Guy's GreenHouse

When Asking, “When should we start a home garden”, we might mean: When should we plant or transplant our garden outside? The answer to this question may be an extremely valuable piece of information, but there is more to consider.

• Does an outside garden really begin with planting (or transplanting)?
• What do I want to grow?
• Does My Garden need to be outdoors?

Discovering the true answer to when to start a home garden begins with asking the right questions.

The idea of starting a home garden can be overwhelming. There are so many things to consider: plant variations, amount of sunlight, soil composition, plant spacing, fertilizing, watering, companion planting, pests, deer, rabbits, birds, what vegetables will the kids actually eat, do I need two tomato plants or 42…. 

If you choose, you can make the planning stages of a home garden more work than actually having one. Don’t let your dreams of home grown produce or fresh cut flowers die on the vine. Let this be the time you succeed at starting a home garden.

Whether spicy or sweet, pepper varieties are the spice of a home gardener’s life. With peppers you can grow a range of colors and flavors that allow this one crop to rival the range of variety in the rest of your garden as a whole.Pair this with the fact that peppers are a cost effective choice for your home garden in most cases and peppers seem like a no brainer as an item that should make their way from your grocery cart to your raised beds. The only question that remains is: how much could they ‘save’ you?

I can’t help but to associate biting into a deliciously sweet, sticky watermelon slice with the hot summer sun and swimming pools. Maybe it’s because I’m a summer baby, or maybe I’m not that special and everyone thinks this.

Either way, watermelon can be one of the most fun, and rewardingly sweet things to grow in your personal garden. They do however take up quite a bit of space which might have you asking if it is really worth it to grow your own, or if you should just hit up the roadside fruit stand.

“Po-Ta-Toes – Boil e’m, mash them, stick them in a stew!”

Growing potatoes in your garden can be a rewarding and interesting experience. Unlike most other garden plants, potatoes grow from seed potatoes rather than seeds (You know those sprouts you see when you’ve left them in the bottom of the pantry too long). Many also insist that homegrown potatoes taste better. Interesting experiences and better tasting potatoes may be enough for some, but others will want to know – Is it cheaper to grow your own?

Beans come in a number of varieties and colors. Making them both a fun and practical addition to any garden. That said, beans are small and it takes quite a few to make even one serving. Is it cost effective to grow your own? Do you have to grow a garden full to see the benefit, or are a few enough?

Lettuce is one of the easiest crops for home gardeners to grow. Even so, it is often one that is overlooked when they start growing their own produce. Most get distracted by the pretty yellows, oranges, purples, and reds of growing things like tomatoes, peppers, eggplants etc. Are we right to overlook this, seemingly less exciting, green? Does it belong in your garden, or just at the bottom of the grocery list?

Tomatoes are one of the most popular plants for home gardeners to grow. As you scroll through various gardening top lists and how-to articles that undoubtedly mention this highly versatile, strikingly colorful, fruit bearer – you may be asking yourself if growing your own Tomatoes is worth it, or if you should stick to picking them up in the produce section of your local grocery store.

Having a home garden, a few raised beds, or even just a single potted vegetable plant can be a rewarding hobby with many benefits. However, as the number at the bottom of your grocery receipt continues to grow you may be wondering if one of those benefits includes offsetting rising produce costs.