It's good, spring is well established! The sun and the rain make the buds bloom... The scent of the lilac perfumes our alleys... Flowers of all colors grow on the sidewalks... Does this make you want to start a vegetable garden too? You know, you don't need to be a famous farmer or have a big garden to appreciate and taste your crops. A small balcony for your vegetable garden? A small piece of land in the garden? Yes ? So you can grow your tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuces, peppers…! Do you wonder how to have a beautiful vegetable garden when you are a beginner? Or what vegetables are easy to grow? You are in the right place! I give you here all the advice for an easy vegetable garden!
1 - Buy vegetable plants rather than seeds when you are a beginner
Do you want to be sure to set up a beautiful vegetable garden easily? So don't put pressure on yourself by starting to grow your seedlings in the first year! Instead, buy vegetable plants (in a specialized store or at the market, for example). To bury them well, here are the steps to follow: dig a fairly deep hole; place two or three large handfuls of vegetable garden soil and water a little; remove your entire plant from its pot and place it in the cavity; add potting soil until your plant is stable; water again abundantly without wetting the leaves; add natural fertilizer.
2 - Plant in crates in the garden or in pots on the balcony
It is easier to plant and maintain plants in small containers. Why ? Vegetable garden beds:
protect plantations from low temperatures; keeps soil moist longer;
causes fewer weeds; keeps the soil loose and aerated. Note: if you are creating your vegetable garden on the balcony, each plant can be in a different flower pot or allied with a complementary vegetable.
3 - Know the vegetables to grow for an easy vegetable garden
Les meilleures plantes pour les débutants sont :
tomatoes
peppers
cucumbers
beets
lettuce
and fine herbs (rosemary, mint, basil, cilantro, etc.)
Another little tip: it is advisable to grow complementary vegetables together:
tomatoes with basil
peppers with radish
cucumbers with lettuce
beets with cilantro
For more weddings in your garden or on your balcony, you can visit this page 'Espace pour la Vie.
4 - Choose your soil and fertilizer to start a vegetable garden well
Despite what you may read sometimes, the choice of soil is important, especially when you want to make your vegetable garden effortless.
For example, choose garden soil, made for vegetable gardens. It is often enriched with fertilizer or compost and is also more airy than muck.
5 - Do not forget the two essentials: the sun and the water!
It's obvious, so that your vegetables are bursting with sunshine and tasty! So choose their location wisely. The more the vegetable garden is in full sun throughout the day, the better.
For watering, there are several possibilities:
Water very early in the morning
It is better to avoid pests (slugs, etc.) but the water can evaporate during the day
Water in the evening
This prevents water loss through evaporation. But this is not ideal, because the earth remains too wet and you will soon see snails and slugs appear!
Watering with the principle of capillarity
This is the optimal solution! Irrigate the soil from the inside, in particular thanks to the ollas (or Oïa). These terracotta containers allow plant roots to drink directly from the source!
So :
less water evaporation;
fewer pests;
water savings of up to 70%;
a more ecological system and zero waste!
And especially ! You can go away for the weekend without worrying about daily watering. And yes ! Depending on the size of your Oïa, irrigation is automatic for at least 3 days.
To know everything about the Oïa, you can consult this blog post
And There you go ! Thanks to these tips, you now have all the knowledge to make your first vegetable garden a success easily. To you the beautiful summer salads, the red and juicy tomatoes and the crunchy cucumbers... hmmm... It makes my mouth water! Not you ? And of course, do not hesitate to share your successes on our Insta !