Growing a vegetable garden takes commitment and planning, requiring you to decide upfront what type of garden you want to grow. A lot of your choices will depend on the space you have available to you, but it also comes down to the amount of time and work you want to put in.
From organic to a container to lasagna to vertical vegetable gardening, there are so many options for you to try. If you are setting up a vegetable garden for the first time and can’t decide on the exact type of garden, you should establish, use these tips to help you narrow down all your choices.
Use recycled seed starters for your seedlings.
Look at the Space You Have
The garden that you are going to grow depends on the space that you have available to you, a huge yard or a small balcony patio. Even when you think there is no space available to you, there might be unconventional growing space such as a wall or the ability to hang baskets. A small garden plot is best in a large yard, container gardens for patios or indoor settings, and vertical or hanging gardens when you don’t have any ground space to place pots.
Organic or Non-organic Gardening
A lot of people think that they cannot afford to grow an organic garden, but it is very cost effective to grow all your vegetables naturally. Instead of using expensive fertilizers and pesticides, you use things that are not harmful to the environment, many of which you might already have in your home. Either option requires research into the best ways of using what you have available to you and growing what you want in a way that will maximize your harvest. Landscaping supply stores offer organic soil if you need more than the bags they sell at a store and can be a cheaper option. You can also compost throughout the year to have rich soils for your garden. Plant marigolds to keep bugs at bay and eggshells around the base to keep the smooth crawlers off. Remember to find organic seeds as well.
Garden Size and Time
The larger your garden, the more time you need to dedicate to tending and harvesting what you grow. For this reason, it is important that you only establish a garden as large as the amount of time and work commitment that you want to give to the garden. A small four by six-foot garden is sufficient enough to provide for a rotating amount of crops that can be enjoyed by a small family, however, if you want to grow enough to provide for all your vegetable needs throughout the summer and into fall, you are going to need a much bigger garden.
Deciding on What To Grow
While there are vegetable gardens that just grow everything, in general, some folks plant very particular vegetable gardens. What you grow depends on what you eat or want to make with the vegetables you plant. Some folks like to grow enough vegetables to create their favorite sauces or salsas for the year. Other folks plant kitchen gardens made up of their favorite vegetables. Everything from a pizza garden to a salad bar garden can be grown if that is what you know you will use. Create a list of the vegetables that you use regularly and then determine which ones you could plant and grow in the garden space available to you.
Research Your Geological Location
This is probably the most crucial step. Certain plants will have trouble growing in specific regions due to the weather conditions and climate. Make sure to read the back of your seed packets to see when your planting season is. Then plan your garden around these time. 
When you are planning the location of your plants in your garden, keep in mind the height your plants will get. If you are planting corn, you’ll want to place it in the back of the garden so that it doesn’t block the sun for the plants around it. Vine growing plants spread out so they will need lots of room.
Either way, enjoy the beauty of growing your own food. It tastes better, it will save you money, and you’ll be teaching your family a trade that can be life-saving.
Hi Meghan,
Thanks for your awesome article. I love gardening so much, so I grow a lot of plant in my garden such as herbs, carrots, pepper, tomatoes …v. This is my green life 😉