Andrea KramerHave you thought about growing your own veggies and herbs? This spring while spending more time at home, it’s the perfect opportunity to try your hand at kitchen gardening. Why not take your cooking to the next level and grow your own salad or enhance your recipes with fresh herbs.
Make sure you select a sunny location and focus on vegetables that are relatively easy to grow such as the carrots, tomatoes, lettuce and peppers or herbs. Also, you will want to start with good soil such as Miracle-Gro specifically designed for raised beds. You can now buy Miracle-Gro soil online and shipping is free on orders of $25 or more on miraclegro.com.
Consider a raised bed/planter to save yourself all that uncomfortable bending. It doesn’t fully guarantee that animals won’t find your vegetables but a raised planter does help. We will show you a few options. The first, the Gronomics Eco Wedge planter at $429 from Williams Sonoma is a huge splurge, but the V-shape of the trough allows you to successfully grow carrots and other deep-rooted veggies or tomatoes in the deeper center, and herbs and lettuce in the front. We love that the cedar is naturally insect repellant and keeps getting better looking with age.
Gronomics Eco Wedge Garden Planter Bed
If the only outdoor space you have is a terrace, or you’re truly unsure about whether gardening is the hobby for you, consider this $59.98 raised planter, the Keter Urban Bloomer from Home Depot. It still provides all the advantages of a raised planter and even has a water gauge and self-watering system and a shelf to neatly store supplies.
Urban Bloomer 32.3 in. W x 30.7 in. H Brown Resin Raised Garden Bed
Another approach to outdoor planting is this tiered planter for $105 at Etsy.com. A whole shelf of strawberries or mint would be an easy, almost foolproof way to begin gardening. By the end of the summer, you could have a bumper crop of strawberries and plenty of mint you can use to flavor tea. (This planter, could just as easily be used for flowers, if vegetables don’t turn out to be your thing.)
Tiered Cedar Planter
For around $20 you will want to buy the tools of the trade- here’s the perfect starter set. For the price, they are Amazon’s highest rated.
ESOW Garden Tool Set
While we often garden gloveless because we love getting our hands dirty, we realize that is not for everyone. If you prefer staying clean, these gloves are also highly rated on Amazon.com and you can’t beat the price of $8.60 for three pairs. We don’t recommend these for trimming rose bushes or heavy-duty projects, but they are a nice breathable cotton and ideal for new gardeners.
G & F 1852-3 Women Soft Jersey Garden Gloves
Of course, you will need to water your vegetables frequently and that can become a chore. While there are many less expensive options, this pretty pink enamel watering can at $34 from Magnolia Market will make you actually look forward to watering. A nice bonus is the enamel coating prevents rust.
Enamel Watering Can
As long as you have at least a sunny windowsill, you can garden. This kit from Urban Leaf is $29 at Etsy.com. Available in two different herb combinations- either basil, cilantro and parsley or rosemary, chive and oregano, the attractive planter comes with everything you will need, including step by step instructions.
