How to Grow Your Own Food

Think you need a green thumb and a backyard to grow your own food? Think again. It’s possible, no matter your understanding of gardening or space limitations, all you really need is a basic understanding of plants, a little planning, and a few key tools and materials. Bob Vila’s library of articles and tips from gardening experts has all the information you need to grow a productive plot. Here you will find a collection of comprehensive guides to guide you through crucial steps in the gardening process, such as testing and modifying the soil; plus professional canning tips from our sister site Saveur for preserving homegrown produce.

A DIY food supply will certainly take more time and effort than running to the grocery store, but that’s part of what makes learning this skill so great. You’ll work with your hands, connect with nature, and really understand where your food comes from.

Whether you just want to increase your home’s healthy snack options or fill your pantry with jars of goodies to eat all year long, read on to learn how to grow your own food.

Botanical fundamentals

Most plants have a set of fundamental needs that they must satisfy in order to thrive: a growing medium, nutrients, water, and sunlight. Provide the specific plants you choose to grow with their essentials, and you will be successful. This basic understanding will also prepare you to advance as a gardener so that you can tackle larger and more challenging projects in the future.

Plan your plot

Although a large backyard that receives 6 to 8 hours of sunlight a day is ideal for starting an edible garden, it is not a requirement. A raised bed or container balcony will suffice, as will a portion of any interior room. The key to success, as mentioned above, is simply providing what plants need, naturally and / or artificially, in the right amounts at the right time.

Before ordering seeds (which you should do now, for better selection), find your USDA hardiness zone, which will help you measure the dates of the first and last frost, and the vegetables that will grow best in your area. Finally, take stock of your garden space: How many plants can you reasonably grow? Once you know how long your growing season is and how much space you have to work with, consider the following expert recommendations to guide your plant selection.

Fast growing vegetables

The best herbs to grow indoors

Edible berry bushes

Late season vegetables

For future reference, it’s also helpful to document your food growing process from start to finish. As with learning any new skill, there will be room for improvement, and you’ll be happy to have detailed notes of what you planted, what amendments you added to the soil, whether you opted for a quick or slow release fertilizer, etc. This information and your observations will help guide your decisions for the coming year, so be sure to have a printed or digital journal on hand as you put your plans in motion.

Pre-season preparation

After deciding what to grow and where, the next step is to lay the groundwork for meeting the needs of the plants you will soon plant, many of which can and should be done well in advance of the main growing season. For a traditional outdoor garden, that starts with a soil test. From there, the following tips and tutorials will help you grow the perfect growing medium.

Everything you need to know about soil types

Your guide to soil amendments

Composting for beginners

The Best Potting Mix for Vegetables

At this stage, some tools will come in handy. Start with these essentials and then add to your collection as your gardening skills progress: work gloves, garden fork, garden trowel, watering can, pruning shears.

Plant and Care

It’s easy enough to buy established young plants (aka seedlings) from a local retailer, but you’ll learn a lot more about gardening if you start growing plants from seed yourself. Just be sure to plan ahead, as some varieties take longer to germinate and mature than others. In that case, learning how to plant seeds indoors and how to toughen plants up when it’s time to move them outside are easy projects for new gardeners. Seed starter mix, grow lights, and seedling heating mats will help get your seedlings off to a good start. For fast growing vegetables and fruits, it is best to sow seeds directly in the garden. Once planted, regular watering and weeding becomes increasingly important, and the following guides will set you up for success.

Seed start indoors

How to toughen plants

Dos and Don’ts of Irrigation

weed the garden

Feed your food

As plants grow and absorb nutrients from the soil, it is important to replenish what they need for food during the growing season. But figuring out which fertilizers to use in the right amounts and when can be intimidating for beginners. Knowing the fertilizer numbers is the first step. For edible gardens, organic plant foods are preferred, and non-toxic pest control is a must.

How to read fertilizer numbers

The Best Organic Fertilizers

Everything you need to know about insecticidal soap

Harvest and preserve

There is no denying that harvest time is the best part of growing your own food. You can reap the rewards of your hard work! And your plants will thank you for timely pruning and harvesting by continuing to produce throughout the season. If you can’t get everything fresh, canning is a great way to preserve your surplus fruits and vegetables. Classic water bath canning is simple, requires minimal supplies, and will ensure your canned food is safely sterilized. The most important factor, according to Saveur, is that the center of your filled jars reaches 212 degrees Fahrenheit. As your green thumb grows and your garden grows larger, be sure to consider donating your surplus produce to local food banks as well.

Harvesting herbs for maximum yield

Your guide to canning in a bain-marie

Succession planting tips