Knowing what to grow and when to grow in a vegetable garden can be pretty over whelming. Especially when you are starting out. The key is to keep it simple, grow things you will eat, and, if it does fail, not to give up. Instead, learn from the experience, adjust your approach, and keep trying until you find success.
Let me share a few tips that I have found to be helpful especially when I first started out. The most important thing to remember when it comes to any form of gardening is that it is all one big experiment.

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Vegetable Garden Table of Contents

Decide What to Grow in your Vegetable Garden
Grow the vegetables you are going to eat
There is no point growing things you don’t like. This is food, if you don’t use it then it is a waste. The only exception to this would be if you are growing your vegetables to give away.
Local garden centres can sell an amazing array of plants and seeds. The danger comes when you are sold on a name or look of a plant instead of practicality. Choosing one or two wild card vegetables is fine, just keep them limited.
These wildcard veg may end up becoming family favourites.
My go to vegetables that I grow every year without fail and vegetables I know that I will use and my family love include:
- Tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Peas
- Beans, I prefer bush beans. This is a vegetable I have grown to love, this was my wildcard one year.
- Garlic
- Spring onions
Choose how to Grow
Depending on where you live and how much space you have there are a few options:
- Pots in multiple sizes and shapes. For the most part I would recommend deep pots they shouldn’t dry out as fast. Carrots, Lettuce, Garlic, Tomatoes, spring onions and herbs all grow well in pots.
- Raised planter boxes, like these ones linked here. These planters give you a more growing space than usual pots but still don’t take up a lot of room. Aesthetically they can look very appealing. The negative I have found is that they can dry out pretty quickly and tend to rot after a few years. I would suggest lining them with a heavy plastic with drainage holes.
- Raised Beds have to be my favourite option, that is if you have the room.Being raised up helps prevent weeds from overtaking the area as quickly. Additionally, being raised off the ground makes it easier to tend to the vegetables. However, the only downside is the amount of space required for them.
- In the ground if you have a garden then this has to be the cheapest option. Other than preparing the soil and tending to it you do not need any other materials. I grew my vegetables this way for many years and it worked well. The negative side were the weeds they are a lot harder to keep control of.

Research your Area
What you can grow will depend on where you live.
Do you get hot summers or wet summers?
Will summer temperatures get hot enough to grow tomatoes or chilis outside or will they need a greenhouse?
Will my summers be too hot for lettuces or peas?
These are all the questions you need to answers to.
Most vegetables are grown spring through Autumn so winter temperatures aren’t that important. But if you grow garlic or winter vegetables like broad beans then knowing you local growing zones will be very helpful.
A great way to learn about your area is by asking someone from your local garden centre or nursery.
Prepare to Grow your Vegetable Garden
So now that you know what you want to grow and how your growing your vegetables lets prepare.
“First, prepare the soil. No matter how you choose to grow your vegetables, good soil is essential. Moreover, it’s important to replenish the soil every year to ensure optimal growth.
You can use:
- A pre prepared soil mix for growing vegetables
- Sea soil
- Compost this can be made yourself from food scraps (not meat, fish is fine) and garden clipping. Someone locally may also sell it.
- Well rotted manure. Make sure that it is well rotted you do not want fresh. This is my preferred choice. It may smell so be warned.

Seeds or starts?
If you are very new to any form of gardening then go with starts. These are the small seedlings you can buy at the nursery that are ready to be planted out into your vegetable garden.
Seeds are another option. Carrots, spring onions, beets and radishes will start very easily from seed. The benefit of seeds include the varieties are endless. This is where it gets dangerous, seeds are cheap and can be addictive.
If you choose to go the seed route then a seed starting kit and a seedling starter kit like these ones will help you to get started. Don’t forget these seeds will need to stay indoors until it is warm enough outside. Make sure you have room for them. Start small!

Journal Your Growing Year
This is optional and not really necessary but is nice to do and will help you the following year.
It is amazing how much we forget.
So writing down what we planted and when can be invaluable.
Write down not only the vegetable but the variety you grew. When you planted it out into the garden.
If you started your vegetables from seed then when did you start them? How did they grow? How quickly did they germinate?
A lot can happen in a year and there is a lot to remember so having it all down in writing will be a great benefit to you.
The Takeaway
- Try to grow only what you know your family will enjoy.
- Limit any wild card vegetables to two per year.
- Choose where you want to grow your vegetables and how much you want to invest in growing them.
- Know your local growing conditions. For example how hot or wet are your summers
- Prepare your soil, use a good quality rich soil that is perfect for vegetables.
- Decide whether seeds or starts are right for you. Starts are preferred for most beginners.
- Document your growing year and learn from it for next year.
As the years go by you will start to learn the vegetables that grow well in your garden and the ones that don’t. You will also come to realize what you like to grow and what you don’t. But all this adds to the joy of gardening, the best thing to do is embrace it and continue to grow in knowledge.

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