Grow Your Own Food
Did you know that home-grown food not only tastes better and is more nutritious, but is also more sustainable? It’s a win-win-win! Growing your own food can be done anywhere, even if you don’t have a yard. It’s easier than you think and can be a fun and rewarding experience!
Your Impact
Action Steps & Tips
Introduction
Growing your own food is a great way to reduce your impact, save money, and have a fun and rewarding experience. And those fresh, just-picked-from-the-vine veggies just TASTE better!
Gardening is also a great way to connect with nature - whether in an apartment or your own backyard. It’s rewarding to watch something bloom and grow that you nurtured with your own hands - and you can easily use sustainable growing practices and eliminate the carbon impact of preparing, packaging and transporting food. Plus, there’s the joy and sense of community that comes with sharing your harvest with your friends and neighbors - who could say no to homegrown tomatoes? Fruits and veggies grown at home also have more sugars and nutrients since they can ripen on the vine instead of being picked early to be shipped to the store. This also makes them taste better!
Growing your own food also creates access to fresh food which is a key aspect of resilience and social equity. Food grown in apartments, community gardens, and backyards provides an accessible, local, low cost and high quality food source and can reduce pesticide use. Home grown food can help you and your whole community stay resilient and healthy.
1Step 1: Choose your space
Outdoor garden spaces: A good spot for a vegetable garden is relatively flat, with good soil that drains well. If you don’t have an ideal space to grow directly in the ground, you can also consider planter boxes where you can add good quality soil and place them almost anywhere.
Sunlight: Ideally look for a space that gets at least 6-8 hours of sunlight per day. If you have a large space, pay attention to the direction of the sun and shadows to learn where you get more and less sunlight. Plants that grow best in lots of full sunlight include tomatoes, squash, peppers, melons, eggplant, corn, and cucumbers.
If you don’t have that much sunlight, that’s ok! Plenty of edible plants grow well in more shady environments. Look for spots that get two or more hours of direct sunlight a day. Filtered sunlight throughout the day also helps. Bonus - low sun means less evaporation, so these plants won’t need as much water! Root veggies like carrots, beets, turnips, radishes, kohlrabi, and potatoes all do well in partial shade (4 hours or more of direct sunlight). Pole beans and Brussels sprouts are also great choices! Leafy vegetables like arugula, spinach, watercress, kale, and lettuce are most tolerant of shade (either 2 hours of direct sunlight, or all day of filtered sunlight, like under a tree). They also have a much shorter growing season, which means you can harvest them in a shorter time after planting.
Smaller spaces: Many herbs and vegetables grow very well in pots or small planter boxes. Most herbs, lettuce, microgreens, and sprouts also do well growing inside. They’ll brighten up any kitchen window, and they’re far less expensive than store-bought fresh herbs and greens!
Also - think of three-dimensional space! If you have a small yard or porch or balcony, you can make the most of it by growing plants that can climb up wires or trellises, like cherry tomatoes, peas, and pole beans (beans that grow on a vine). Even squash, melons, and cucumbers can be trained to climb upward! Vertical gardening is all about taking advantage of every inch you have as a gardener - and it’s also a smart way to be water efficient!
Community Spaces: If you don’t have space at home, you can get creative with your location options! Check to see if there are any community garden spaces locally and also consider rooftops and balconies, or even public spaces like alleyways, sidewalks or the center of a roundabout. For public spaces, check with your local city offices to see if a permit is needed. Gardening in limited space or city centers is a growing trend called urban gardening and it can bring greenery and fresh bounty to even the most densely populated urban centers!
2Step 2: Choose what to grow
Herbs, fruits, and veggies are just as diverse as people are. They grow at different times of the year and require different amounts of water and sunlight, and some need more care and attention, while others do well in a wide range of environments!
Know your zone: Different plants thrive in different conditions based on the climate where you live - mostly local temperature and rainfall patterns. So the best plants to grow locally and the growing season varies by region. Farmers and gardeners determine the best plants to grow and the growing season based on the “plant hardiness zone” map. It makes sense that plants will grow at different times in southern California versus northern Minnesota! You can find your location’s zone and its recommended plants and planting schedule on this planting schedule map. Find your zone on the map and then click on the Zone link to learn more.
