I am by no means an expert gardener. In fact, this is only my second year growing a vegetable and herb garden, but these are a few things that have helped me along the way.
Elevated Planter Box
When I first set out to make a vegetable garden, I had the perfect plot picked out; or so I thought. Come to find out, the area I intended to be my garden barely got 4 hours of sunlight each day. Bummer! Since I was working with a limited amount of direct sunlight in my backyard, an elevated planter box on my patio was the perfect solution. I love my 2×8 cedar elevated planter box!
Vegetable and Herb Seeds
Of course, you can start by picking up some seedlings from your local nursery. I did that last year when I started my garden, but this year I wanted to challenge myself by growing from seed. There are so many types of seeds to choose from and the possibilities are endless! Just be sure to pick out vegetables and herbs that you love and will use.
Seedling Mix
There are many seedling mixes out there, but this one worked well for me. Its organic and every one of my seeds germinated.
Grow Light
I knew that a sunny windowsill wouldn’t cut it in Northeast Ohio. Even on the sunniest of days, I couldn’t count on my seeds doing well with natural light alone. That’s where a grow light comes in handy. This one clamps onto the side of a table, has sturdy bendable arms, and runs on a timer.
Egg Carton
In the months before I planned to start my seedlings, I saved up a bunch of paper egg cartons. You can buy the plastic cell starters if you want, but this was a way to upcycle something we already buy.
What are some of your garden starting favorites?
Alexandra Taylor 