Starting Your First Vegetable Garden – A Beginner's Guide

Start Small, Learn Fast

Begin with 10 or fewer vegetables and 1–2 flower beds. Easy starters: lettuce, peppers, tomatoes, beets, radishes, carrots. Add annuals (sunflowers, marigolds, salvia, cosmos, zinnia) to attract pollinators.

Soil Preparation

• Amend any soil with aged manure, peat moss, compost.
• Test pH; target 7.0. Add lime if acidic, gypsum if alkaline.

Planting Method

Square-foot gardening allows intensive planting, less weeding/watering. Rows work too.

Maintenance

• Water 1 inch/week.
• Fertilize balanced fertilizer every 2 weeks.
• Use row covers for young plants; remove at bloom for pollination.
• Organic pest controls: pyrethrum, rotenone, Bt for cabbage worms.

Harvest

Pick young for best flavor. Experience teaches timing.

Resources

Books: Square Foot Gardening (Mel Bartholomew), The Joy of Gardening. Websites linked in original answer.