Get Started Growing // Part One : Getting Started

If you would have told me that I’d be growing plants, raising chickens, and all these things….I would have laughed in your face. But here I am! I never thought that I’d enjoy digging in the dirt. Every single day I can’t wait to get outside, lathered up in sunscreen, and play in the dirt.

When we started gardening it was a nice little thing for us to go together. I seriously was just going with the flow to hang out with my husband. I didn’t know it would turn into something that I really enjoyed. Every day there is something new. Sometimes between the morning and the evening, there are new things. There is always something that needs sorting out. Whether that be getting rid of pests in your garden, or watering your newly planted seeds, it definitely keeps me on my toes. When you grow things, you want to see their true beauty, instead of being hidden behind an overgrown tree. But isn’t this what makes it enjoyable? Gardening is nothing short of miraculous.

Yay for wanting to grow things. Flowers or food, both can be fun! It’s all a learning process. The important part is to keep learning and keep having fun. SO yay for taking the steps to learn where to start. There are so many resources for learning. Trial and error are also really helpful.

Follow along on this 5 part series to see what we tried, how we failed, how we succeed, and what tips we’d share with you. By no means do we think we are success stories, this is a journey. We’re having fun together as a family. Maybe one day these boys will be nice labor to get things done. 🙂

Things To Know

Know Your Why // You can’t really figure out what you want to grow until you know why. So flowers? Food? Fun? If you want yard flowers, then there are tons of options for adding color. If you want cut flowers, go with zinnias, cosmos, and sunflowers. Food, well that would depend on what you eat. Personally, for us, this means blueberries because our boys could eat 1+ pint a day, strawberries, watermelons, tomatoes, peas, carrots, peppers of all types, eggplant, lettuce, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, potatoes, onions, and quite a few herbs. Fun, well you can grow anything for fun.

Know Your Grow Zone // Obviously not all things flourish in every area. We live in one of the harsher summer climates but mild winters give us more options for year round growing. Find your zone HERE and then learn about what grows best for you.

Know Your Space // Plan things out. Space things out. Utilize that space that you have wisely. It’s easy to think you can cram everything into a space. But each plant needs room to grow, room to breathe, room to flourish. I didn’t know that air flow was important, but it is!

Know Your Soil // Soil testing is really helpful. For a relatively low cost, you can have your soil tested and figure out if you need to add any supplements or what might grow best. You can get that information HERE along with a lot of other resources from LSU Ag. Now I’m preaching to the choir because I have multiple soil kits, I just need to take the time to send my soil sample in. Which now is a great time because we’re between growing things in the garden so we don’t have to move anything to get soil samples.

Know Your Time // Everything takes time. You can’t just throw things in the ground, leave them, and expect them to really flourish. You have to take the time to care for your plants. Water, prune, harvest, protect, etc. Don’t plant 50 plants if you only have time for 5. If you overplant, you end up wasting or just being discouraged and overwhelmed.

Know Your Budget // This can be tricky. At first, you think, “Oh a pack of seeds is $1-$2; no big deal!” But then comes all the other things. Equipment, fertilizers, soil, bug repellent, and a million more things. Just take into consideration how much you want to invest. It’s ok to grow slow! Everything else does.

Know You Won’t Always Succeed // Seriously this is IMPORTANT! You’re going to fail. Things won’t grow. Birds and bugs will eat things. You will google about leaf color and insects and all the things you do wrong. But one day something will bloom and you’ll harvest something delicious for you and your family. You will feel amazing that God used you to cultivate part of His creation! Grace. Give yourself tons of it.

So first steps…

1. Figure out what you want to grow
2. Where are you going to grow it
3. Make sure it will grow well in your grow zone
4. Do you need to test your soil?
5. Make sure you have the room for the commitment
6. Don’t invest more than you can handle
7. Give yourself grace

Keep following along! Coming up….Equipment, seed starting, tips learned, mistakes, and resources!