How to Start a Veggie Garden at Home

Feed your bod and love the planet.

If you’re a bit of a green thumb and want to have a crack at growing your own fruits and veggies, you might be wondering how to get started.

Well, it’s a lot easier than you think, and there are so many ways you can customise your veggie garden to suit your needs and home.

Let’s get started so you can get growin’.

Step 1: Choose the right location.

First up, you’ll wanna decide where you’re going to grow your veggies. This could be in your back garden, on a balcony or even on a windowsill in your kitchen—it’ll depend on your home’s size and shape.

The biggest thing you want to consider when picking a location is knowing how much sunlight that spot gets in a day. This will help you determine what veggies or fruit you wanna grow.

Many plants will thrive in sunlight that lasts at least six hours a day, but some others can still grow in partial shade—just do some Googling on what each plant might need before you buy or plant its seeds.

Step 2: Plan your garden.

Next, you’ll wanna draw up a rough design or plan for your lil garden before you get started—especially if you’re planning on building a full-on planter in your backyard with pavers and all that jazz.

This will help you figure out exactly what you need to buy, where everything might fit in your chosen location, and how many plants you wanna grow.

You don’t wanna skip this step even if you’re just adding a single pot to your windowsill—measure out the space and make sure everything fits!

Step 3: Pick your veggies.

Now is the best bit: picking your plant babies.

Again, this will depend on their sunlight needs and how often you think you might be able to water/fertilise them, so if you’re worried about accidently killing them, try and go for some hearty veggies that don’t need a tonne of care.

You can also save a bunch of money by planting veggies from your veggie scraps at home. Tomato seeds and spring onion ends are just a few ideas that will help your wallet and do a bit of good for the planet.

It’s also worth considering what fruits or veggies you or your family actually like to eat. There’s no point growing chillies if you all hate spicy food, so choose your favourites and eat ‘em up once they're grown.

Step 4: Grab a planter.

It’s time to take a trip to Bunnings (heaven) to pick up that much needed planter, vertical garden or pot.

This of course will all depend on your budget and space, but follow your plan and pick up all the materials you might need.

You can choose from regular ol’ garden beds to raised garden beds, timber planters, wall planters, vertical gardens and pots.

At this stage you’ll also want to pick up some good quality soil if you don’t already have some at home, as well as gardening tools like gloves, a trowel, and a watering can or hose.

Step 5: Plant those seeds.

Whether you’re starting from scratch with seeds or getting a boost with seedlings, once you’ve got everything you need, it’s time to plant those veggies.

A really important tip to remember when planting your veg for the first time is to make sure you turn the soil over a few times, this will help loosen the soil as well as aerate it and give your plants roots enough room to grow.

Also keep in mind which veggies do and don’t like sharing pots or soil, and which veggies might help ward off pests from some of your other plants, this will give you the best chance at having successful growth.

Step 6: Take care.

Last but certainly not least is feeding and caring for your veggie garden.

Make sure you water your seeds regularly and that they are consistently getting the right amount of light. Then once it’s gotten used to its new home, you can keep your veggies well fed with fertilisers or compost from your food scraps.

Aside from watering and fertilising, you will want to keep checking on your plants for pests or weeds, and give ‘em a little helping hand when those nasties show up.

And that’s it! Super simple, super inexpensive and a great way to feed yourself as well as do your bit for the Earth.

Check out Bunnings for all your gardening needs and good luck!

Header Image: Priscilla Du Preez via Unsplash