Garden Tips From Mo

Howdy y’all. Welcome to my short blurb about gardens; where to grow them and how to get started.

Since the start of the pandemic in 2020 a lot of food items have seen an increase in prices at the grocery stores and local markets. So, one way that I found to combat rising food prices was to start a garden in my backyard to help cut those costs. Having your own vegetable garden doesn’t just cut down on your food costs, it can also help reduce your carbon footprint and help the environment. So why not start your own indoor, outdoor, mini or large garden today?

Now, I am by no means an expert when it comes to gardening so, please feel free to do your own research and talk with your local garden centers about what types of plants grow well in your area. I spent 2020 playing with different types of vegetables and various areas in my backyard to find the best spot for all my plants. Don’t be afraid to spend one or more years trying out new things and introducing new techniques to your gardening.

For those with limited indoor space, try vertical gardening. There are many different styles and ideas out there on the internet so don’t be afraid to do a little “research” on your favorite websites like Pinterest. I used Pinterest as a starting point to generate ideas on how to set up my garden space. From there I took some time to do a little reading from professional gardeners on how to get my garden soil set up. Now, you don’t have to go through the effort to compost, or the multiple sets needed to set-up the German style mound garden it that’s not what you’re interested in doing. You can get great potting and topsoil from local stores like Lowes, garden centers or nurseries in your area.

My garden is full of a variety of plants that I both eat and was just interested in how well those plant varieties would do in my garden space. I would suggest that for your first garden start with plants that you know you will eat. So, if you are a salad kind of person, start with a few varieties of lettuce, spinach and other leafy greens that you enjoy. Lettuce is a fun plant because it can be easily grown both indoor and outdoor. It also doesn’t take up much space so it’s easy to set up a few pots of leafy greens in a corner of your kitchen or living space. After trying out a few plants that you use regularly, if you still enjoy growing your food and decide that you are ready, branch out to new veggies or fruits that you enjoy and give growing them a try.

I have saved many seeds from fruits that I got at the store to try growing them in my home and it has worked out well. Gardens and green spaces are a great way to save on your environmental impact. These spaces can be used anywhere; indoors, rooftops, balconies, outdoors in a small or large space. It all depends on how much work and effort you are willing to put in, but gardening is for everyone! Think about what kind of plants you might want to grow and get started today. Go out there and give it a try!

Here we have a few examples of ways to go vertical with your plants with an Arch, Slanted frame, and tomato cages. Don’t be afraid to mix up what plants you put where. Try taking a vining plant and running up at a slant on some type of fencing or trellis you have and see how they do. On the slant there are two types of cucumbers starting to vine their way up. On the mini arch there are a variety of berry bushes that will grow and vine out over the course of a year or two.

*Books and places to find information about plants and gardening*

Pinterest and other trending websites like Twiter, Tiktok and so on.

Garden centers, Nurseries (for plants), and large box stores like Lowes, Home Depot or Walmart are great places to get seeds, starter plants and a variety of tools needed to start your garden.