If you are thinking about planting a garden this year but don’t want to devote too much time and effort, you might think about these easy steps for planting a raised garden. Raised gardens are small enough to make it easy to maintain and allow for a bounty within reason. You don’t want to be that neighbor who keeps giving out cucumbers to everyone in the neighborhood!

1. Decide What You Want to Grow

Depending on your preference and the amount of commitment you want to put forth, you will need to determine what kind of vegetables you want in your garden.

2. Equipment

What you will grow will help you work out what type of container you will need. If beef steak tomatoes are too much of a stretch for you, you may resolve to start out with cherry tomatoes, they are easy to grow, fast producing, and are very low maintenance. Leafy green vegetables are better in the shady areas of your yard. Basically you will need a plastic container that will accommodate the number of plants you plan on growing. These can be found at your local Target store. If you choose smaller containers that are equipped with wheels, you will have the option of moving your garden around your yard to allow for sun or shade depending on what your garden needs. You can find most of the items you will need at your neighborhood nursery. Use a good quality potting soil and don’t fill your containers too full. Plant your plants about 18 inches apart. After the season is over, containers can be emptied and stored for next year.

3. Watering

There are many different strategies for watering your raised garden. For the busy gardener, a bottle filled with water and placed upside down in the garden container is a good option. This allows a small amount of water to drip into the soil. A drip system is fairly easy to set up, especially for the smaller garden. It can be connected to the nearest faucet with very little effort.

No matter what your choice of gardens, there is nothing like a meal prepared with results from your own garden; not only are they more tasty than store-bought vegetables, they are better for you, too. Start your garden today so you can harvest tomorrow, and enjoy a meal prepared by you from the ground up! Bon appétit!

Image Source: StockSnap.io

[cf]skyword_tracking_tag[/cf]