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Vegetable Garden Tips

Each year we grow a garden as a family. Do you want to create your own? Learn to build raised beds, favorite supplies and vegetable garden tips.

Vegetable Garden Tips - What we're planting this year | Finding Silver Pennies #gardeningtips #gardeninspiration #Growing #family

To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.”

Audrey Hepburn

Ever since the boys were very little we’ve planted a garden. It’s certainly made them try things like husk cherries and chili peppers, and given them the responsibility of caring for nature. Since we’re starting work on our garden for this year, I thought it would be a great time to share some tips and photos of our garden over the years as part of the Cozy Living Series hosted by my friend Jennifer.

Here’s how our garden is looking this year:

Very early days as it’s been pretty cold here in New England. We’ve started planting the cold vegetables so far. Before I share what we’ve planted and what we enjoy planting, let’s discuss raised beds:

Getting our garden ready | Finding Silver Pennies #gardeningtips #gardeninspiration #Growing #family

Creating a Garden

To start your garden I highly recommend building some raised beds. They don’t take long but you’ll want to find the sunniest location in your yard. We decided on this spot which is behind our deck. The other side of our yard has the pool.

How to Build Raised Garden Beds

How to Build Raised Garden Beds -Vegetable Garden Tips - What we're planting this year | Finding Silver Pennies #gardeningtips #gardeninspiration #Growing #family

You can see the full tutorial for the building of the beds here. It’s a great weekend project.

Step by Step tips for Raised Garden Beds Vegetable Garden Tips - What we're planting this year | Finding Silver Pennies #gardeningtips #gardeninspiration #Growing #family #buildplans

You’ll want to use a mix of compost and good soil for your beds. Make sure to add fish, blood, and bone to the soil, as well.

What to Plant

We plant what we like to eat. Many people start with seeds and grow seedlings but our local organic farm, Holly Hill Farm, does such a great job and I love supporting them. Each year we usually go and Conor picks out about 8 varieties of tomatoes, chili peppers, lettuces, kale, cucumbers etc. We usually do tomatoes, peppers, and chilis in one bed and lettuces, rhubarb, and kale in the other.

Delicious plants for our garden from Holly Hill Farm  | Finding Silver Pennies #gardeningtips #gardeninspiration #Growing #family

The other day we planted red leaf lettuce.

Planting Red Leaf Lettuce - What we're planting this year | Finding Silver Pennies #gardeningtips #gardeninspiration #Growing #family

Siberian Kale, Pac Choi, Sorrel, Shallots and Cipollini Onions.

I always create a line and plant evenly spaced.

Planting Our Garden  | Finding Silver Pennies #gardeningtips #gardeninspiration #Growing #family
Growing Vegetables at Home  | Finding Silver Pennies #gardeningtips #gardeninspiration #Growing #family

Max was very interested in what we were doing:

Our Dog Max - He's a Rascal. See what we're planting  | Finding Silver Pennies #gardeningtips #gardeninspiration #Growing #family

Hopefully he’s a good boy. When he was a puppy we used to have to put fencing up to keep him out of the garden. I felt like I was living with Peter Rabbit.

Here’s some photos of previous year’s gardens:

Our garden from a few years ago -Vegetable Garden Tips - What we're planting this year | Finding Silver Pennies #gardeningtips #gardeninspiration #Growing #family

I can’t believe how little the boys were in these! See more photos here.

Tips for home gardens  | Finding Silver Pennies #gardeningtips #gardeninspiration #Growing #family

Here are some photos from another year, two years ago’s garden.

Growing cucumbers  | Finding Silver Pennies #gardeningtips #gardeninspiration #Growing #family

Cucmbers did really well! I think we need to try and grow them again.

Look how big our organic cucumbers grew!| Finding Silver Pennies #gardeningtips #gardeninspiration #Growing #family

A plant that ALWAYS does well and kind of goes crazy if you’re looking for something is rhubarb. Look how big it already is in our yard:

Our Rhubarb is already thriving Vegetable Garden Tips - What we're planting this year | Finding Silver Pennies #gardeningtips #gardeninspiration #Growing #family

We love using it in cakes, in cocktails, and in delicious rhubarb and apple crumble. It tastes like summer to me!

