What I Learned in My First Month of Gardening

I’ve always dreamed of growing my own food—not just for the savings or the sustainability, but for the simple joy of watching something thrive under my care. This past month, I finally dug in—literally—and began my first garden. As a busy mom balancing family, frugality, and a love for homesteading, I knew this would be a learning curve. And wow, what a month it’s been! From planting seeds to battling bugs, here’s what the first 30 days of gardening taught me (and what I’ll do differently next time).

I chose to start a garden this year for many reasons, the main one being to provide more nutrient-dense food for my family while keeping out-of-pocket costs down. The average pack of seeds costs $3, and if I can grow just one plant from that pack, I have recouped my cost. Sounds like a win to me! Grocery prices have gotten so out of hand, anything I can do to stretch a dollar is worth it! Imagine having all those veggies right outside your back door instead of waiting days to get them from the grocery, talk about farm to table! My children love to work out in the garden with me, and teaching them how easy it is to live sustainably, provide for yourself, and try new things fills my heart with joy. Growing your own food has so many benefits, and it's much easier to control what we put into our bodies.

We did a 16ft x 12ft garden for our first year, and we chose this size based on what I was looking to plant and how much room the plants would need to thrive. We measured out our space, burnt the grass within it, and used garden staples to tack down a garden tarp to prevent weed regrowth. I chose this method because I wanted a garden in the ground but without all the hassle of weeding a large space. We then took a small torch and burnt a hole in the tarp where we wanted to plant (keeping in mind spacing), and used a small shovel to create the hole. I want to can homemade salsa, tomato paste, and tomato sauce, so we planted two rows of tomatoes! The tomato plants were all started indoors from seeds 4-6 weeks before moving to the outside greenhouse prior to planting. Tomatoes require at least 12 inches of growing space per plant, and we planted marigolds in between to help with pest control. For salsa, you are also going to need peppers and onions, so we planted 3 Jalapeño pepper plants and a row of onions (purple onions are my favorite!) The Jalapeño plants were also started from seeds indoors 4-6 weeks prior to moving to the outside greenhouse, and the onions were grown from starts that I purchased at a local farm supply store. The onions were planted directly into the ground and took roughly 2 weeks to sprout. My family loves sweet corn, so we are in the process of planting 4 rows of peaches & cream bicolor sweet corn. Corn must be planted in rows of 4 for support and wind protection. We plant a row of corn every 10-14 days to prolong our harvest, what we don't eat upon picking will be frozen to use throughout the year. Corn requires lots of growing space and loves nitrogen-rich soil so be sure to avoid planting near tomatoes, peppers, and cabbage for the best results. This year will be my first time trying potatoes, and so far it is working out great! I purchased a laundry basket from a local dollar general, drilled some holes in the bottom for drainage, then layered straw, dirt, potatoes, straw, dirt, potatoes, etc. I purchased my potato starts from the local farm store, cut them into 1-2 inch pieces with at least two eyes on each piece, and laid them flat to dry out for 24 hours. This allows the cut edges to harden off and prevent rot. This is also my first year for sweet potatoes, broccoli, and cauliflower, which were purchased as already started plants, and I'm just kind of seeing what can happen this year with those!

So far, things have been going pretty smoothly. I will say, that if we do this again next year, we will lay the tarp out 4-6 weeks earlier, as it does shrink up some in the sun. Also, do not make the holes until you are ready. We laid our tarp out and within days I had my whole garden planted! Needless to say, I had to take scissors and make the holes bigger as the tarp shrank up and the holes moved. Ugh! Right around the same time you can start any seeds that need to be started indoors so you have proper time to harden them before planting outdoors. I used strawberry containers and toilet paper rolls to make my starter pots and it worked out great! Each strawberry container can hold 6 starts, cut the toilet paper roll in half, fill with seed starting mix, and plant your seeds. Water daily and keep in a nice sunny spot. Within a week or two you should start to see your plants emerge. Once these starts reached 4 weeks or so I replanted them into a larger growing container and placed them in the outside greenhouse to start preparing them for outdoor planting. Be sure to wait until the chance for frost is gone before planting outdoors, an unexpected frost can kill your crop. Once planted outside let mother nature work her magic!

We are still getting a decent amount of rain here in Ohio so watering has been pretty easy so far, and the plants are LOVING it! It's crazy how much plants seem to grow after a good rain. If no rain is in the forecast, I will typically water twice a day, morning and evening. With the tarp in place weeding is a breeze; I can typically weed the entire thing in less than 20 minutes. We try to keep an organic garden, so we do not use any chemicals for weed control or pest control. I planted marigolds near the tomatoes to deter many outdoor pests such as snails and slugs, as well as deer and rabbits. Our garden is fenced in, mainly due to our chickens, so we do not have to worry much about the bigger pests. I use coffee grounds to help deter ants, which love to eat the leaves on my bean plants. Currently, these are the only real pests we are dealing with, but we are prepared in the event of others joining in.

Gardening shouldn't be expensive, so I'm going to break down for you how much our garden cost to start. Keep in mind, if you have any of these items or something similar around your home, save money and use it! We intend to use many of these items for the next year or two, which makes the upfront cost more worthwhile. These are the items we used:

• Garden Tarp 4ft x 100ft (we will use leftover tarp next year)- (https://amzn.to/4kEErlP)

• Landscape Staples 4inch 50 pack (we will reuse staples next year) - (https://amzn.to/4dZ6Pwu)

• 6ft fence posts 10 pack (we will reuse posts next year)- (https://amzn.to/4kEVc0e)

• Chicken Wire 4ft x150ft - (https://amzn.to/4kCa1QY)

• Laundry Basket- $5 from Dollar General

• Tomato Cages- FREE, given to us by a friend

• Seeds- Lowes, Burpee Organic Seeds $2.99 per pack x 5= $14.95 (Tomato, green beans, cantaloupe, Jalapeño peppers, Lettuce)

• Seeds- Local Garden Center, Corn- $7.98, Watermelon- $4.50

• Starts- Rural King, Onions-$1.00, Potatoes- $4.50

• Plants- Local Garden Center- $1.99 x 4=$7.96 (Sweet Potatoes, Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower)

Total: $263.67

Gardening has completely transformed the rhythm of our days in the most beautiful way. What started as a simple backyard project quickly became a family ritual. Each morning, the kids and I head outside—barefoot, coffee in hand (for me!)—to check on our plants. It’s become our favorite part of the day. The girls love searching for new sprouts or spotting bugs, and I love the peace that comes with starting the day surrounded by nature. Gardening has given us a reason to slow down, step outside with intention, and connect with each other and the earth, even if just for a few quiet minutes.

This first month of gardening was far from perfect—but it was incredibly rewarding. Every little sprout felt like a victory, and every setback taught me something new. I may not have a full harvest yet, but I’ve planted something even more valuable: confidence, curiosity, and a deeper connection to the land around me. If you’ve been thinking about starting a garden—even a tiny one—let this be your sign to give it a try. The best time to start was yesterday. The second best time is today.

Here’s to living simply, growing wildly, and vibing fully.

Until next time,

Nicole