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2025 Spring Edition | gatherwisconsin.
Homegrown Happiness: Cultivating Fresh Food in Any Space By Heidi Strey
Spring is the perfect time to start planning your summer garden. Planting and caring for a garden can be a lot of work, but it is so rewarding in the end. Imagine your shelves stocked up with produce grown in your own backyard, patio or balcony! It’s never too early to start planning, so follow along with these helpful tips and tricks.
Step One: Prepare your space.
If you’re starting a garden from scratch, the first step is removing the grass in the garden area by manual removal or applying layers of newspaper, compost, and mulch. A key tip to a successful garden is caring for soil health. This can be managed by applying compost and working it into the soil. If you have limited space, container gardening is an excellent option. Use pots, raised beds or repurposed items like buckets and crates to create a productive growing area. Choose containers with good drainage and fill them with high-quality potting mix to support healthy roots.
Step Two: Select your plants.
Next, it’s time to select your plants. Plan accordingly for sunlight availability and how much space the plants need to grow. A great way to do this is by scaling the garden down and mapping it out on a piece of paper. You may want to consider building a fence to protect your plants from critters. Tender plants, such as cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers, are vulnerable to the elements. Make sure to plant them in the warmest, sunniest spot. Roaming plants with vines need more room to grow. Make sure there is enough room in the garden to spread their vines and grow their produce. If you’re running out of space, try vertical climbing plants. These plants need a structure to climb up as they mature but take up very little space horizontally. If you have a balcony or patio, opt for compact plant varieties that thrive in smaller spaces. Herbs like basil, mint and chives, or leafy greens like lettuce and spinach, do well in pots. Hanging baskets and wall planters can maximize growing space.
Step Three: Provide continuous care. Once plants start to pop out of the ground, they will need lots of water to thrive. Depending on how much rainfall your area receives in the summer, you may want to consider a simple irrigation system. Staying on top of weeding ensures that your plants are not overtaken and stripped of nutrients. Make sure to pull out the whole root with the weed so it doesn’t have a chance to grow back. For container gardeners, frequent watering is key, as pots dry out more quickly than garden beds. Regularly check for pests and trim back overgrown plants to keep your garden thriving. Planning a summer garden may seem a little overwhelming, but hopefully, these tips and tricks help you along. Don’t be afraid to start small and grow your garden as you gain experience. Whether you’re working with a backyard, patio or balcony, gardening is a rewarding process that helps connect you with your food.
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