Building a backyard vegetable garden is an easy DIY project that can value and beauty to your home, not to mention help your family eat healthier and even save some money on groceries. Regardless of the size of land you have to work with or your previous gardening experience, creating a beautiful and thriving vegetable garden is a piece of cake! Here are some tips to help get you started. For more direction, and for all of the tools and equipment you’ll need to bring a vegetable garden to life, visit a home gardening store in San Jose.
Scout Out a Sunny Spot
The first thing you’ll want to do is pick out the ideal location for your backyard vegetable garden. Ideally, you want to build your garden in a spot that receives between six and eight hours of full sun. If your yard only received partial sun, consider salad greens like lettuce or spinach and other vegetables that don’t require as much sun. A gardening expert can help you pick out the right plants and veggies based on the amount of sunlight available in your backyard.
Prepare the Soil
Once you’ve scouted out the perfect spot for your new garden, you’ll want to remove the top layer of grass, rocks, and anything else covering the soil. Next, use a spade, shovel, or pitchfork to turn the soil. If you’re planning a large vegetable garden, visit your hardware store and see about buying or renting a rototiller to make quick work of soil turning. You’ll also need to enrich the existing soil with natural additives. Bring a soil sample in with you to your local nursery so they can tell you what you need to add to create a nutrient-rich environment for a thriving vegetable garden.
Keep Critters Out
One of the last things to do before you plant the seeds is to build a simple frame around the edges of the vegetable garden to help keep squirrels, rabbits, dogs, and other unwanted critters from spoiling your vegetables. Avoid chemically treated timber if at all possible so you don’t contaminate the soil where your vegetables are growing.