Gardening can help you spend more time outdoors, save money on groceries, and add delicious vegetables to your diet. Before you set aside an area of your lawn and pick up some gardening supplies, you should plan what to grow. Choosing one of the easier options will help you learn the basics of growing mouthwatering produce.

What Should You Grow?

1. Greens

Leaf lettuce, head lettuce, and spinach are perfect choices for beginners. Sow a well-drained, sunny area with seeds and fertilizer. The plants also do well in partial shade as the summer heats up.

Look at the leaves to see if they need water. You should keep the soil moist but not soggy and provide more moisture if you notice wilting. Thin the sprouts a few weeks after planting to give each head room to grow. Leafy greens are easiest to maintain in the cool weather of spring or fall.

2. Squash

Squash plants need a lot of space, but they can produce many vegetables. You can add them to soups, casseroles, and stir-fries or bake them on their own for a healthy side dish. Yellow summer squash and zucchini are both hardy and low-maintenance.

Buy seedlings from a gardening supply store or start your seeds indoors. You can grow them on a trellis or let them creep along the ground as long as they get plenty of sunlight. Give them an inch of water a week or two inches in the summer, and add fertilizer once a month to keep them healthy.

3. Root Vegetables

There are a wide variety of vegetables that grow below the soil. They tend to come back year after year if you leave a few in the ground, making them inexpensive, low-effort crops. Radishes, carrots, beets, and potatoes are all in this category, with potatoes being the easiest to grow.

Choose a spot with plenty of sunlight and loosen the soil before you plant the first crop. Give each plant one to two inches of water per week, and apply a fertilizer high in phosphate and potassium.

For all the gardening supplies you need to start your vegetable garden, visit Racine's Feed Garden & Supply in Robertsdale, AL. This family-owned store in Baldwin County carries a wide selection of live plants, seeds, and fertilizers. Their friendly and knowledgeable staff will help you pick the right plants and gardening supplies for your project. If you have any questions, call (251) 947-3003 or visit their website.