by Holly Boettcher
There’s something uniquely satisfying about walking out your back door to harvest a basket of sun-ripened tomatoes, cucumbers, and fresh lettuce for your evening salad. Starting a vegetable garden isn’t just about growing food; it’s an invitation to reconnect with nature, live more sustainably, and enjoy the unbeatable flavor of produce that hasn’t spent days on a truck.
Whether you have a sprawling backyard or just a sunny corner on a balcony, planting your own seeds is a rewarding journey that transforms both your palate and your perspective. And the best part is you don’t need a green thumb to begin — just a little curiosity and the willingness to get your hands dirty.
But, as exciting as it sounds, the idea of starting a garden from scratch can feel overwhelming, especially if you’ve never done it before. Don’t worry! I’ve put together some simple steps to help you get started on growing your first vegetable garden.
Location, Location, Location
Pick a spot in your yard that gets at least 6–8 hours of sunlight daily because most vegetables thrive in full sun. Make sure the area has good drainage because plants don’t like sitting in puddles!
No Room for Vegetables?
If yard space is limited, no worries. Many vegetables do well in raised beds or in containers on a sunny porch or patio. I’ve experimented and successfully grown tomatoes, green beans, potatoes, and cabbage in containers! Another option is to look no further than that small flower bed in your front yard. Try tucking in a few vegetables, such as tomatoes or peppers.
Starting a New Garden Spot
If you haven’t planted in the area before, an organic way to kill the grass is to cover it with cardboard or newspapers (use small rocks or some sod to keep the material from blowing away). Cardboard also helps amend the soil as it breaks down. Another method is to remove the sod with a spade. Next, either roto-till or turn over the soil using a shovel or garden fork. Raised beds are another great option.
Baby Steps
If you’re new to gardening, resist the urge to plant every vegetable you love all at once. Instead, begin with a small plot or a few containers. This lets you experience the joy of gardening without the stress of heavy upkeep. Keep in mind, it’s meant to be fun!
Beginner-Friendly Veggies to Try from Seed:
- Lettuce – Grows quickly and is perfect for fresh salads.
- Zucchini – Prolific and versatile for cooking and baking.
- Carrots – Fun to grow and easy to harvest.
Beginner-Friendly Veggies to Try as Plants from a Garden Center:
- Tomatoes or Peppers – Perfect for sandwiches, salads, and sauces. And my favorite way to eat them… right off the vine!
Read the labels carefully and consider how much space each plant needs. Some vegetables, like zucchini, tend to sprawl, while others, like carrots, grow vertically. Use companion planting as a strategy. This means planting complementary vegetables side by side for better yields and natural pest control.
For instance:
- Carrots and onions make great neighbors, as onions can help deter carrot flies.
- Tomatoes and basil grow well together, and basil can help repel creepy tomato hornworms.
Become a Scientist with a Soil Test
Healthy plants start with healthy soil. Test your soil’s potential hydrogen (pH) level. Use a high-quality garden soil or compost mix to provide your vegetables with the nutrients they need. Taking the time to test is often the most overlooked step. This important measure will ensure the soil is suitable for the veggies you’re planting. The pH is measured on a scale that ranks the basicity or acidity of substances relative to one another. For most vegetables, it should be between 6.5 and 7 (slightly acidic to neutral) for plants to be happy. Think about this! The nutrients that your plants need become available or unavailable to them according to your soil’s pH level. Hold that thought, because what is the point of planting a garden if your veggies cannot absorb proper nutrients?
To obtain your soil sample, start by making an imaginary “W” in your plot and then dig down about 6 to 8 inches into each “point” of the “W.” Your goal is to end up with about one cup of soil.
If you are sending your sample to a lab for analysis, label the bag with your name, address, and phone number before you put the soil in the bag. (Picture me trying to write on the sample package after it’s full. That does not work very well.) And don’t worry, when you get your soil test back, there will be recommendations from the testing company to help you understand which amendments are needed. Yes, this sounds like plenty of extra work, but it will be worth it in the end!
Holly’s Garden Tip: A pH test kit can be purchased at a garden center, or you can take a sample to your local Cooperative Extension Office. (To learn how to process a sample for testing, check out outagamie.extension.wisc.edu/soil-testing.) There is a small fee, but they will send your soil to a lab, and you will get a full report detailing possible deficiencies and how to correct them.
What to Plant?
Now is the time to draw up a plan of what you will plant and how much space is needed. In early spring, I plant cool-weather crops such as lettuce, kale, carrots, peas, beets, radishes, spinach, and Swiss chard between rows of tomatoes and peppers. As they mature, I can harvest them and eventually make room for the others.
Holly’s Garden Tip: Plants such as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant can’t be direct- sown, and instead must be started from seed indoors in March or purchased in the spring at a garden center. If you direct sow them, they will not have enough time to mature.
