This morning I started weeding after the rain.  I forgot how satisfying it feels to accomplish something small, even if I don’t like doing it, early in the morning.  My tomatoes are going gang buster, but so are the weeds.  I am heavy into water-and-weeding season but thankfully God has been doing the watering for me.

I get a lot of questions about my garden.  My garden is small (it’s the suburbs after all) and very simple.  If you are looking to try out a garden here are a few tips I’ve learned that may save you a lot of hassle:

1. Do garden boxes. They’re easy to make (see picture above). They contain the garden.  They don’t take up much yard.  You can start gardening sooner (the soil warms up quicker in spring).  They’re great for tomatoes, peppers, peas, lettuce, beans, zucchini and more.  They’re not good for corn, melons or any “vining” plant, including large plants that take up space.

2. Weed when it’s wet. They’re easier to pull when the soil is wet.  You can do a small area in fifteen minutes and feel like you accomplished something.   There are very few tasks that I can do in 15 minutes and feel a sense of accomplishment.  It doesn’t mean I like weeding, just the feeling of finishing something.

3. Plant the easiest veggies. Tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, peas, beans have proven to be the easiest for me.

4. Add compost to your soil.  You can buy it if you don’t make your own.  It’s a great natural fertilizer for plants.  Add it in spring by raking it into soil.

5. Start small. It’s less overwhelming when watering and weeding season come around.  I recommend tomatoes or peppers.  Bunnies won’t eat it.  You can even grow them in pots. The grape tomatoes are especially easy to grow.  You can buy the plants from Lowe’s or even start them from seed during late winter inside.

The best thing about gardening is that there is a reward at the end.  You get to enjoy the delicious produce from summer for many months!  Plus I’ve been amazed how much kids get into gardening.  Give them a special dirt corner to play in with a trowel and a few seeds.  But beware: something might actually grow.  I gave my daughter sunflower seeds to play with and plant and now they’re all over my garden.  At least she’s learning where food and flowers comes from.  And I’m learning not to expect perfection these days either.

Even a little bit of gardening satisfies my green thumb.