Edible gardens are becoming more and more popular as prices have increased for groceries over the last several months. Starting an edible garden at your home can be an exciting and fun adventurous thought but it will take some knowledge before you get started to help you become successful.
With these tips for an edible garden at your home, you will be enjoying produce you have grown yourself in no time.
Find a spot in full sun for planting
Sunlight is a major component of a successful produce garden. Fruits and veggies are very hard to grow without plenty of sunlight. It is best to find the most sundrenched spot in your yard to dedicate to your vegetable beds. Luckily in the San Tan Valley there is plenty of sunshine.
Try not to rule out certain areas of your yard because they were not your first choice. You want to ensure that your veggies are getting at least 6 to 8 hours of consistent direct sunlight.
Find a spot that will be easy to access
Making sure you have plenty of sunlight is important but you also want to make sure that you can easily get to your garden when you need to maintain it. For some, the closer their garden is to the kitchen the more they will maintain and use it because they can just go out and grab what they need while in the middle of cooking. You also want to make sure that it is convenient and easy to get water to your plants.
Boost your soil
Every plant in existence pulls nutrients from the soil that it lives in. Fruits and vegetables love to suck up nutrients in soil. Before you put your produce bearing plants into the soil for the first time you want to invest in some good product to make sure your soil is nutrient dense. It is also important to have the right texture or structure for your soil.
The most popular of soil choices is to use compost and add it into the existing soil that you plan to plant in. Compost helps to improve structure and drainage of soil and has a very high nutrient content.
Pay attention to soil drainage
Produce bearing plants thrive best in soil that drains quickly. You do not want soil holding on to far too much moisture. Many varieties of produce bearing plants are sensitive to root rot so very wet soil well not allow them to thrive. It also attracts pests that like to munch on produce bearing plants like snails and slugs.
Keep delicate vegetables protected from wind
Some varieties of plants such as squash, cucumber, lettuce greens, and even tomatoes can be sensitive to strong winds. You want to make sure that you are not planting these and others sensitive to wind in a spot that will blow them to bits.
If all areas of your yard are windy you may consider building a shelter to help provide a little bit of protection.
Consider adding flowers
There are actually many edible varieties of flowers and they are great to plant right along your produce bearing plants. Edible flowers can provide many benefits. The largest two include making your garden look more aesthetically pleasing and attracting pollinators that will lead to more produce being harvested. Some of the best flowering plants for edible gardens include sage and feverfew as well as lavender and yarrow.
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