Give gardening a go 

When I’m not tackling my to-do list indoors, you can most likely find me outdoors, working on our landscape.

I’m no expert by any means, and my thumb is just barely a hint of green. Any experience I have has come by trial and error and through asking many questions to my well-experienced mom, who loves gardening and being outdoors.

My maternal grandfather was an avid gardener as well. It probably helped he was a forester by profession and knew just about everything there was to know about plants. If it required soil, sunlight and water and survived off photosynthesis, he was your guy to call to answer all your questions. If he didn’t know an answer, he’d pull out his Farmer’s Almanac and research it.

So no doubt about it, gardening is deep rooted in my genes ... my fingertips, maybe not so much. This hasn’t stopped me from trying though. The last couple of years, we’ve been homeowners, I’ve given gardening a go. From redesigning our front flower beds to constructing a simple vegetable garden in our backyard, I’m learning slowly and discovering what works and oftentimes what doesn’t.

This summer I intend to build a raised vegetable garden. Last year, I planted a simple vegetable garden in our already growing garden, and although what we did in our backyard worked last season, I’m fairly confident that a raised garden bed would yield more produce. A raised garden bed allows for better drainage and your soil is kept nice and fresh. There are many tutorials out there that give you step by step instructions on how to build your own raised garden bed. With a few two-by-fours and some nails, a simple frame could be constructed. Remember to use a wood that won’t bleed over into your soil, choose a wood that hasn’t been treated with chemicals so it doesn’t leech into your soil where you intend to grow your veggies.

Constructing a fruit or vegetable garden bed is simple; the main thing to remember is location, location, location!

Depending on what type of fruits or vegetables you want to grow, you’ll need to have your garden bed in an area in your yard that best accommodates them. Typically, most fruits and vegetables need a lot of sunlight to thrive.

Once you’ve decided where you’re going to have your garden, you can begin by preparing the soil. You’ll need to till the soil to loosen up the dirt for better drainage. You want to have about a foot of loose soil. You can use a shovel or even rent a tiller from your local home improvement store.

Once your soil is nice and loose, you can pour your desired topsoil on top. Through experimenting, you can find what soil you like the best. I usually go with something from Home Depot that says it’s specifically for vegetables. I

like to stay organic so I stay away from anything that says pesticide or fertilizer. As I gain more experience, I’d love to try adding compost to garden soon to see the difference that makes.

Now that you have your soil the desired consistency, you’ll need to rake the soil so it’s smooth and level before you plant your seeds or plants. By using a rake, you can comb over the soil so it’s nice and smooth.

Now you are ready to plant your vegetables. You can go to your local nursery for seeds, or even visit a farmers market. I also have a few friends who are always willing to share a part of their already growing garden by separating a few plants for me to replant in my garden. I have seen many creative ways to label which plant is which. For example, you can paint on stones or use giant popsicle sticks. I say the more creative you are, the better your garden will look.

Through trial and error, you will discover what works for you and you’ll learn what plants really thrive in which climates. For example, at my home, I have discovered that mint will grow in just about any surrounding. That stuff is resilient.

Gardening is a great activity to do with your young children as well. Last summer, we built our first vegetable garden and we harvested squash from it. I could see the pride in my son’s face when we picked our first squash and cooked and ate it. Yes, he ate a vegetable with no arguments.

Spring has definitely sprung so if you’re tired of being cooped up indoors like I was, get outside, get your hands dirty, and try your hand at gardening.