We all like to be self-sufficient. Although starting a vegetable garden seems like a lot of hassle. Nothing could be further from the truth! After the vegetable gardens of supermarkets like Albert Heijn, many Dutch people started working with their own crops. And this trend has continued in recent years. Our vegetable gardens and allotment gardens are therefore frequently used!
Would you like to be a little self-sufficient? We understand that very well! There are a lot of advantages to gardening, and we like to teach you the basics.
How do you start a vegetable garden?
Step 1
First, look at the kind of soil you have in the garden. There are different kinds of soil:
- Sand: grainy, won’t stick together, glides through your fingers
- Clay: dense, smooth, not crumbly, can easily form a ball
- Peat: dark, moist and nutritious
- Chalk: pale, may contain chunks
- Loam: dark, nutritious, crumbly
Step 2
When you make room for the vegetables, mix it with compost. In this way you provide the soil with extra nutrients, which ensures a good start of the crop.
Adding compost is certainly important when your crop is going to grow in planters. The nutrients from the soil in the planter are quickly depleted, and by adding compost you provide sufficient nutrients.
Step 3
Important! Do not plant fruits and vegetables in the same year, in the same soil. Do you still want to grow fruit and vegetables? Then make a clear separation in the soil.
Rotate the spot of the fruit and vegetables every year. This way you make sure there are enough nutrients to be found.
Step 4
Be prepared! Will it be autumn? Then make sure that the crop is well protected against frost.
Especially young crops need to be well protected. Put an extra layer of protection over the freshly planted fruit and vegetables. It is best to use mulch for this. What’s that? We’ll explain it to you below!
Useful terms
Several new terms come into play at a vegetable garden. Terms that you may need when looking up information.
Below you will find the most common terms:
- Germination: when a seed starts to germinate. As soon as this happens you see the first growth of the crop.
- Cutting: young plants
- Grow bag: plastic bag filled with compost.
- Mulch: nutritious ground cover. It is a kind of pitted wood, to help the soil retain moisture.
- Seed holes: shallow groove in which the seeds are sown.
Essential supplies for your vegetable garden
Before you start working on a vegetable garden, it is useful to get some handy tools. The tools are not only handy, but also time-saving. So that you have enough time to take care of every crop.
Tools that can’t be missing:
- Trowel: a piece of hand tool
- Garden fork: preferably in hand size
- Planters and grow bags
- Gloves
- A good watering can
- Sticks: e.g. made of bamboo
That was it! Now you are prepared enough to start your own (mini) vegetable garden. And remember: the beginning is often the most difficult. Also the beginning of a vegetable garden!
After just one year, you really don’t have a garden full of fruit and vegetables. It takes time and patience.
