Which Gardening Method Is Best For You?

So you've decided to start a garden. You browse seed catalogs to select the plants you want to grow, and read books to learn more about home gardening. But there's one big step before you can dig up and grow your own food: choosing the right gardening method for your space.

From planting plants directly in the ground to using pots and pans, these different methods have their pros and cons. To get started, a few simple questions can help you decide which method is right for you:

Do you want to grow fruits, vegetables and herbs?
How much space can you give your garden?
What water sources do you rely on?
How much time can you devote to building and maintaining your garden?

As you will see below, many of these different gardening techniques are often combined, such as: B. Raised beds with a square garden approach, or indoor gardens that use vertical space for climbing plants. As important as choosing a gardening method, you are not tied to one type. Explore different types and combinations to find the one that suits you best.

Gardening in the ground

With underground gardening, you have an open space where you plant your seeds (or seedlings) directly into the soil. These gardens often have plants grown in rows, similar to an agricultural plot but on a much smaller scale, which is why they are often referred to as row gardens.

Gardening in the ground can be a great option for beginning gardeners because it doesn't require any special containers or structures to get started. Just pick an area in your yard that gets good sunlight and start digging!

This type of gardening can be less water intensive than bed or container gardening, because the plants have direct access to groundwater and therefore do not need frequent watering.

However, since this method uses clay you already have, you may need to modify it to get the right composition and texture. Depending on where you live, your soil contains varying amounts of sand, silt and clay that can affect plant growth. Some urban areas may also contain lead in the soil. As @learntogrow pointed out, if you plan on using an underground garden, be sure to test the texture of the soil.

raised bed

Many hobby gardeners prefer to use raised beds which are usually made of wood, but can also be made of metal, brick, stone or other materials.

Because raised beds must be filled with soil, you have more control over soil type and quality, making them an excellent choice for gardeners with very rocky or rocky, loamy (or lead-contaminated) soil. Raised beds can also be made to different heights, making them more accessible to those with limited mobility or who want to limit the amount of back bending.

Some gardeners, like Milan T. of Atlanta, who uses the Instagram account @atlgrow, add wheels to their raised beds to make them moveable, giving them the look of a container garden.

It's important to know that raised beds require more frequent watering, so make sure your beds are close to a garden hose or, better yet, install a rainwater collection system for irrigation.

Gardening per square meter

Popularized by Mel Bartholomew, this gardening method is often cited as the most efficient way to grow food in small to medium sized gardens. Square foot gardens usually use raised beds filled with a special mixture of compost, vermiculite and peat moss (or coir or peat moss) which is believed to increase the productivity of the garden.

Square garden beds are usually made four feet by four feet (four feet by eight feet is another common size). This allows the beds to be spaced evenly in 1-foot boxes and allows the gardener to access the plants from around the beds, making harvesting easier.

Planting in a square foot garden means following the guidelines for the number of plants per square foot. For some crops, such as carrots, this means growing 16 carrot seeds per square foot. But for other, usually larger plants, such as tomatoes, only one plant per square foot is recommended.

The downside to square foot gardening is that building custom beds and filling them with your favorite soil mix can be expensive compared to other gardening methods.

Container gardening

The beauty of container gardens is that you can use many types and sizes of containers, meaning that almost anyone can create a garden that fits their space. Container gardens are also movable, making them a great option for gardeners who are renting their homes or aren't ready for a more permanent gardening solution.

While almost any type of container can be used to grow plants, some common types are plastic, ceramic or terracotta pots or cloth grow bags. No matter what type of container you choose, it's important to make sure it has proper drainage holes to keep water out of the pot. Too much water can encourage the growth of harmful bacteria and fungi and cause root rot.

The downside to potted plants is that, like raised beds, they can easily dry out, which means they need to be watered more frequently because the plant roots don't have direct access to groundwater.

vertical garden

For many, the lack of usable land is the biggest obstacle to growing food. Vertical gardens are a great solution for small spaces because they grow food up on a hill instead of taking up more and more square feet of land.

Vertical gardens come in many forms and can be made from materials you already have at home. Popular options include fabric-based wall extensions and prefabricated garden towers.

Aspects of vertical gardening can be incorporated into ground or raised gardens with trellises, arches, or other structures that support climbing vegetables such as cucumbers, squash, or beans.

great culture

Used for centuries in Eastern Europe and Germany, this gardening method is an excellent choice for those with access to abundant natural materials such as tree trunks, branches and leaves.

The goal when creating a large garden is to create a thriving growing space that is easy to maintain by making raised beds by mulching the tops with natural materials. These leaves, branches and stems decompose over time, creating rich, fertile soil for healthy plant growth.

As gardener @frecklesandsprout points out on Instagram, one of the benefits of a rooftop garden is that it's a very inexpensive way of gardening, especially if you have the space and natural materials. However, making these beds requires more preparatory work and time for the materials to break down into healthy soil.