Supply List
Gather your shovel, rake, hoe, string, stakes, plant markers, garden gloves, and trellising. It works great to write with permanent markers on paint sticks, use louvers from window blinds that are no longer usable, or purchase labels. A length of sturdy string with wooden stakes tied to each end helps you make straight rows. If you are growing pole beans or peas, you’ll need some type of trellising.
Holly’s Garden Tip: My favorite place to order seeds is from Baker Creek, rareseeds.com, because they have over 1,200 rare varieties from all over the world that have been passed down for many generations.
Sowing Seeds into the Soil
Most of your garden seeds can be planted directly into the soil. Follow package instructions closely. Teeny-tiny seeds, such as lettuce and carrots, need sunlight to germinate, and for best results, should be sown on the top of the soil. They can be difficult to handle, so I kind of pinch them between my finger and thumb, then lightly sprinkle them in a row. (Reminder: those need to be thinned later!) Before I plant larger seeds, I use the garden string that is tied to the stakes, which I hammer into the ground to make straight rows. Next, I make a trench with my hoe and begin dropping seeds according to directions. After completing the row, I sprinkle with soil.
Take note: certain seeds need to be prepped for planting. Examples include cucumbers, beets, squash, and pumpkin seeds. They germinate more quickly if you soak them overnight to give them a head start. Other seeds benefit from a process called scarification (scarring them) by rubbing them against a nail file or sandpaper. Examples include nasturtium and sweet peas. Seeds such as milkweed need to go through a process called stratification, which mimics Mother Nature going through periods of wet and cold.
Holly’s Garden Tip: Some seedlings need to be “thinned” after they pop through the soil and reach about two inches of height. Carrots, beets, and radishes benefit from thinning so they have room to grow. You will find this information on the seed packets.
Be Smart About Water
Consistency is key when it comes to watering your plants. Vegetable gardens need about 1 inch of water per week, either from rain or your watering can. Focus on watering in the early morning or late afternoon when the sun isn’t at its peak, as this keeps moisture from evaporating too quickly and prevents leaf burning.
Holly’s Garden Tip: Avoid splashing the leaves of plants to reduce the risk of disease. Water only the soil under your vegetables.
Use Mulch to Conserve Water and Control Weeds
Applying organic mulch, such as grass clippings or double-chopped bark, between your rows of seeds or around your fresh plantings, will help retain moisture and keep the weeds away. When applying it around plants, do not allow mulch to touch the stems of the plants, as that will encourage decay.
Holly’s Garden Tip: Move straw or chopped leaves to your garden after cleaning up your yard in the fall so it can break down over winter and add additional nutrients to your soil.
Keep Up with Weeding
Repeat after me: “Weeding is great exercise!” Weeds compete with your veggies for nutrients, water, and sunlight. Regularly check your garden for unwanted plants and pull them or dig them out by the roots.
Watch For Pests to Move In
To keep my kale and cabbage from being devoured by cabbage loopers, I use a weekly application of an organic product called Bacillus thuringiensis (aka Bt), which disrupts the pH level of a caterpillar’s gut. In simple terms, their gut explodes. Neem oil is another great organic option. You can also plant flowers, such as marigolds, which naturally repel pests. Consider homemade remedies, like a diluted soap spray, to keep bugs away. Pests are inevitable in any garden, but you can manage them without harsh chemicals.
Holly’s Garden Tip: Pay attention to your plants. Watch for yellowing leaves or holes, which often indicate pest problems. Also, watch for caterpillar “frass.” It looks like tiny black pellets and is the waste from caterpillars.
When Can I Plant Outside?
A benchmark for cool-season vegetables like beets, carrots, spinach, and lettuce is when the soil reaches 50 degrees. Warm-weather plants such as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants, which you either started from seed in March or purchased at a garden center, prefer soil warmed to between 60 and 70 degrees. If I’m too impatient and want to start planting tomato plants in the ground before it’s warm enough, I use floating row covers or even soda bottles, cutting the tops and bottoms off to give them extra protection from the chill. Overall, it’s best to resist temptation and plant after the last frost, which is usually Memorial Day weekend. Always be aware of any cold fronts moving in before planting.
Holly’s Garden Tip: A soil thermometer can take the guesswork out of planting.
Enjoy Your Harvest and Share
Nothing beats the joy of harvesting your homegrown vegetables for the first time! Pick your produce when it’s ripe and enjoy the satisfaction of knowing exactly where your food comes from. If your garden produces more than you can eat, share the bounty with friends, neighbors, or a local food pantry.
Holly’s Garden Tip: Don’t forget sunscreen and your garden hat!
Keep It Fun
Starting a vegetable garden might feel like a big task, but it’s truly a gratifying hobby. With a little patience, attention, and love, you’ll go from a gardening newbie to a proud grower in no time. Plus, there’s nothing quite like biting into a fresh tomato or crunching on crisp lettuce that you grew yourself.
So, grab your garden gloves and start planning your vegetable garden. Planting season is just around the corner! What are you waiting for?
And remember this famous quote attributed to Audrey Hepburn, an avid gardener, “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.”
This article was originally published in the April 2026 issue of Appleton Monthly Magazine.
