By Mattheus Leslie, Farmpark Interpreter
I recently read an article in The Washington Post about the growing interest in farming among people ages 35 and younger. Young people are turning away from an urban, desk-bound lifestyle and are coming back to farming. One reason for this growing population of young farmers is their desire to, “capitalize on booming consumer demand for local and sustainable foods.” While there’s no doubt that interest in local and organic foods is a growing industry in America, its not always necessary to go all the way back to the farm to find local and organic fruits and vegetables; after all, it doesn’t get more local than your own backyard. Starting a vegetable garden is easy, but it can also be daunting if you don’t know where to start. From my experience working in my own garden, plus working in the gardens of the Plant Science Center at Lake Metroparks Farmpark, I have learned to start small and grown simple plants that are easy to maintain.
If you have the space and the land for it, then it is a good idea to start with a basic garden. The first thing you should do is till the soil. Tilling involves breaking the compacted soil, either with a shovel or a rototiller, and removing weeds so that crops have less competition. It is quite labor intensive, which is why it’s important at the beginning stage to start small in order to save on physical labor; work at whatever pace is comfortable, take breaks when needed, and get help if you’re struggling. Some gardeners will also have issues with nutrients in the soil and may need to consider adding fertilizers, though I’d recommend waiting for the season to finish first and to see how your crops do before heading out to the garden center; the plants I recommend growing are fairly easy and don’t require a ton of additional fertilizers to grow well.
Swiss chard
When picking which vegetables to grow in the garden, it is important to keep in mind not only what you enjoy eating, but also how much care each plant will require. For example, pumpkins and squashes may be an attractive crop to grow, but they also attract a great variety of insect pests, as well as diseases like powdery mildew, and then there is the space required to grow them. With all these challenges considered, pumpkins and squashes might not be an ideal crop for a first-time gardener. The plants I recommend for first-time growers are potatoes and some variety of leafy greens, such as lettuce. Potatoes are a hardy vegetable that require little care beyond regular watering and do well in most any soil that is loose and not compacted. They are also easy to plant since potatoes are cultivated by planting a potato with sprouts, also called “eyes,” in the soil. Leafy greens are easy to care and start readily from seed.
When watering plants in the garden, it is important to understand that watering less is better than watering too much—too much water can lead to root rot, which will kill the plant. When a plant goes without water, it will just wilt a little and will perk up once it receives water. So long as watering is regular and not too much, most plants will do fine throughout the summer. Potatoes can be harvested in the fall when the plant dies and greens can be harvested any time they are ready. Once your garden is done, let it go for the winter and spend the off-season deciding if you will continue your garden for the next season and how you make change or expand it.
summer leaf lettuce
Gardening as a hobby is growing exponentially as a result of young families becoming interested in eating healthier, organic foods. Unfortunately, it can be intimidating to start a garden without having the benefit of previous experience. Establishing simple guidelines allows a gardener to develop the experience necessary to decide if they want to expand their garden in the future and which types of plants they want to grow. The garden needs to be dictated according to the skills and the energy of the gardener; for a new gardener, a small garden with simple, easy to raise plants is better than a large garden with too many varieties. Start small, start simple, and soon enough you will enjoy the fruits (and vegetables) of your labor each year.