A dream of mine came true 3 years ago. We had just purchased our first home and with it came a small patch of grass that I proudly called my backyard. It was just that.. a rectangular, flat patch of grass with zero trees and a fresh wood fence hugging it’s edges. Before the spring came that year, I would sit on the “patio” (an even smaller patch of concrete) and look out over the somewhat-green rectangle, dreaming of what it could be. We were in no position to fluff it up with landscaping or to build any sort of fancy structures on it yet, but that’s not what I was dreaming of. My dream was much smaller, more achievable, and much more exciting. This was the year I would finally do it – I would build my first DIY veggie garden (and for about the cost of a grocery trip)!

I spent many mornings out there sipping my coffee and gazing over my canvas. I dreamt of a small vegetable garden and quiet, dewy mornings out there picking fresh tomatoes and sprinkling water over the tiny growing buds. I dreamt of the first sweet taste of homemade tomato basil bisque with the ingredients originating directly from my harvest. I dreamt of bringing my children out to help me pluck peppers and awe at the enormity of the zucchini squash (those suckers get BIG). Two of these three dreams came true that year, and this year, I am eager to achieve the third as I bring my garden back to life this spring! If you have a similar dream but find yourself with an empty plot of grass and without a clue of how to get started, this post is for you! Today I share my 4-step DIY veggie garden for beginners in hopes that I may water your dream until it grows to a reality (I worked way too hard on that pun). To see how I created my garden in REAL time and the obstacles I faced while doing so, check out my Instagram page and watch my “Garden” story highlight!

The real fruit of gardening is more in the process than in the fruit itself. There is nothing more therapeutic than getting up on a dewy morning at the crack of dawn and walking out to my garden with my coffee. The air is quiet, the baby is still asleep (if I’m lucky), and the sun is just barely kissing the surface with it’s subtle golden glimmer. OH, and the SCENT. You know the one I’m talking about, the scent that sends you straight back to childhood. the Scent of misty, fresh leaves and a cool, crisp breeze that makes you feel so alive. Before you begin the task of building your own DIY veggie garden, you need to decide your WHY. Gardening is much more than a budget-friendly means of acquiring produce. In fact, if you are doing it for this reason alone, it may not be worth it. Gardening to the point of ample production is not hard, but takes a lot of attention and consistency. You can’t take a weekend off (especially down here in Houston), these are living things that require a lot of TLC! But if you can provide such TLC and enjoy doing it, it is SO worth it!

My Garden Through the Years

Year 4 Garden (2019)

Year 2 Garden (2017)

Year 1 Garden (2016)

When I first built my garden, I had no experience other than with my favorite houseplants. I hadn’t a clue how to grow vegetables, but I was also a biology teacher with a fairly sufficient understanding of Botany, so I went to work and spent that year – and the couple that followed- experimenting. I took a year off while pregnant and now feel fully equipped with enough trial and error to produce my best harvest yet! I want to note that what works for me in Houston may not work for another climate/region, but I will do my best to keep this post general while sharing what has worked for me in hot/humid weather. The steps below can be followed regardless of the climate with adjustments being made for the amount of watering, sun, types of plants, etc!

4-Step DIY Fruit/Veggie Garden

To see my garden built in real time, head over to my Instagram page and watch my “Gardening” highlight! 

1. Do your research.

Before you strap on your overalls or head to Home Depot, you need a plan! Consider the following items before you begin planning your garden!

• When does your growing season begin/end? This is typically following the predicted “last frost” date, and in Houston, that date is March 1st. The “growing season” for summer plants in Houston runs from early March through early December. Be sure to determine how long your garden will remain active before you begin!
• What types of fruits/veggies perform well in your region? Unfortunately, not everything you plant in the ground will grow. Conditions must be met and you can make this easier on yourself by choosing plants whos conditions are met naturally by your climate! If you live in Houston, I’ve provided a list of all I have grown and how it has done at the end of this post! If you live elsewhere, be sure to do your research. Sunlight, temperature, soil composition, water, and more are all very important factors in what you can successfully grow in your garden!
• What do you want to grow? Once you’ve completed the above step, cross-reference this list with the list of things you would actually like to grow and use often in your meals! I make a LOT of southwest inspired meals and it is very helpful to have ample amounts of peppers in my backyard, so I plant more peppers than anything else because I know I will get good use out of them! If you want your crops to grow and continue to yield fruit, you must be harvesting their fruit regularly! 
  • One thing you must consider is how the plants will perform if they are being grown together. Once you have a list of what you want to grow, check on the growing conditions each require. If one plant requires 8-10 hours of full sun and another just needs 2, this could be an issue! They don’t all have to have the exact same requirements, but they should be in the same ballpark of growing conditions in order for all of your chosen plants to succeed!

