Start A Garden From Scratch In 6 Easy Steps

Are you ready to start a garden from scratch? Do you look forward to fresh, homegrown vegetables to use in your favorite recipes or salads? In this post, I’ll show you the six easy steps I followed to start my first raised bed vegetable garden.

Let’s get started.

Step 1 – Decide Which Vegetables You Want To Grow
There are a host of vegetables you can grow but which ones you decide to grow depends on likability and space. If you can’t eat enough lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers then save yourself some grocery money and grow your own.

If spinach and kale smoothies are your thing, then by all means you should plant them too. And don’t forget beet greens, Swiss chard and collards also make great smoothies and can be easily grown.

On a plant-based diet? Consider potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans, black beans and soy beans.

Now that you have an idea of what you would like to grow we have to consider the space you have to grow them. The good news is each of the vegetables mentioned grow well in a raised bed or in containers on your patio or deck.

Download a FREE Square Foot Garden Template “click here“

Step 2 – Raised Bed or Container
I started my garden inside a 4 ft. X 4 ft. cedar raised garden bed that I built myself. I got the instructions Mel Bartholomew’s best seller, “All New Square Foot Gardening.”

It was very easy to make but I realize many of you would prefer to buy a pre-made raised garden bed. If you would like information on a popular manufactured raised garden bed sold on Amazon you can read my review.

If you have the space, I highly recommend you start your garden inside a 4 ft. X 4 ft. raised bed garden. If not, you can grow inside 5-gallon food grade buckets. I intend to grow all my tomato plants in these types of buckets this season and will provide updates throughout the season.

Step 3 – Seeds vs Seedlings
Ok, so you know which vegetables you want to grow and what to plant them in. Now you have to decide if you want to grow the vegetables from seed or from seedlings.

Here are the Pros & Cons:

Start From Seed – Pros
=> Inexpensive
=> Lasts more than one season
=> Greater variety
Start From Seed – Con
=> Takes time to germinate

Start From Seedling – Pros
=> Can plant directly in raised bed or container and see immediate growth
=> Peppers and tomatoes are easier to grow from seedlings than from seed
Start From Seedling – Cons
=> More expensive than seed
=> Less variety in your local box store or nursery

Personally, I like to watch the miracle of plant growth from seed to seedling to maturity so I generally plant from seed. My recommendation for beginners is to start with a combination of seeds and seedlings. As you gain more experience, you’ll discover which method works best for you.

Step 4 – Garden Soil Preparation
Whether you decide to start your garden from scratch in a raised garden bed or containers, the soil you use can make or break your garden. The most important thing to remember is that your soil needs to hold moisture but at the same time able to drain well.

How do you achieve that?

Use a mixture of compost, peat moss, and Vermiculite.

Don’t have a compost bin and never heard of Vermiculite? Neither did I when I started my garden. It was Mel Bartholomew’s book that enlightened me.

I recommend you get a copy of the book because Mel devotes an entire chapter on the subject of soil. But it boils down to a simple formula:

=> 1/3 compost
=> 1/3 peat moss
=> 1/3 Vermiculite

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You can buy all three of these items bagged from you local garden center, home improvement store, or nursery. No need to save your scraps for compost, unless of course, you want to!

Step 5 – Plant Your Vegetables
We’re at the fun part now! Time to plant your chosen vegetables.

Up to this point, the steps I’ve outlined allow you to plant in either a raised bed or a container. In this step, I will focus on a 4 ft. by 4 ft. raised bed because that’s how I started. It’s the square foot method I’ve talked about throughout this post.

The method calls for one vegetable type per square foot. In other words, if you divide your garden bed as in the photo below you get 16 one-square foot sections.

In each section, you will plant one type of vegetable.

The number of vegetables in one square depends on the vegetable. Large plants like cabbage, collards, and squash require you to plant one per square.

Whereas, smaller plants like carrots and onions can be planted 16 to a square.

Download my free square foot garden layout “click here“

You don’t have to use the square foot method. You can plant more willy-nilly if that suits you. Just remember to space your plants at least four inches apart.

This method forms a natural ecosystem within your garden bed and makes it difficult for garden insects to identify their target food. However, it can also make it difficult for you to harvest some of your vegetables!

While both methods work well, I think it’s easier for a beginner to follow the square foot method when you start a garden from scratch. I’ve experimented with both and still prefer the square foot method.

Step 6 – Feed and Water
If you’ve followed the steps, your garden will require less water than a traditional row garden. This is because your soil mixture acts like a sponge and will soak up the water and keep the vegetable roots moist.

If you have planted from seed, you must fertilize your vegetables as soon as they have formed their true leaves. If you bought seedlings, add fertilizer to the soil where the hole where you will put the plant.

I use organic fertilizer but you can use whatever kind you like. I’ve found Dr. Earth’s Organic Tomato, Vegetable and Herb fertilizer works well.

After you’ve added the fertilizer and vegetable plant, give it water. In fact, you will need to water your garden everyday for the first few days to help the roots grow.

Once the roots are established, only water when the soil is dry and the plants look wilted. However, if you have a container garden you will need to water everyday in the summer months. The container will make the soil dry out quickly.

To help combat this, see my post on Ollas. These are clay vessels you bury in the soil and add water. The roots of the plants will gravitate toward the Olla as water seeps through the clay.

Quick review
You now have the steps to start a garden from scratch. It’s easy, fun and doesn’t cost much to start.

Here’s the process again

=> 1. Decide which vegetables to grow
=> 2. Build or buy your raised garden bed or containers
=> 3. Choose your vegetable seeds and/or seedlings
=> 4. Mix your soil
=> 5. Plant your vegetable seeds/seedlings
=> 6. Feed and water

You always get a copy of “All New Square Foot Gardening” for additional tips.

Good luck & happy gardening!

In the spirit of full disclosure, this post may contain an affiliate link(s) which means that I earn a small commission from my vendor partner if you click on a link and make a purchase. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. The opinions expressed here are my own and I only recommend products, systems, and services that I have found to be personally beneficial.