Help! I want a garden but have no idea where to begin
Do you love the taste of home-grown tomatoes and the idea of creating your own farm to table experience? Feel you would love to garden but do not have a backyard or a lot of space? I got you covered! I have scoured the internet, social media, and YouTube to help find the best place for you to begin. While gardening can seem like a huge task, you need to remind yourself you do not have to be Farmer John. There are a lot of options for gardens big and small that will allow you to begin your journey.
Check out YouTube
One of my favorite garden YouTubers is Kevin, founder of Epic Gardening. With an easy-to-follow channel helping to move from novice to pro in no time. “Epic Gardening has a simple but audacious mission: teach the world to grow. Originally started as a hobby by founder Kevin Espiritu in 2013, Epic Gardening has since become the world’s most followed gardening brand. As a true leader in gardening education and entertainment, we’ve built a powerful community with tens of millions of aspiring gardeners across 100 countries.” (High-Quality Gardening Products from Epic Gardening)
Gardening on the Central Coast
On the Central Coast, we are known for our mild climate and fertile soil-an ideal region for gardening. With Mediterranean-like weather, the Central Coast offers gardeners a wide variety of plants or flowers to grow year-round. From vibrant succulents and drought-tolerant plants to lush vegetable gardens and fragrant herb patches. There truly is something for every green thumb to explore and enjoy. We are in zone 9a and there are specific gardening preferences to this area. For the best gardening crops, you want to stay close to your zone’s recommendations, so ask Google, Alexa, or Siri which gardening zone your zip code is located in.
-With numerous garden centers and farmers’ markets you can find everything you need to get started on your gardening journey. With a little bit of creativity and patience you can create a beautiful and sustainable garden that will flourish. The Farmers’ markets allow you to speak with those who are knee deep in the fruits and veggies. They are always willing to give tips of the trade to help you get started. I have found the customer service reps at Lowe’s garden section are a great source of information too.
Local Farmers’ Market Schedules:
Paso Robles-Tuesdays from 9-12:30pm. Templeton-Saturdays from 9-12:30pm. Atascadero-Wednesdays from 3-6pm. San Luis Obispo-Thursdays from 6-9pm. Avila Beach-Fridays from 4-8pm May-August.
EPIC Gardening
In my family, Kevin from EPIC gardening is a regular Saturday morning staple. While enjoying our morning coffee, we sit and relax watching Kevin and his team teach us gardening tricks. Today, I learned to plant carrot seeds roughly 2 inches apart, then place a burlap sack or cardboard over the area for two weeks to help keep the moisture in the ground. This little trick will help you yield a better carrot crop. Once they are popping up, you want to make sure of the 2-inch spacing, so you end up with larger carrots. You do this by weeding out some of them.
Beyond learning about what crops I can grow; I love how his channel adds an addition of gardeners around the United States in different climate zones showing how to garden in their areas. It helps appreciate what crops grow best in which climate zones. Another reason why I love Kevin is his utilization of space. He doesn’t have acres and acres of property in San Diego, CA. He has created the best use of space for his gardening needs and shows you how to do the same within your own space. You do not need to live on an actual farm to be able to have the fresh tastes of potatoes, tomatoes, squash or herbs, you can use growing pots, or raised garden beds to achieve similar results. Grow bags https://amzn.to/3w40wGp
So, roll up your sleeves and grab your gardening tools! Let the beauty of the Central Coast inspire you to create a garden oasis in your own backyard. Stay tuned for pictures of our own little garden areas and what we are learning through the process of gardening.
