I've always admired people who have a beautiful garden of flowers or vegetables. While finding myself unemployed in 2013, I spent the summer tending to my untouched flower bed. I worked a week straight and in the end it was beautiful & I couldn't move. (haha) My work had paid off and there have been no more weeds, the garden comes back each year and there's not much more work to do with it. I even dug a trench around the entire garden and put decorative bricks. This spring I want to start a vegetable garden on the side of my yard. I have no clue where to start but I know there are lots of useful resources online. I live in the southeast (Charlotte, NC) and don't know what grows best and what would be the easiest to plant as a first time gardener. Does anyone have any suggestions? Do you prefer planting directly in the ground or using a raised bed? How much of a financial investment am I looking at to get things started? I'm excited about the prospect of walking out my back door, picking what I want to eat and not having to drive to the store. I love squash (spaghetti, yellow & zucchini). Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
It is up to you if you want to use planters or if you want to plant directly into the ground. Planters will help with the strain on the knees and back of bending over for long periods of time. Also planters my limit exposure to your plants to some of the bugs in the soil. One of the things you do want to look at is the condition of your soil, does it need to be improved, does the soil have a high concentration of clay, those things can hinder your plants growth. Growing your own plants to me is not only simple but very rewarding to see God in your work.
