Nothing compares to the taste of a tomato just picked from the vine or a cucumber from your own backyard. Gardening is a fun physical activity, provides you with great tasting produce and ultimately, saves you many trips to the store. It's also a great way to teach children about where food comes from.
Here are a few easy steps to get started:
Calculate Your Space
Before buying plants or seeds, calculate how much space you have (ground or container) that gets adequate sun. Most vegetable plants require at least six hours of light each day.
Know What Grows
When buying your plants, ask what varieties will do best in the conditions you have to work with. For example, several compact tomato plants do particularly well in containers. If you have neighbors who garden, ask them what has grown well in their yard.
Check Your Soil Quality
If you aren't sure about the quality of soil in your backyard, use a testing kit to see if you need to reinforce it with any nutrients.
Start Small
And remember, you don't have to start big. Your garden can be as simple as a few window boxes of herbs or a potted tomato plant.
Reviewed January 2013