Over the course of the last 2 years we have had to adjust to supply constraint issues on many levels – food, appliances, tech items, etc. The luxury of going to the store and getting what you need immediately is not always an option these days. This is leading to a shift in our expectations regarding the food and goods we can get at a particular time.

One hundred years ago, if you didn’t have a garden, it would have been strange. Forty percent of United States produce was grown by victory gardens in 1944. 

Today gardeners are the minority of the population, however interest is growing! One good thing that came out of the pandemic was realizing that we can’t rely on a just in time supply chain. We also learned that most people don’t have more than a few days worth of food in their home. 

Because of this experience, there is a wave of encouragement to ‘bring back grandma skills’ – sourdough, gardening, preserving food, mending what you have instead of buying new, etc. which I think is great! 

If you are looking to get started on your gardening journey, you are in the right place!

Here are my 5 tips to get you going:

1. Learn what hardiness zone you are in.

You can look up your zip code here to identify which zone you are in. Your zone determines what plants will thrive in your area, when your average last frost date is, and how long your season is. 

I am in Zone 4 in Alaska which gives me a last frost date around Memorial weekend each year and about a 100 day growing season. Knowing the duration of your growing season is also very important, so you can choose plants accordingly.

2. Choose what you want to grow.

Is your goal to provide produce for your family for the summer? Do you want to make pickles, or can tomatoes? Maybe your goal is to preserve herbs for winter cooking. Make your dream list of what you would like to do with what you harvest. No parameters here, just dream big and write it all down. 

Even if you are focusing on a vegetable garden, consider adding a few flowers in. Marigolds, zinnias, and nasturtiums are a couple of great options to help attract pollinators and suppress weeds and pests. 

3. Narrow down your dream list. 

Take the list you just made and set some realistic expectations for your first year. Weigh that dream list against reality. 

Do you have time for all those plants? Do you have room for all those plants? Is there enough growing time in your zone for those plants? In Alaska, we are limited to what we can grow because our growing season is only about 100 days long. Certain plants that need high heat and a long grow time won’t do well here. 

4. Choose your method.

Will you grow these from seed or purchase starts from a local greenhouse? Of course this can be a combination of the two. Some items take a long time to grow from seed and if you don’t have growing lights or the space in your home, you may want to purchase starts from your local greenhouse. 

Where will you plant your plants? In a raised bed, a container, or directly in the ground? Containers and raised beds are a great way to start gardening. They are easier to maintain and easier to amend the soil. 

5. Get nerdy. 

Open a spreadsheet or grab a blank piece of paper and write down everything you do this season. Okay, this step might not be for everyone, but once again, my type A personality LOVES this. I share my spreadsheet in this post.

When did you plant, where did you plant, how often did you fertilize, when were your first blooms/fruit. This really helps me learn each year. 

Alaska weather can vary a ton during the summer. Some years it’s 60 and rainy all season. Other years, like this year, it can be 75 and very little rain. Anything over 75 degrees in Alaska is downright hot! So I also write down as much as I remember about the weather so it can help me with future planning and determining why something was a success or a failure. 

Lastly, just start! 

This technically isn’t a tip, but it’s the best encouragement I can give. You don’t start improving until you actually start DOING. You can read all the educational material but in order to actually pick your first vegetable, you gotta put those plant babies in the ground! 

My first year I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, but I bought the seed packets and did my best. Each year I learn a little more and harvest a little more! With our variation in weather and life taking time away from the garden I tell everyone that every year is a new experiment. I do my best and hope that there’s some food for the freezer and the canner in the fall. 

Below is a photo of my first seed tray in 2019. If you know anything about gardening, you know there is a lot of room for improvement here.

Even though my seed starting wasn’t perfect, I still harvested from my garden in 2019 and gave me confidence to continue gardening.

Each year I try new things and get better at taking care of my garden. There is deep satisfaction and joy in growing your own food or a beautiful flower – I hope you find that too.

Happy gardening!