Growing vegetables: 10 tips for beginners

All beginnings are difficult? It doesn't have to be. We will show you the most important tips and tricks if you want to create your first vegetable patch.

Have you been thinking about starting a vegetable garden for a long time? Then let's go! Vegetable gardens are a great way to grow healthy vegetables inexpensively, fun and they look good too. You don't need a huge property either, because there are also for them Vegetables suitable for pot culture, which can be grown on the smallest balcony. And so that the beginning is not so difficult, we give you ten good tips for creating your own vegetable garden.

Tip 1 for growing vegetables: the right variety

It is particularly important for beginners in the bed to choose the right plant varieties. To begin with, robust and easy-care varieties that survive one or the other mistake without dying are best suited. This includes almost all salads, radish, beans, peas and onions. But also zucchini or carrots are relatively easy to grow in your own garden. The best varieties are those that you like to eat yourself: If you can look forward to your favorite food, gardening is twice as much fun. However, you should not overestimate yourself. Start with a small selection of varieties, if you like it you can grow your garden year after year.

Tip 2 for growing vegetables: The location is crucial

The next important step is choosing the location. It is particularly important whether the plants get enough sunlight, so shady groves are rather unsuitable. But protection from strong winds and frost can also play a crucial role in good plant growth. If you grow your plants in pots, you should pay attention to the orientation of your balcony: south is ideal. Also consider the distance to your house or the nearest water connection - especially in the high season, long distances can be difficult. The same applies here: It is better to start small. A few rows or a little raised bed are much more suitable for beginners and, with good care, can yield just as much as a poorly maintained, large garden.

Tip 3 for growing vegetables: bed, row or something completely different?

Vegetable gardens come in hundreds of different designs, but which one is right for a beginner? Traditionally, most people probably know planting in rows: one long row is laid out for each variety, with a small walkway between the rows. The fact that the beds are very orderly and clear speaks in favor of this method. However, this arrangement also requires a lot of space and is therefore more suitable for larger gardens. For beginners, it is worth creating individual beds with walkways in between, in which different types of vegetables can grow next to each other. This reduces the space requirement and the work - but you should inquire beforehand which plants are suitable as bed neighbors. The possibility of a raised bed is also recommended for beginners: not only is the bed space-saving and clearly larger, but it also protects your back and knees when working.

Tip 4 for growing vegetables: Preparation is a must - even with the soil

If you have never had a vegetable patch in your garden, you should first find out about the condition of your soil. With a pH measuring strip you can find out whether the soil is more in the acidic or alkaline range. A pH value of around seven, i.e. in the neutral range, is perfect. If the soil is too acidic, you can improve it with lime, if it is too alkaline, treat it with compost or manure. Also check the drainage ability of your soil. For this purpose, the soil should be well watered. The next day, take a handful of soil and squeeze: if water spills out, consider improving your soil's drainage ability by incorporating compost. The longer a vegetable garden exists, the more important it is to take care of the soil regularly. The incorporation of compost after each cultivation not only serves to fertilize the next generation of plants, but also maintains the soil structure. Alternatively, you can also use a high-quality vegetable soil such as the Plantura organic tomato & vegetable soil to grab. It optimally supplies your vegetable plants for a high-yield harvest and is also peat-free and sustainably produced.

Tip 5 for growing vegetables: growing them indoors

The beginning is also difficult for the plants - fortunately you can support them a little: in the house the plants can already be grown without defying the cold and bad weather in the bed have to. To do this, simply place the seeds in small containers with potting soil and place them in a warm, bright place. Do not forget to write the names of the varieties on the pots, otherwise confusion can easily arise. As soon as the plants have the first two to four leaves, they can be carefully transplanted into the bed. After that, the seedlings should be watered immediately so that they can grow well.

Tip: With a cultivation set, growing vegetables is particularly easy. Our Plantura vegetable growing set includes everything you need to grow 5 colorful vegetables.

Tip 6 for growing vegetables: Plant summer vegetables

The traditional summer vegetables, among others beans and cucumbers, but also paprika and tomatoes are only planted after the last frost. The ice saints, whose commemoration days are in mid-May, are usually mentioned as the deadline for moving to the garden. Once the “Cold Sophie”, the last of the Ice Saints, is over, the peasant rule states that the weather will remain stable and no further frosts are to be expected. Of course, summer vegetables like it warm. That's why they are happy (especially at the beginning) about warm water when watering.

Tip 7 for growing vegetables: Plant winter vegetables

When you think of winter vegetables, you typically have Kale in mind. But there are many more varieties that prefer it a little colder: So belong Beetroot, carrots, onions and spinach also to it. Unlike summer vegetables, these plants can endure short periods of frost and are planted in early spring or as late as late summer. On the other hand, these plants usually do not like heat at all: If they get too much heat, they start to shoot and are then usually hardly edible.

Tip 8 for growing vegetables: Water, care for, fertilize

The real work only begins when the beds have been created and the first seedlings have been planted. After all, it is now important to keep an eye on everything and to ensure that the plants develop properly. Above all, frequent watering is now mandatory. Check the top layer of soil regularly: if it is dry, it should be watered again, otherwise no water should be added, otherwise there is a risk of waterlogging. In addition, you should regularly remove weeds, as they compete with your vegetable plants.

Fertilizing is also part of regular maintenance. Depending on the plant, the frequency of fertilization varies, but for most there is the choice of a primarily organic fertilizer like ours Plantura organic tomato fertilizer at. This releases its nutrients slowly and evenly and is therefore particularly gentle. In this way, the fertilizer optimally supplies your vegetables with all the necessary nutrients for three months. For strong and resilient plants with a rich harvest.

Tip 9 for growing vegetables: The first harvest

After all the work, the fun finally comes: the first plants are ready for harvest. The harvest usually takes place in several phases, depending on which vegetable was grown. The type of harvest also differs from plant to plant. Plants from which you only collect the fruit are best harvested daily. This stimulates the plant to produce new fruit and the harvest is larger in the end. On the other hand, plants that are harvested whole, such as lettuce or cabbage, can be harvested all at once or as needed. If you want to harvest all the vegetables at once, you should think about how you will preserve the plants beforehand.

Tip 10 for growing vegetables: Trees take turns

In order to have a good harvest again next year, you should grow the vegetables in a rotation system. This means that the vegetables are not grown in the same place every year, but change their location. Since each type of vegetable has different nutrient requirements, this prevents the soil from being overstressed in the long term. At the same time, the rotation prevents insects or diseases that overwinter in the soil from attacking the new plants next year. A rotation system in which all plants are in the same bed once every three years has proven itself. But not every plant is compatible with every preceding crop: so find out beforehand which plants are suitable as preceding and succeeding crops for each other. Also note that for certain plants significantly longer breaks are recommended for a bed. It's best to create a plan to keep track of your rotation.

If you now feel like creating a vegetable raised bed in your garden yourself, you will find instructions and tips here Planting raised beds.