We shared our DIY garden bed with trellis on the blog [here in case you missed it] & I got so many questions from you guys about gardening that I decided to make that into another blog post! Over on Instagram you guys asked a bunch of questions about our veggie garden so I answered them on stories but since stories only last a day I thought the Q&A would be perfect for the blog as well.
Are raised beds easier for beginners?
I would say yes. Raised beds allow you to mix the soil yourself to make sure your plants are getting the best amount of drainage. Our veggie garden is mainly to define the rows and make it more aesthetically pleasing. The raised beds are really low with no bottom to them, the roots will go into the ground. [Check out our DIY garden beds here]. We have also done water troughs for real raised beds with actual bottoms and it makes it super easy for beginners. You can check out our water trough garden beds here!
Are raised beds necessary to start a garden?
It is not necessary to have any kind of garden beds, you could definitely till up a small area of your yard and simply start your garden there! Start simple it does not need to be grand.
Do you use watering wands?
We love watering wands, they make watering the garden so much easier & distribute water evenly. I also love the aesthetic of having a pretty watering wand!
How often do we water the garden?
We have underground sprinklers that water the garden every morning. And we hand-water the garden at least once a day! So on an average day, the garden is watered twice.
What do you plant to do with the produce from the garden?
We plan to eat fresh from the garden as much as possible this summer! Anything we don’t eat fresh I plan to can.
Best plants for beginners?
I think beans are super easy, they take off and are ready to harvest within two months of planting. Tomatoes and radishes are also very easy to take care of for beginners & end up with a good amount of veggies.
Citronella plants are low maintenance, water them daily, part shade is best. We have several they are citronella scented geraniums but the verdict is still out if they repel bugs.
What kind of soil do you use?
Miracle grow raised garden bed soil. I would highly recommend putting the investment into your soil. The soil makes a huge difference in the quality of your crops & the success of your garden. If you do raised garden beds it is a lot easier to make sure your plants grow successfully, if you are planting in your yard you’ll need to analyze the type of soil to see what will grow in it.
What zone are you in?
On the plant hardiness zone map we are in Zone 5.
Do you plant seeds or seedlings?
We do both! It depends on the type of plant. Flowers typically do well with being transplanted & can be planted as seedlings. However, most vegetables don’t like to be disturbed once they start growing so we plant seeds for those. I recommend researching what is best for the type of plants you want to grow!
What are the materials of your trellis?
Our trellis was super easy to make, we used livestock panels with t posts. We also have bamboo cages we have over tomatoes.
Where did you get the metal garden tags from?
They are antique finds. I love the look of them!
How do you keep squirrels or other animals away from the garden?
We use fencing which keeps some of the animals out but we also have barn cats that keep all rodents out of our yard.
Do deer get into your garden?
Yes, we do have deer but they don’t come up to our garden, probably because it is so close to our house.
How do you mow the grass between the garden beds?
We use this weed whacker linked here to trim the grass.
Do you compost?
We have a compost “area.” Haha… So we started when we first moved in, using the free sheep products our little herd pitch-in. We plan on really creating a nice structured compost pile that we maintain and turn over to use this coming fall and next spring.
How to get rid of mushrooms?
Mushrooms are not necessarily bad for your garden. They are just a sign that something may be decaying in your garden. You’ll want to make sure you clear out any plants that have started to rot or died to help keep mushrooms out of your garden.
Where is your greenhouse from?
We got our greenhouse from Wayfair, it was a bit of an investment but we think it is definitely worth it. However, our builder said that he could not build it for cheaper than the price we bought it for.
Thank you so much for sending over these questions, I remember starting out not even knowing were to start… I am still new and learning everyday but it is so fun to share what we learned to the next group of newbie gardeners. One thing that this community of gardeners and beekeepers is everyone is so willing to share the fails and the lessons learned to help you get to growing and raising a whatever you need to be more sustainable, and I am so thankful for those that have taught us along the way too. We really do hope this helps and if you have any more questions please send them over. Thank you so much for stopping by the blog today and every other day.