2. Make a PLAN!

This is the fun part! Plan your garden by considering the following 3 things:

• Location: Scan your yard for the best place to put your garden based on what you plan to grow. If most of the plants you want to grow require full sun, pick a spot that will provide such conditions. Keep in mind that, especially in warmer climates, morning sun and evening sun yield very different results in growing your garden. I learned this the hard way when I attempted to grow some “full sun” veggies in the later half of the day – by September they were totally fried! Morning sun is typically best across all climates while the dew is still dampening the soil so try and position your garden on east of your house or on the inside of your west fence!
• Size: This one depends on how much space you have available, how many plants you’d like to grow, and how much room those plant need to be successful. For example, The first year I grew my garden I planted zucchini and squash plants in a 2 foot wide raised bed and by the end of the growing season they were spilling out over the edges. Still produced fruit, but it looked ridiculous! A safe garden size for most home veggie gardens is a 4 x 8 bed OR several 4 x 4 beds. 
• Arrangement: Research how much room each plant needs to grow and which ones need the most water. If the plant will grow into a bush, make sure it has plenty of space around it! If it will need a cage (like tomatoes do), make sure they have enough room between them to place such supports. If your garden is on a bit of a slope (like mine is), place your high-water need plants on the lowest point so they will receive the most water. This part is sort of like a puzzle, but it’s a fun one!

Veggie Garden Plan

Here’s what’s growing in my DIY veggie garden!

3. Make a LIST and GO SHOPPING!

Below is a list of all the tools/supplies you will need to build your garden (I’ve included absolute necessities and additional helpful items/ links).Once you have your list, decide where you will shop – I have split up my garden shopping to purchase my plants at a local nursery which specializes in selling organic plants and buying my supplies at home depot where I can find lower prices. Find which retailers are selling what you’re looking for and consider the quality and budget you desire! My trip usually totals at around $200 but you could definitely cut costs by going with non-organic plant varieties and by taking advantage of sales!

Sample Shopping List

• Wood planks for raised bed(s) -  I made one 8 x 4 bed and bought 3 8x10x2 planks (8 feet long, 10 inches wide, 2 inches thick) – see me blueprint below for details! I had the guy at the store saw one of the boards in half so I went home with 2 8-foot plants and 2 4-foot planks. If you don’t want to make one, you can BUY one to cut time and effort! I found the same size wood garden bed on Amazon for under $75!
• Screws & screwdriver or drill – The type really doesn’t matter as long as the screws are longer than 2 inches!
• Garden soil – Ask the guy at the store which soil would be best for what you’re growing and go with their recommendation! I use about a bag of soil per foot length, but you can get away with a bit less if needed (and more is better yet)! (for my 8 x 4 garden, I used 6 bags garden soil)
• Compost – Every good garden needs compost of some sort! I’ll spare you the biology teacher rationale and just say it is a natural fertilizer (hello Nitrogen!!!). I use about 3-4 bags of compost for a 4 X 8 foot garden bed. A few bags on an average size garden bed should do the trick!
• Weed blocking tarp (or paper towels) – I list both because I have had success with both. I do NOT like to rip up the grass like most gardeners will tell you to do first because that is just too much of a commitment for me (and a lot of unnecessary work). The only reason you’d want to do this is to avoid having too many weeds or grass blades pop through the soil – enter the tarp. If you don’t want to get the tarp, you can simply throw paper towels down over the grass and it will work fine (you will just have to be extra diligent about weed picking)!
• Plants (of course)! I go with the organic variety and average 16-17 plants for a 4 X 8 foot garden (again, making sure that these plants won’t take up too much space)!
• A shovel and gloves help! 
• Extra (optional) – a pack of “plant food” of some sort! I will usually buy one small package of all purpose miracle grow and sprinkle it in with the soil as insurance.
• If you live in a particularly dry climate, you may want to get a few bags of mulch to cover the top of your soil to help keep the moisture in! That’s not much of an issue in Houston, so I go without!

Planting tomatoes in my DIY veggie garden!

4. Put it all together!

In order to make this as painless as possible, I’m going to list the steps as simply and clearly as possible!

1. Build your garden bed with the wood planks by screwing the planks together at the ends. Don’t think too much into this part, it is literally just a boundary and does not need to be too pretty or sturdy! I recommend to put this together in the spot you plan to leave it so you avoid having to lug the giant wood rectangle around!! (SEE PICTURE BELOW)
2. Eyeball the approximate amount of tarp you need to cover the area of the garden and cut it out/place it over the grass but beneath your garden bed. Trim the excess that gathers outside the bed! (If using paper towels, simply roll them out over the grass and tuck them in underneath the edges of the wood).
3. Pour the soil, compost, and plant food evenly over the top of the tarp/paper towels and spread it out with a garden tool (such as a shovel or your hands).
4. Arrange your plants over the top of the soil where you would like to plant them to get your spacing down. Once it is set, go in and begin planting!
5. Plant the plants one at a time by digging, covering, and patting! Pay attention to the instructions listed on the plant for this part – some plants perform better when they are planted deeper. Just make sure there is at least a small layer of soil beneath the roots so they have something to start “eating” from!
6. If using mulch, sprinkle it over the top of the garden (working your way AROUND the plants) at this time.
7. Water your plants according to recommended amount for your specific plant varieties!
8. Keep up with your garden daily with the appropriate amount of water and weeding (I check for weeds each time I water).

