March is National Nutrition Month®.  Each year, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics creates a theme to promote nutrition and healthy lifestyles. This year’s theme is “Beyond the Table.” One way to think “Beyond the Table” is to consider having your own garden! Have you ever wanted to start a garden but just couldn’t get it growing? We have been there! Gardening has become a lost skill with the agricultural giants producing most of the food we eat. None-the-less, the gardening bug bit you, and all you want to do this spring is get those tomatoes growing! Below are some tips to help you start your first garden.

Start Small

Our hearts are so fixed on replicating those social media homestead gardeners that we may underestimate the experience and time gardening can take, and we may end up losing some of the plants we purchased from the nursery. Prevent this demoralizing mistake by starting small.

  • Start with a few plants: A small garden success will give you a huge mental boost and increase your confidence for the future!
  • Grow plants in containers: Preparing garden beds can be challenging. Consider getting a bag or two of potting mix and growing your first plants in 5-gallon containers instead.

Build on your experience

If this is your first garden or even your 100th garden, it is important to remember the humbling truth written by Aristotle: “The more you know, the more you realize you don’t know.” A great way to strengthen your gardening skills and knowledge is to build on your experience.

  • Practice what you read and watch. If you see or read a gardening idea you like, try it!
  • Keep a journal to document your wins and losses, the plants you wish to grow again, and to remember when you planted and harvested.
  • Spread your projects out. Use your journal to plan out what you want to build or grow in the future.
  • Talk to other gardeners to grow from their experience.

Resources

  • For a quick guide on when to plant The Old Farmer’s Almanac has a lot of free knowledge.
  • The Ohio State University Extension is another great place to immerse yourself in the gardening culture. This link takes you straight to their fact sheets page which includes growing guides for some plants.
  • Follow us on Facebook or X for updates on our annual farmer’s market and other public health news.