Starting your raised kitchen garden
First, some of you may be asking “what is a kitchen garden?’’ Raised kitchen gardens are garden beds in which we grow food you utilize within your kitchen.
- Cucumbers
- Carrots
- Broccoli
- Tomato
- Onions
- Thyme
- Lettuce
The list is endless.
Starting a garden is not a cheap road to initially go down. In the long run, it is worth every penny and gives back more than what you initially invested BUT if built incorrectly you can feel you are just handing out money and getting nothing in return.
Let’s break down steps to starting your raised kitchen bed(s)
- Location location location
- Your plants want 6-8 hours of sunlight a day. To receive that we want our beds to be facing South.
- You need to take a look at what trees, buildings, fences etc are present that could be hindering the amount of sunlight to your bed(s).
- Choose your best South facing location giving the best daily sunlight. (it is ok if the location is not exactly where you initially planned)
- If your location is mostly shade, there are vegetables and fruit that grow in shade. Just need to do some research.
- Making your garden an aspect of your yard that you can see and access easily is ideal. You see it, you enjoy it and tend to it.
- Garden soil
- Believe it or not, the soil affects your plants' success. They need the
proper nutrients to grow and produce no different than yourself. You would not eat McDonald’s daily and expect to be strong, healthy and able to perform your best.
- Ideal garden soil consists of a few different components.
- Sand — drains quickly, lacks structure, lacks nutrients
- Clay — drains poorly, contains structure, contains nutrients
- Silt — drains but disperses water, lacks structure, contains nutrients
- Compost — drains but absorbs water, lacks structure, contains nutrients
- I buy my garden soil in bulk from Greenland Sherwood Park, Alberta. For other options to purchase your garden soil, download my free ebook here.
- Know your seasons and your plants seasons
- This one caught me off guard. Figured after the May long weekend, I planted my seeds, watered them and they would grow. That's not really how it works.
- In Alberta we have 3 growing seasons which fall between May and October. COLD – COOL – WARM (depending on where you live, you will have a HOT seasons and not a cold season)
- Cold season > average high temp of about -1C or lower (30.2F), with guaranteed chance of frost or snow.
- Cool season > average high temp between 1.6-18.3C (34.88-64.94F), with a likely chance of frost or snow.
- Warm season > average high temp between 18.3-29.4C (64.96-84.92F) with no chance of frost.
- Hot season > average high temp that’s 29.4C or high (84.92F) and no chance of any cold temps.
- The plants you grow all have a preferred season to germinate, grow roots and produce in. If you plant in their less than desired conditions chances are they are not going to be as successful as they could be. I know from experience this is very discouraging and you feel you are wasting time and money. I have broken down plant seasons and created a planning and preparation calendar to help guide through your seasons for the most successful gardening experience. GRAB HERE
- Watering
- Have a water source nearby your garden. If not possible, get yourself a watering can you can access easily.
- Watering your seeds consistently and daily at the beginning is important for their germination process. Make sure it is a gentle water flow so you do not have your seeds move around too much.
- Once your seeds germinate and start to grow, keep with the consistent watering, first thing in the morning or in evening when sun is no longer beating down.
- As your plants grow, you can tapper down your daily watering to 1 day a week, twice a week, etc. Observe your plants and play around with what you feel works best.
I hope this has helped you kickstart your gardening with more confidence and ease.
Have fun, don’t be afraid to experiment and explore to find what works for you. Watch and listen to your plants, they will let you know if something is not right or if they are very happy.
Some plants will not be successful, do not hesitate to plant again within their season and try again.
Each season is a new experience and the more you explore and experiment, you will witness your garden's success.
With love,
Tessa
tessa_labbe@icloud.com