Think about your time and preferences: Gardening can be an amazingly fruitful experience, but it does take time! Think about how much time you will have during the growing season (or who you can share the work and the bounty with!). The bigger you go the more time you’ll need, but also some plants need more loving care than others! For example, bush beans and radishes will grow prolifically almost by themselves and onions, garlic, root veggies (carrots, beets, parsnips), tubers (potatoes especially), spinach, and herbs tend to be low maintenance. However, tomatoes will only thrive with ongoing care and pruning. Also, remember to plant food you love the most! Don’t plant 6 eggplants if you aren’t sure you will want fresh eggplants in every meal!
Here’s a great list of vegetable varieties for beginner gardeners:
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Herbs (basil, rosemary, thyme, parsley dill, chives)
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Lettuce
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Chard, Spinach, or Kale
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Green beans
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Peas
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Radishes
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Beets
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Tomatoes (bush variety or cherry are easiest)
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Summer squash (aka zucchini!)
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Peppers
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Carrots
Once you get started and there’s so much more you can grow! You can add fruit trees (depending on your region), delicious staples like onions, potatoes, and garlic, basically any food you can think of!
Plant from seed or not from seed? Another choice to make is whether to grow your plants from seeds or to buy seedlings. Seeds are less expensive, but will need to be started earlier in the year (some people will start them indoors and transplant outside). With seedlings, you’re paying a little more for someone else to have started the plant. Seedlings can be a great way to get started for beginners! Either way it’s great if you can choose organic seeds or seedlings if you have a choice. Even better - buy local varieties, often called “heirloom” or native plants.
Plants such as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant are often purchased as seedlings or are seeded indoors weeks before planting time as they take a long time to produce food.
3Step 3: Get prepared and start planting!
Now that you know what you are planting and when, to get started you will first want to finalize your planting calendar, make a map, get supplies and then get planting!
Make a Calendar & Planting Schedule
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Are you choosing plants that start at many different times? Make a calendar to keep everything on track! Use the planting schedule from Step 2 above and also take into account your typical first and last frost date, which you can find here, just enter your city/state or zip code.
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Why do frost dates matter? Certain hardy plants like potatoes, garlic, kale, beets, and broccoli, Cool Season crops, can be planted well before the last frost. For Warm Season Crops, like tomatoes and peppers, you will want to wait until any danger of frost is over.
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You may have one or two growing seasons where you live, check your planting schedule to learn more! Some plants are better in the early or later planting season.
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If this seems complicated or you’re not ready to go big, that’s ok! Start off small and try it out with a few plants and then expand next season!
Make a Map
Now you have your calendar, make a map! It can be helpful (and fun) to map out your garden based on seed distances, conditions, and natural pest control. Big picture principles are:
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Plant the tallest plants (corn, vine plants, tomatoes) on the north side to minimize shading from one plant to another.
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Map out sunlight levels on your plot and arrange the high sun to shade tolerant plants accordingly.
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Space plants apart. A good rule of thumb is to plant seeds/seedlings at least 2 feet from others if the plant grows as a bush (peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, etc.), and at least 6 inches apart if the plant grows a single stalk (root vegetables, corn, certain herbs like cilantro, parsley, etc.). It often feels like too much space to start, but overcrowding will decrease your harvest
Consider Companion Planting
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One great option many home gardeners do is companion planting or permaculture practices where certain plants grow close to or with each other, maximizing space, deterring pests, and improving flavor and yield for your garden.
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Certain herbs and plants like basil and lemongrass are great natural pest inhibitors. You can plant these on the edge of the garden to mitigate pests throughout your growing season.
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Some plants, such as sunflowers and beans, can support each other as they grow tall and maximize yields. Many gardeners swear that planting basil near tomatoes makes them both taste better!
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Certain plants, however, are best to plant apart from each other. Tomatoes, potatoes and squash shouldn't be planted next to each other as they share common pests, such as certain molds, and can make each other sick.
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Explore this comprehensive companion planting chart here.
Get Supplies
Supplies for indoor, small spaces or roofs/sidewalks and balconies:
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Pots and drainage plates to catch the water. The bigger the pot, the more room the plant has to grow and provide food! You’ll want to make sure the pots drain (have a hole in the bottom) to avoid moldy roots.
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Hanging baskets can be a great way to maximize space! Strawberries, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and other vining crops thrive in a hanging basket.
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Planting soil. The best option is organic potting mix for pots.
