In the last post, we discussed Gardening Zones + Frost Dates. If you haven’t read that post and aren’t sure what I’m talking about, take the time to check it out before continuing here. It’s full of helpful information that will be necessary to know before you choose the plants for your garden.
Are you back?
Great!
Let’s get started.
I want to show you four simple steps to choosing the right plants for your garden.
Shocked?
It’s okay. We’ll get through this together!
When you delve into the world of growing your own food, you will find there are so many options, including how you get them and what they will look like.
Let me explain.
I’m sure you’ve seen packets of seeds at the store and individually sold plants that look close to full-grown (you think) and possibly are even producing blossoms or fruit already.
But did you know that you can also buy plants as baby starts? A start is basically a germinated seed with its first little sprout leaves sticking out of the dirt.
Super cute. I know.
Why don’t you see these at stores?
I don’t know for certain, but I would guess it’s because those started plants had to travel some distance to get to the store and grew up quite a bit before hitting the showroom floor.
Or possibly that they make sure the plants have stronger root systems in place before sending them on their journey to the store.
To pick the best plants for where you live, you will need to know your last and first frost dates as well as your gardening zone. The frost dates tell you how long your growing season is and the gardening zone will help you determine which perennials will survive in your area.
Perennials are plants that last more than one season if they survive the winter.
Once you have this information, you can do some research online or check the back of seed packets for growing suggestions.
Typically a seed packet will suggest what gardening zones will support the plant, how long it will take to mature and produce fruit, and other things like soil temperature.
The most important information to know is how long that plant will take to grow to maturity so that you can get a harvest from it. You compare that number of days to the number of days in your local growing season.
If your growing season is long enough to grow that plant, then you’re golden!
Congratulations. You found a plant that will fit your garden nicely.
I would start off by making a list of the plants that you want to grow the most. Then add to that list the plants that you might be less excited about, but are things you purchase at the grocery store regularly.
Personally, I started my list off this way and then dove deeper into my grocery bill. I decided what plants I would need to grow in order to replace other items I buy frequently, such as spaghetti sauce, salsa, Rotell, sauerkraut, etc.
If I grow all of the ingredients for these things, I can make them myself and can them for later!
I know! So cool.
So, once you have your long list of dream plants, you will need to do your research to know which of these things you can realistically grow in your climate and growing season.
There are ways for you to grow certain things even if your zone isn’t suggested on the seed packet or your growing season isn’t long enough.
The biggest issue you may run into depending on where you live is the length of your growing season. If your season is short, it can be discouraging.
But don’t worry yet!
If you have the space, you can start your seeds indoors in the late winter/early spring before the last frost. This will add weeks to your “growing season” and allow you to grow things you first thought impossible.
We’re here to make dreams come true!
It depends on how many people you’re feeding.
It depends on how much you like that particular food.
It depends on if you’re only eating fresh, or if you’re also going to can/dehydrate/freeze it.
It depends on how much garden space you have.
It also depends on your growing season.
If you have a short growing season and you need a high volume harvest, you’ll need more plants so that your chances of getting enough food will be greater.
If you have a longer growing season and you need a high volume harvest, you won’t need as many plants.
WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS FOR BUYING PLANTS?
If your only experience with fruit and vegetable plants has been at your local grocery store garden center, then this may come as a shock to you...but there are way more than a handful of tomato varieties in existence.Shocked?
It’s okay. We’ll get through this together!
When you delve into the world of growing your own food, you will find there are so many options, including how you get them and what they will look like.
Let me explain.
I’m sure you’ve seen packets of seeds at the store and individually sold plants that look close to full-grown (you think) and possibly are even producing blossoms or fruit already.
But did you know that you can also buy plants as baby starts? A start is basically a germinated seed with its first little sprout leaves sticking out of the dirt.
Super cute. I know.
Why don’t you see these at stores?
I don’t know for certain, but I would guess it’s because those started plants had to travel some distance to get to the store and grew up quite a bit before hitting the showroom floor.
Or possibly that they make sure the plants have stronger root systems in place before sending them on their journey to the store.
Who really knows?
What do you do if you’re interested in getting plant starts?
You could find some at a local farmers market or plant nursery.
But...did you also know that you can grow them yourself??
Yep. Cool right?
What do you do if you’re interested in getting plant starts?
You could find some at a local farmers market or plant nursery.
But...did you also know that you can grow them yourself??
Yep. Cool right?
WHAT PLANTS CAN I GROW?
