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If you build the contained bed over soil, 12 inches is high enough to ensure drainage while minimizing the bed mix you need to purchase. If the bed is placed over a concrete or asphalt surface, make it at least 18 inches high.

Starting small with contained beds is a good method for beginning gardeners.

Have you been considering starting a garden but haven’t gotten around to it yet? Perhaps you tried gardening in the past and feel like you failed as a wannabe gardener. Maybe you’ve decided that you just don’t have a green thumb.

Gardening is an enjoyable and rewarding hobby. A brown thumb is simply an untrained or misinformed thumb! With a little learning and some guidance anyone can have a successful garden. Here are some tips to get you going on the road to success.

Spring gardening fever often affects the judgment centers of the brain. Optimism and visions of beauty and bounty without wisdom and direction often lead us down the wrong path. Rototilling up the “back 40” to create a large garden seldom ends well. Our dreams of a bountiful backyard Eden seldom include weeds, insects, diseases, or hot summer sun.

Start small. A 4-foot-by-8-foot boxed bed will provide a manageable start in gardening. As you gain knowledge and experience you can always choose to expand the size of your garden.

Sun and good drainage are non-negotiable factors that determine success. Sunlight is needed for the plants to produce carbohydrates which are essential for growth and production. Select a site with at least six hours of sun per day.

The garden site must also drain well. If it stands in water for days after a rain most garden vegetables will not thrive. If drainage is questionable either choose a different location or plant in raised beds that are high enough to keep most of the root system away from waterlogged soil conditions.

I recommend beginners start gardening in a raised, contained bed. Whether constructed of masonry, stone or rot-resistant wood, a boxed bed ensures good drainage and saves you a lot of time trying to improve the soil on your property. Modular metal beds are a new option that make it easy to create the size, height and shape you want in a long-lasting, coated metal box.

If you build the contained bed over soil, 12 inches is high enough to ensure drainage while minimizing the bed mix you need to purchase. If the bed is placed over a concrete or asphalt surface, make it at least 18 inches high. Taller beds make stooping to tend the soil and plants easier, but increase the quantity of bed mix needed, which increases your labor filling the beds and the cost of creating the garden. All beds settle over time, requiring additions of bed mix, but the taller the bed the greater the settling.

If your space is very limited, choose large containers for growing your vegetables. Plastic, polycarbonate and fabric containers come in many sizes. Choose one that holds at least 7 gallons of growing medium, but larger is even better, especially for larger plants such as tomatoes.

Bed mixes for gardening are available from local soil yards. Shop around for a quality mix that is primarily composed of composted organic matter along with sandy loam soil. The mix should be screened to take out the large chunks. A quality mix should have a fresh, earthy smell, which is an indication of good aerobic decomposition. It should also be weed free.

Not all varieties or species perform well in our region. Consult with your county extension office and experienced local gardeners for suggested varieties that are productive and, when available, resistant to diseases.

Space plants at the appropriate distance for each species. Crowding can adversely affect yields and may promote some plant diseases. On the other hand, we want to get the most out of our space, so it makes sense to keep vegetables close enough together that their foliage captures as much of the sun’s energy as possible.

Plant at the right time. I have created a free planting chart that lists the best planting times throughout the year for each vegetable.

The Aggie Horticulture website has a wealth of helpful fact sheets that are free to download. The Brazos County Master Gardeners webpage has additional information and the planting chart I mentioned earlier. Local classes and gardening media provide ongoing opportunities to change the color of your thumb.

Get your kids and grandkids involved in gardening. It provides endless opportunities to discover the wonders of the plant and insect world. Most of all have fun. Don’t expect perfection but just enjoy the gardening experience.

Each gardening year is different, and gardeners are lifelong learners. Each year a crop may do better or worse than in other years. This is nature in action and no need for discouragement.

If I told you how many mistakes I’ve made or crop failures I’ve experienced over the years you might stop reading this column. But each one has made my thumb a little greener along the way. Gardening has enriched my physical health and mental well-being while providing a lifetime of enjoyment.

Robert “Skip” Richter is the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension horticulture agent for Brazos County. For local gardening information and events, visit brazosmg.com. Gardening questions? Call Skip at 823-0129 or email rrichter@ag.tamu.edu.

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If you build the contained bed over soil, 12 inches is high enough to ensure drainage while minimizing the bed mix you need to purchase. If the bed is placed over a concrete or asphalt surface, make it at least 18 inches high.

Starting small with contained beds is a good method for beginning gardeners.

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