on how to build an In-Ground Vegetable Garden! There is a great section that details laying cardboard out to suppress the grass.
Any tomato cages or trellising you’ll need

A few other items I recommend you have on hand:

Hand Trowel
Hand Rake
Gardening Gloves
Organic Vegetable Fertilizer
Watering Can or Hose
Kneeling pad
Seed storage/organizer ( I use this photo organizer from The Container Store) obviously this won’t be necessary if you’ll be purchasing plant starts

3. Plan Out Where You’ll Plant Everything

Once you know the size of the area you have, decide on where you’ll be planting each vegetable plant. This makes it so easy when you’re ready to start planting!

4. Purchase Seeds or Plant Starts & Get Started Growing

When I first started gardening on my own, I purchased seedlings from the garden center. This isn’t the most cost-effective way to garden but it is great for beginner gardeners to have plants with a head start. Think of it as gardening with training wheels.

When I became more comfortable with the growing process, I decided to try my hand at seed starting. I started with a few types at first like tomatoes, peppers, and lettuce. Now the majority of what we grow is started from seed but that’s not to say that I won’t pick up an interesting start that I see at the nursery. Do whatever way is going to be best for you!

5. Decide on a Watering Schedule

Keep in mind that a lot of plants don’t need to be watered every day. According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, most plants do best when watered 3 times per week. Seedlings will need to be watered more frequently until they have established themselves. Be sure to check the soil for moisture so as not to overwater!

6. Enjoy Your Garden!

Now that you’ve worked so hard to start your garden, it’s time to enjoy it! The hard work of gardening is 100% worth it only if you take the time to enjoy the fruits of your labor. I spend a lot of time out on our back patio during late Spring and the Summer months. I take a walk through my garden in the morning with my tea and in the evening after a day of work.

Checking on my garden brings me joy and also allows me to identify any problems that may come up with my plants like pests or diseases. I also have started adding more beauty to my garden. I made my own garden markers last year and have added a few little garden knick-knacks around. My ultimate goal is to turn my backyard into my very own sanctuary. I dream of an abundance of veggies and beautiful flowers. Spending time in the Summer evenings under my patio lights, enjoying a delicious garden-to-table dinner, and listening to music is my idea of a good time!

My Gardening Resource & Inspiration Recommendations

Books:

The First Time Gardener: Growing Vegetables
The First Time Gardener: Raised Bed Gardening
The First Time Gardener: Container Food Gardening
The Beautiful Edible Gardening
The Timber Press Guide to Vegetable Gardening in the Pacific Northwest This is a regional guide, they have guides for other regions in the US as well!

YouTube:

Josie – Josie is a fashion, beauty, & lifestyle blogger based in The Cotswolds and I love the evolution of her kitchen garden. The videos where she’s out in her garden are so calming and fun to watch!
Acre Homestead – Becky lives in SW Washington and is currently in the process of building her dream garden at their new house! I love her gardening content but she also shares a lot about how she preserves her harvest!
Dainty Diaries – Catherine is in Ireland and she has turned her backyard into a cottage garden oasis. Her channel is full of garden inspo and all sorts of DIY projects for the home!
Whispering Willow Farm – Jill and her family live on a farm in Arkansas and she shares a ton of knowledge about growing food and flowers and working to have a more self-sufficient lifestyle!
Roots & Refuge Farm – Jess and her family live on a homestead in South Carolina. She is full of gardening knowledge and has a really inspiring message!
The Elliot Homestead – The Elliots live in Central Washington. They share all about their life on the homestead including tours of their beautiful gardening spaces and delicious recipes using ingredients grown on their farm!
Eugenia Diaz – Eugenia and her husband live in the countryside of Portugal! They are developing land that they bought a few years ago and her garden is one of the most beautiful I have seen. She built it from scratch and grows the majority of their food right there!
Charles Dowding – Charles Dowding has 39 years of experience in gardening. He’s an authority on the no-dig method of gardening suitable for in-ground gardening!
Garden Answer – Her channel is full of fun DIY and gardening videos!

Websites:

I hope you found this post helpful! I love discussing gardening and if you’re starting your own garden this year, I would love to hear about it! Share below in the comments or message me over on Instagram @sow.little.thyme! Happy Gardening!

How to Plan and Plant Your Own Garden

How to Plan and Plant Your Own Garden

Tips for the Beginner Gardener