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A small trowel, pruning shears and a watering can.
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Supports for certain plants. Vine plants use trellises or poles to grow, and tomatoes are healthier when planted with a tomato “cage.”
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IMPORTANT! If your living space does not have high amounts of direct sunlight (a south facing balcony, for example), consider adding grow lights. These lights help provide the needed sun a plant needs to produce food. They also help dry out plants quicker indoors, which is good for soil health.
Supplies for outdoor gardens:
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If you are planting directly in the soil, the only basic supplies you will need are a shovel, trowel, pruning shears (garden scissors), and a water supply (garden hose or irrigation).
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Another option is to consider raised garden beds. They are easier on the back to garden with, can lead to a longer growing season in cold places, and are an easy solution to areas with poor soil quality!
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Consider adding a drip irrigation system, see the watering section below for more info!
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Ask your local nursery what plants need support and get the necessary supplies (tomato cages, trellises) to support the plant's healthy growth. Some supplies, such as tomato cages, can be expensive depending on your area and how many you need. Never fear: with a quick online search, you can find cheap, DIY ways to support any plant!
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A labeling system (popsicle sticks and a sharpie) is a great way to keep track of what is planted where in the early stages of growth.
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Depending on your soil, you may want to grab supplies to improve your soil health as well, which you can learn more about below.
Plant!
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Before you plant, remove any weeds and add in any fertilizers or other soil amendments (see below)
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Then plan your first plants based on your planting schedule and map!
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Now it’s the hard part - being patient while they sprout into something wonderful!
Go Big: Learn about your soil and improve your soil health
Growing outdoors? It is good to learn about your soil and how to improve it and keep it healthy! Here are some good principles to maximize your soil health.
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Learn about your soil. You can test your soils to understand the acidity, soil type, drainage capacity, and nutrient makeup.
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Many counties and cities have local composting programs, soil information, and even free soil testing services. These can be incredibly helpful! Check with your local garden supply store or do a quick Google search so see if any of these programs are available in your area.
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Use fertilizers that do the least damage to soil life and plant roots. Generally, this means using natural fertilizers, like Bone Meal and Fish Fertilizer. Chemical fertilizers can harm local water health and are toxic to certain animals.
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Use pesticides and herbicides in minimum amounts and only when absolutely necessary. See tips on Natural Pest Control in step 4!
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Maximize plant diversity and consider using cover crops to increase soil health. A cover crop is a plant you grow in between crops for food to help support the health of the soil. This helps you to avoid exposed soil in between growing seasons which can lead to weeds and reduced soil health. Best practice - simply throw some cover crop seeds in your garden beds at the end of the harvest and water well before winter hits to have some cover and nutrient additions! Learn more here.
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Feed the soil life, using carbon from compost, green manures, and crop residues. Many gardeners swear by spreading compost around the plants after they seed as a way to maximize your harvest.
4Step 4: Care for your garden!
Once you’ve planted your garden, the fun begins! Maintaining a garden is easy - you will just want to water regularly, weed unwanted plants, and prune and tend to your plants. If pests appear, you can manage them with natural remedies.
Watering:
You’ll want to make sure you water your plants enough so they can maximize growth, especially in regions with high heat, yet also not too much! Watering in the early morning or evening uses water more efficiently, and it can be a relaxing task to start or end the day! Wondering if you are watering too much, or not enough? A great rule of thumb is to stick a thumb in the soil before watering. If it feels dry, that means you should water it long and well. If it is damp, you may want to wait a day to water again.
Take extra care to water when you are starting off your garden. Adequate and consistent moisture is ideal for seeds to germinate, and for seedlings to take to the soil. Avoid watering the leaves when possible, and focus on the roots and soil below. Setting a slow running hose for a minute or two at the base of each plant can be a good method or turning on your drip system for up to an hour as needed.
Consider a drip irrigation system and timer! You can have a lush garden with just a hose and some daily watering, but you can get much more efficient with water and time by building a drip irrigation system and adding a timer. A drip irrigation system is created with small hoses that have holes that go right along the base of your plants so they get just the right amount of water and right where they need it. It is much more efficient than using a hose, saving a lot of water and also is better for the plant and reduces weeds! Then add a timer to attach to the drip system. The basic ones turn on at dawn and water for 15, 30, or 45 minutes depending on the setting. Check out the Install Efficient Irrigation action to learn more!