This is where the previous post comes in handy!To pick the best plants for where you live, you will need to know your last and first frost dates as well as your gardening zone. The frost dates tell you how long your growing season is and the gardening zone will help you determine which perennials will survive in your area.
Perennials are plants that last more than one season if they survive the winter.
Once you have this information, you can do some research online or check the back of seed packets for growing suggestions.
Typically a seed packet will suggest what gardening zones will support the plant, how long it will take to mature and produce fruit, and other things like soil temperature.
The most important information to know is how long that plant will take to grow to maturity so that you can get a harvest from it. You compare that number of days to the number of days in your local growing season.
If your growing season is long enough to grow that plant, then you’re golden!
Congratulations. You found a plant that will fit your garden nicely.
HOW DO I PICK PLANTS?
Now that we understand the general rule of thumb to decide whether or not we have the time to grow a certain plant, we can get into the actual shopping!I would start off by making a list of the plants that you want to grow the most. Then add to that list the plants that you might be less excited about, but are things you purchase at the grocery store regularly.
Personally, I started my list off this way and then dove deeper into my grocery bill. I decided what plants I would need to grow in order to replace other items I buy frequently, such as spaghetti sauce, salsa, Rotell, sauerkraut, etc.
If I grow all of the ingredients for these things, I can make them myself and can them for later!
I know! So cool.
So, once you have your long list of dream plants, you will need to do your research to know which of these things you can realistically grow in your climate and growing season.
There are ways for you to grow certain things even if your zone isn’t suggested on the seed packet or your growing season isn’t long enough.
The biggest issue you may run into depending on where you live is the length of your growing season. If your season is short, it can be discouraging.
But don’t worry yet!
If you have the space, you can start your seeds indoors in the late winter/early spring before the last frost. This will add weeks to your “growing season” and allow you to grow things you first thought impossible.
We’re here to make dreams come true!
HOW MANY PLANTS/SEEDS DO I NEED?
This is a question many people have when they first get into gardening. It’s one of my biggest questions as I prepare. But it’s also one of the hardest questions to answer because it really depends.It depends on how many people you’re feeding.
It depends on how much you like that particular food.
It depends on if you’re only eating fresh, or if you’re also going to can/dehydrate/freeze it.
It depends on how much garden space you have.
It also depends on your growing season.
If you have a short growing season and you need a high volume harvest, you’ll need more plants so that your chances of getting enough food will be greater.
If you have a longer growing season and you need a high volume harvest, you won’t need as many plants.
This also depends on if the plant is determinate or indeterminate.
Determinate = Will only grow to a certain height/size and all fruit ripens roughly at the same time.
Indeterminate = Will continue growing and producing fruit until the first frost (unless you get really hot temperatures), or you remove it.
There are a lot of factors when deciding how many plants you will need.
If you have the time and space, I would suggest buying seed packets and starting them indoors if needed.
It puts more of a strain on your budget if you are buying established plants as opposed to their seeds and seed packets give you the opportunity to grow more plants.
I hope today's post was helpful! At times it seems like gardening is complicated, but I promise it’s not all that bad.
I’ve never planted my own garden, but I’ve helped in gardens throughout my life and it’s much more calming and rewarding than it is stressful.
Every time you go out and see new growth and new ripe fruit, you feel excitement and pride that you were able to grow food.
And if all else fails and everything dies...you still learned something and you can drive to the grocery store and get what you need while you plan for next year.
Failure is never an excuse to quit or never try.
This is something I remind myself of daily.
Determinate = Will only grow to a certain height/size and all fruit ripens roughly at the same time.
Indeterminate = Will continue growing and producing fruit until the first frost (unless you get really hot temperatures), or you remove it.
There are a lot of factors when deciding how many plants you will need.
If you have the time and space, I would suggest buying seed packets and starting them indoors if needed.
It puts more of a strain on your budget if you are buying established plants as opposed to their seeds and seed packets give you the opportunity to grow more plants.
I hope today's post was helpful! At times it seems like gardening is complicated, but I promise it’s not all that bad.
I’ve never planted my own garden, but I’ve helped in gardens throughout my life and it’s much more calming and rewarding than it is stressful.
Every time you go out and see new growth and new ripe fruit, you feel excitement and pride that you were able to grow food.
And if all else fails and everything dies...you still learned something and you can drive to the grocery store and get what you need while you plan for next year.
Failure is never an excuse to quit or never try.
This is something I remind myself of daily.
Don't forget to follow me on Pinterest so you don't miss out on future content!
What are some gardening questions you still have? Let me know down in the comments.
Thank you for dreaming with me!
CHECK OUT THE OTHER POSTS IN THIS SERIES
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