Begin by choosing and marking out a spot for your edible garden. Remember that most herbs and veggies prefer full sun.
Decide whether you want to build raised beds or create beds at ground level and whether you want a formal or cottage-style garden.
Mark out the pathways between your beds to allow access for picking. Gravel or bricks are water-wise options, easy to walk on no matter the weather, and great for suppressing weeds
Next you need to prepare your soil. Time spent enriching the soil now will pay off later when it comes to picking your crops. Mix in a good amount of compost to give your soil a light, workable texture that your plants (particularly your root vegetables such as carrots, radishes and onions) will be able to grow through easily and gain nutrition. Fill your beds to just below the top edge.
Now comes the fun part. Head to your local garden centre and choose from the range of seedlings and seeds that they have on offer. Staff will advise you as to you which plants enjoy growing together and what to plant when.
Add some flowering plants to your veggie patch that repel insects. Marigolds and Wild Garlic (which has edible leaves and flowers) are good options.
Once home, plant out your seedlings and seeds, remembering to follow the spacing guidelines to ensure healthy, strong plants. Staggering the sowing times will prolong your harvest so keep some seeds to sow later.
Make some markers to remind yourself what has been planted where.
Once you have finished planting, it is helpful to make a yearly planting and picking chart to remind yourself of what you have planted when, and when to harvest different crops to get them at their very best.
Content provided by Life is a Garden.