Weeding:
Preventing weeds from establishing means your edible plants have more room to grow and won’t be competing for nutrients! The earlier you catch an unwanted plant and pull it out, the easier it will be and the less likely it will multiply. If you weed regularly in the early part of the season, you will likely need to weed very little once the edible plants are more established. Make sure to take note of where you plant your seeds with a stick so you don’t accidentally pull your new plants! Some new gardeners will wait to weed until they can recognize the difference between weeds and their own seedlings. That's ok too! Just be careful not to let the weeds get too big and choke out your seedlings.
Natural Pest Control:
You may experience pests in your garden! That is a natural part of a garden, and there are many different natural remedies to deal with pests. You can usually find a natural remedy that isn’t harmful to the environment for most pests. Each year, American’s use approximately 136 million pounds of pesticides on lawns and gardens which causes harm to bees and many other animal and insect species as well as pollutes our waterways and even creates emissions that cause climate change! It is important for our health and the health of our garden and the planet to use natural remedies whenever possible!
First, identify what the pest is, and learn about the best natural remedies. Here is a one-stop shop to find out what that pesky bug is on your plant and how to get rid of it.
Trimming & tending to your plants:
Some plants require little to no maintenance, while others thrive best with ongoing care. Tomatoes, for example, should be trimmed so none of the leaves touch each other or the ground. This will prevent common leaf rot, and tells the plant to devote its energy to growing fruit instead of growing vines. Leafy greens will grow many more leaves if you harvest their bigger leaves from the bottom every one to three days. Some plants, such as okra, need to be harvested early (for taste and texture) and will fruit for months if picked regularly. When certain plants (like cilantro, spinach, root vegetables) shift their energy to seed-production, their edible parts can lose flavor, minerals and texture. This is known as bolting, you can prolong it for quite some time by regularly snapping off flowers or budding seed-pods. If you “thin” out plants that are too close (especially root vegetables), you will actually see a bigger harvest in the end!
Find information on how to tend to each type of plant: Before you plant, read up on how best to take care of your plants. Then, once you start growing, you’re likely to have some questions like “why are my tomato leaves turning yellow?” or “how do I know if I’ve overwatered the peppers?”. Your local garden supply store, local master gardeners, your neighbors and the internet are great resources! The farming and gardening communities are full of helpful people locally and on the web. Often, there are many other growers in your area who are overjoyed to share ideas, advice and even plants or tools. And while the internet can be incredibly helpful, fellow regional gardeners usually know best of all. If you are doing an internet search, include your zone from Step #2 above for better answers!
5Step 5: Harvest, Prepare or Share your food & protect your soil for next year!
Harvest your bounty! Now the fun begins! Plants grow and develop on different timelines, so check on the “growing seasons” for guidelines on the time between planting and harvesting. For most plants, you will know when things look ready to pick and eat. Be patient and let them fully ripen on the vine!
Prepare your food to last, or share it! One joy in home gardening is the bounty you can create with your own hands - but sometimes it is more than you can handle! If you are picking a bowl of fresh tomatoes every day, you could think about preparing the food to last by canning, making sauces or salsa, or if there’s simply too much, you can give away to friends or neighbors and make someone else’s day! Some food banks or soup kitchens also have the capacity to take fresh produce, so consider looking into local services if you have a bounty you want to share more broadly.
Between seasons: while you are enjoying some of your prepared food like pickled veggies or sauces, there are a couple of key things to do that ensures the health of your garden for future seasons.
The first frost of the fall will mean the end of certain vulnerable plants like tomatoes or peppers. Other Cold Season Crops will last well into the fall and plants like potatoes, beets, and carrots can even be harvested as you need them well into the winter. Rosemary is actually an evergreen and can be picked all year long! Consider planting cover crops at the end of the growing season to help with soil health (see Step #3 above).
Then before you start planting in the spring, pull out and compost the leftovers from the last season or your cover crop! Doing “in-place composting,” where you compost directly in your beds also helps with soil health! Just bury the plant material to be composted 6-12 inches and cover them with soil.
As a general rule, soil should be covered whenever possible. If you don’t plant a cover crop, cover your beds with organic mulch. Raking leaves or mowing them up? Spread the leaves over the soil. This not only adds nitrogen to the soil, but it keeps the soil and its microorganisms happier and healthier. Happy gardening!