What to use Rhubarb - Vegetable Garden Tips - What we're planting this year | Finding Silver Pennies #gardeningtips #gardeninspiration #Growing #family
Delicious Rhubarb custard cake and other things we're growing in the garden  | Finding Silver Pennies #gardeningtips #gardeninspiration #Growing #family

Other Things to Grow

In addition to our raised beds we’ve added berries. We have a Gooseberry and Elderberry.

Eldberberry Bushes  | Finding Silver Pennies #gardeningtips #gardeninspiration #Growing #family

A wild black raspberry bush that has the sweetest little black berries.

Wild Black Raspberries  | Finding Silver Pennies #gardeningtips #gardeninspiration #Growing #family

We also grow potatoes in buckets. We’ve found that growing them in smaller buckets works for us.

Keeping Pests at Bay

You can use a wire fence but we’ve had great luck with planting marigolds. We get lots of bunnies in our yard but they don’t like the smell of marigolds.

Organic Way to Deter Pests from the Garden Vegetable | Finding Silver Pennies #gardeningtips #gardeninspiration #Growing #family

Last year I made the mistake of planting giant marigolds. That was a BIG mistake. I thought it meant the flowers would be giant but we grew 5 foot marigolds which overtook the garden.

Garden Markers

It’s fun to make your own garden markers. Our boys collect rocks at the beach so we painted some with the names of the plants. You can see the tutorial here. We still need to make some for this year!

Beach Rock Garden Markers | Finding Silver Pennies #gardeningtips #gardeninspiration #Growing #family

Watering Your Garden

Caring for your garden  | Finding Silver Pennies #gardeningtips #gardeninspiration #Growing #family

Watering is such a key part of growing a garden. Our town usually has water restrictions int he summer so we invested in a rain barrel and fill the watering can.

Keeping It Organic

Organic plant food we love!  | Finding Silver Pennies #gardeningtips #gardeninspiration #Growing #family

For fertilizing and feeding the plants I use this plant food and also love fish, blood and bone. I don’t use artificial growth enhancers.

I know it’s looking a little bare right now, but I’m really looking forward to growing a beautiful garden with my boys and also looking forward to cherishing the food that grows from that garden.

Growing a garden in your backyard. Vegetable Garden Tips - What we're planting this year | Finding Silver Pennies #gardeningtips #gardeninspiration #Growing #family

Be sure to visit my friends before for some more Cozy Living Ideas:

Cozy-Living-May-1

Creative Cain Cabin / It All Started with Paint / Vinyet Etc. / Hymns and Verses

 

Cozy-Living-May-2

Finding Silver Pennies / Duke Manor Farm / Town and Country Living

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Dawn
3 years ago

Looks like we had the same post idea this month, lol. I love my raised bed gardens and would never go back to directly growing in the soil. I enjoyed seeing your set up. Have a lovely weekend my friend 🙂

Linda @It All Started with Paint

So many great gardening tips! I have a black thumb but am now thinking perhaps a small container garden? Hmmm ….

🙂 Linda

Elaine
Elaine
3 years ago

Lots of good ideas Danielle. Thank-you!

Marlene Stephenson
Marlene Stephenson
3 years ago

Your gardens look beautiful and good pictures of those boys. I have 4 raised beds, i love eating fresh in the summer.

sandi magle
3 years ago

As I’m writing this, I’m so sore from gardening, I can’t make a fist or bend my toes, LOL. We originally started with raised beds, but soon found it wasn’t enough room.
Everything looks great and it is the perfect time to get started. I’ve only planted broccoli in the ground so far, but prepping is half the battle.

Doreen
3 years ago

I loved seeing your garden! I’ve been wanting to start a garden, so I always like to read the expert tips! And, what a great thing to do with your boys! Thanks for sharing!

Kerryanne
3 years ago

Such a great and informative post Danielle. I’ve always wanted to build a raised veggie bed, but don’t have a big enough area in full sun. I love how you have yours laid out.
Thank you for sharing this post at Create, Bake, Grow & Gather this week. I’m delighted to be featuring your vegetable garden tips at tonight’s party and pinning too.
Hugs,
Kerryanne

Laurie @ Vinyet Etc
3 years ago

Bud and I really want to start a garden, thanks so much for sharing these tips! I love that you do it with your whole family!