Growing vegetables, doing tasks in the garden and learning about plants is the entrance to the magical world of plants.
You will find, that once you start, you will feel so much joy than you won’t stop gardening and growing vegetables. So fulfilling is the joy and satisfaction you will get from the world of plants!
The first time you’ll sow a seed and see it grow to a food producing plant is unforgettable. You will discover the true aromas and taste of real vegetables!
And the flowers of ornamentals. Oh those flowers, with so many colors, shapes and scents! Flowers will beautify your environment!
You will even see the weeds from a different perspective. They will no more be annoying things that have to be destroyed, invaders to your property, but true fighters of life and so useful in nature.
Discover the ecosystem created by plants, soil, water, insects, weather, seasons.
Recommended modules
Whether you are growing in the garden or in the city, we recommend to check the following modules:
When to sow and plant – Planting Calendar
Find nursery shops, garden centers and other garden professionals near you
Ticket to the magical world of plants and crops!
Often, one or more cheap pots, some soil, a visit to a nursery shop or a garden center, is all you need as a ticket to enter the magical world of plants and crops and start the journey!
So, are you going to get the ticket for the journey to this magical world of plants?
Start cultivating in a garden
If you have a garden, or a property where you can start growing vegetables, you are one of the lucky ones!
But before you start planting vegetables, you’ll need to do some basic planning.
That is because we can’t grow any vegetable we want, whenever we want. Every plant needs the right season. For example, you can’t grow zucchini during the winter or broccoli during the summer.
To learn what vegetable, herb, fruit, you can grow in what season, please consult the Planting Calendar.
The first time you cultivate, you can start by preparing a part of the garden area or by building raised beds.
This can be done either by digging the soil to a depth of 15 to 20 cm and enriching it with organic matter such as manure or wood chips.
Mix the soil with the organic matter and let it settle for about 2 weeks.
Then buy seeds or seedlings from nursery shops or garden centers.
Sow sees or plant seedlings in rows.
Water regularly. In summer you need to water more often.
Watering can be done by yourself, or by using an automatic irrigation system.
As time passes, you will see the plants grow and produce fruit!
Start cultivating in the city
Even if you live in urban areas, you can start growing vegetables in the city. On a balcony or a rooftop!
To get start growing vegetables in the city all you need is:
- Pots
- Soil
- Seeds or seedlings
In the city, you will find many nursery shops or garden centers from which you can purchase the basic equipment you will need.
Because plants, and especially vegetables need sun to photosynthesize and grow, the place where you’ll choose to put the pots with vegetables should be in a sunny spot, with sun exposure for at least a few hours a day.
If you want to get into ornamental plants and make your balcony beautiful, fortunately there are many ornamental plants that easily grow in shade or even without direct sun exposure.
But we have even better news for you!
Indoor plants
You can also grow plants inside your house. You can beatify your indoor space with indoor plants. Make your home space more pleasant to humans and look like close to nature.
But indoor plants have also another advantage. They clean the indoors air. Check 18 indoor plants that clean the air, according to NASA.
In other words, you can put potted plants inside your home and office and apart from being beautiful, they also act as biological filters and clean your air!
All they need is to water them. That’s a good partnership!
What gardening tools you’ll need
That’s a good question!
For growing vegetables in the garden you will need a few gardening tools:
- Shovel
- Hoe
- Garden hoe
- Pruning shears
- Garden bags for waste
- Buckets for compost, fertilizer and manure
- Watering hose and/or automatic irrigation system
- Reeds or other means of supporting plants
- Ties
- As you become more experienced, you will discover that a compost shredder will help you make your own wood chip
For growing vegetables in urban areas you will need at least:
- Pots
- Soil in packets
- Pruning shears
- Support means (e.g. reeds) and ties
- Small garden hoe, although even a tablespoon is sufficient to mix the soil
Fertilizers and watering
In both cases, you will eventually need fertilizer (organic or chemical).
Also water to irrigate the plants.
Why start growing and learn about plants?
By growing your own vegetables and fruits, you will only make a profit.
- You know what you eat
- You know that no pesticides were used
- You will eat tasteful vegetables and fruits
- You’ll know how it was produced
- You’ll have a criterion to evaluate the fruits and vegetables you buy from the market
- Your vegetables will be a source of great satisfaction and knowledge
- You’ll have a good time
- You’ll rediscover natural rhythms. The rhythms of nature
- You’ll rediscover the seasons
- Beauty. Lots of beauty!
- You will give oxygen to the community! Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and turn it into oxygen!
- Help bees by providing food and flowers to them!
Will everything be perfect? I won’t have any problems?
I’d be lying if I told you everything would be perfect. That whatever vegetable you’ll try to grow will grow without problems, it will survive and bear fruit.
Along the way, as in all of life, you may encounter problems from plant diseases and pests.
Pests and diseases may attack your plants.
Climatic conditions may not be conducive to plant growth.
But apart any trouble, it is worth getting started.
As time goes by, you will gain more and more experience!