AND THAT’S IT. Building a garden is so much easier than people realize! Keep up with your garden and it will yield fruit within due time!

What About Herbs?

This topic really deserves a blog post of it’s own, but I’ll hit the highlights! I DO plant herbs but I try and keep them in containers for a couple reasons. 1) I depend on the herbs I grow for cooking and appreciate always having them on hand, so I want to have the flexibility to move them around depending on the season (such as indoors or under the covered patio). 2) Some herbs really take off and can consume a garden (I’m looking at you, Mint!) so I avoid this entirely by making sure my herbs can only grow so much! I made this mistake several years ago and still have random sprigs of lemon basil pop up all over my yard – even several feet away from my garden!! And don’t even get me started on the mint forest I have growing along the side of my fence… Mojitos anyone??

Grow Herbs in a seperate container so you can move them aroudn as needed (and so they don’t take over your garden)!

My first harvest of tomatoes from my first ever garden! This photo was screenshotted off my old instagram because I no longer have the file haha.

What I’ve Grown in Houston + Results

As promised, I want to offer my experience in Houston with particular fruits/ veggies/ herbs! Here is a list of everything I have grown and how well (or poor) it turned out!

What Grew Well

• Tomatoes – Do very well so long as they are being harvested consistently! Make sure to use tomato cages as well. I have had particular success with “celebrity” & “big boy” hybrid varieties, but any should work! Ask the person working for a recommendation if you’re not sure! These grow up but the weight of the tomatoes is too much for them to grow tall on their own.
• Peppers – Do VERY well and are super easy to grow. I like to grow jalapenos, poblanos, and bell peppers! Jalapenos always grow best for me! These plants grow up as well.
• Okra – This grows up like a tree and is very sturdy! Also produces a great yield for a long while. The more you harvest, the more it will produce. I can’t wait to grow it again this year!
• Cabbage (traditional or purple) – these did VERY well and are extremely hardy (to my surprise), but they really don’t yield too much. BUT, they don’t take up too much space and look really pretty as they grow, so I like to have them around! They make for a few good batches of home grown coleslaw come August!
• Zucchini & Yellow Squash – grow OUT big time! These take up a TON of space, so if you grow these, plant them in thick soil mounds at least 2 feet apart! Just like with the others, the more you harvest these the more they will produce! If you leave them too long, they will go bad quick since these grow on top of the ground (unlike the tomatoes and peppers that hang off the plant).
• Basil – I have grown cinnamon, lemon, and sweet. Lemon has always produced the best for me, followed by cinnamon. Sweet requires a LOT of upkeep and moisture and is quick to die if neglected!
• Mint – I have a mint forest in my yard and haven’t touched the thing since I planted it as a tiny sprout years ago. Beware.
• Rosemary – I’m back and forth on this one. It grows slow but is pretty strong! It has lasted through the winters fine, but growth is pretty stagnant and it doesn’t get as lush as I would like. I think it’s the Houston heat… it’s more of a winter plant!
• Parsley – another herb that grows extremely well with very little intervention! It dies in the winter but comes back every spring without my help! It is very lush and bushy – I LOVE it!
• Eggplant – this is my first year growing eggplant and I’m excited to see how it does! I’ve heart it does very well, so we’ll see!

What did NOT grow well

• Strawberries – I tried these my first year and they did NOT do well. I had a few tasty strawberries, but it really didn’t produce much and they went bad if I didn’t pick them RIGHT when they were ready! In my opinion, the harvest wasn’t worth the effort so I’m not growing these again. I probably did something wrong but just don’t have the patience to figure that out right now!
• Cucumbers – I tried these and did not have a single cucumber grow. Not sure why. I didn’t try again. Over it!
• Lavender – This did well for just a few weeks but then slowly started witling and shriveling away. I honestly think it just got out-competed by the parsley. I didn’t try it again because I didn’t use it much anyways.
• Cilantro – I wanted this to work better SO bad being that it is my favorite herb! It did very well for about a month and a half, but once the summer got crazy hot, it started to die. I couldn’t keep up with it’s demands and it ended up dying completely, and unlike the basil and parsley, it did not come back the next spring! I’m going to try again this year because I really want it to work! Cilantro, I’m coming for you… come out with your stems UP!

I hope you will consider bringing the magic of a garden to your yard this year! It is so much more than a way to save money on produce. It is an experience, one that is good for the soul and can be enjoyed by the whole family! I’m very much a “novice” gardener, but I think that’s the beauty of it – ANYONE can do it. You don’t need to have a green thumb or a botany degree to be successful! Just a little bit of sun, water, and love :).

Kelsie