Vegetable Gardening - The Complete Guide to Growing Your Own Food (2024)

It can seem as though you will never learn everything that you think you need to know to be successful at Vegetable Gardening.

For those who love gardening, nothing beats the feeling of going out into your garden and coming back into the house with an arm full of vegetables that you have grown yourself.

Are you new to the idea of growing your own veggies?

A Guide to Vegetable Gardening

I have broken this guide down to make it easier for you to find what you are looking for. There are tips for growing specific vegetables, seed starting tips to get off to a good start, and lots of ideas for those who don’t have a lot of space to devote to a vegetable garden.

I’ve also included some of my most popular gardening hacks to add some creativity and fun to the task of vegetable gardening.

How do I grow that vegetable?

Brussels Sprouts – This delicious vegetable is very cold hardy.
Broccoli – Find out all about this cool weather vegetable.
Butternut Pumpkin – This veggie needs a long growing time and is a prolific producer.
Cold Hardy Vegetables – Get a jump start on spring by planting these vegetables.
Garlic – Fall is the best time to plant this cold hardy crop.
Garlic Greens – Don’t toss that sprouted garlic. Plant it indoors and grow tasty greens.
Green Beans – How to grow green beans and differences between pole beans vs bush beans.
Growing Microgreens – These greens add a nutritious boost to a smoothie and a spicy kick to any sandwich.
Ginger – This rhizome is considered a vegetable but many call it a herb or spice. Find out how to grow it from pieces of fresh root.
Melons – How to grow and harvest cantaloupes and honeydew melons
Onions – Find out about the different varieties of the Allium family that you can grow.
Peas – This cold weather crop needs to be planted early and then later for a second crop in the fall.
Potatoes – How to grow them in a Trash Bag
Spring Onions – These easy to grow vegetables are a cut and come again variety.
Sugar Snap Peas – Planting tips for this cool weather crop plus a tasty recipe.
Swiss Chard – This cool loving crop is another cut and come again vegetable that is super easy to grow from seeds.
Rutabagas – Tips for growing, storing and using this sweet root vegetable.
Tomato Growing Tips – Dos and don’ts for great tomatoes.
Shallots – This guide talks about choosing, using and growing shallots. Find out how they are different from onions too!
Summer Squash – Get our step by step tutorial for this prolific vegetable, also known as zucchini.
Watermelons – Knowing when to harvest them can be a challenge. Check out my tips!

Don’t forget the herbs!

Home grown herbs add so much flavor to your recipes. Many of them are perennial types which come back year after year. Others are annuals. All are pretty easy to grow.

10 Best Herbs to Grow Indoors – When the frost hits outside, start growing herbs indoors instead..
Annual, Biennial or Perennial – Which type is my herb?
Basil – Easy annual to grow in containers.
Bay Leaf – Tips for growing a Bay Laurel plant.
Chervil – Grow this herb to use in French Cooking
Cilantro – Use this herb for Asian and Mexican cooking.
Growing Herbs Indoors – Even when the temps are cold you can still enjoy herbs.
Herb identification chart – Name 18 common kitchen herbs with the help of this handy chart.
Mason Jar Kitchen Garden – Grow your most often used herbs right in the kitchen with this fun project.My Favorite Herbs for Kitchen Gardens – These are the herbs I use all the time to cook.
Oregano – From the planter to fragrant Italian dishes.
Preserve those herbs – These tips give advice on how to preserve the herbs at the end of the growing season.
Rosemary – This perennial herb grows right through the winter on my patio!
Thyme – How to grow this fragrant herb
Tips for Pruning Rosemary – Keep this perennial herb under control

Critter and Pests

Attract Beneficial insects – Companion plants like nasturtiums will bring the good guys.
Horticultural Vinegar Weed Killer – Keep vegetables weed free with this effective home made weed killer.
Invasive Garden Pests – Is your Garden a picnic for invasive pests?
Natural Squirrel Repellents – Don’t let the squirrels take over your garden!
Squash Bugs – Tips for controlling these bugs that make a mess of your plants.
Squirrel Repellents – Keep the Squirrels out with these DIY Repellents.
Tobacco Hornworm – This critter will demolish the leaves on many plants.
White Bugs on Plants – Find out how to identify and treat mealybugs.

Composting Tips

Composting Tips – Tricks for creating Nature’s Black Gold
Don’t Compost these items! – Not everything is able to be added to a compost pile.
Making Newspaper Mulch – Attract earth worms and deter weeds with this easy procedure.
Rolling Compost Pile – This easy composting method is simple to do, and it takes up very little space in your yard.
Trench Composting – Find out how to use kitchen scraps in your garden beds to add nutrients to your plants.
Turning a Compost Pile – A compost pile will break down faster if you turn it. These common household items will do the job for you!
Weird Things you can Compost – A quick look around the house and garden will end up with lots of weird things that you can add to your compost pile.
Making Leaf Mulch from Fall Leaves – Don’t rake those leaves and discard them – make some mulch out of them!

Vegetable Gardening for Small Yards.

Combining Vegetable and Perennials – Mix and Match for a grow it and eat it garden.
Container Vegetable Gardening – Fun for those who don’t have a large yard.
Home Made Miracle Grow – Make your own DIY plant fertilizer.
Vegetable Garden on a Deck – 11 tips for growing vegetables on your patio.
Raised Bed Vegetable Garden – This recycled planter is made of Concrete Blocks

Starting Vegetable Seeds

10 Frugal Seed Starting Containers – You won’t believe what you can use to start seeds.
20 Seed Starting Tips – Get your seeds off to the best start with these tips
Heirloom Beans – How to save their seeds.
Heirloom Seeds – Tips for growing all types of heirloom vegetables.
Newspaper Seed Pots – make your own biodegradable pots with newspapers.
Seed Types – Find out the differences between heirloom, open pollinated, hybrid and GMO seeds.
The advantages of Heirloom Vegetables – Why use heirloom seeds?
When to plant peas? – Hint – it’s earlier than you might think!

How to Grow Vegetables in Containers

Container Vegetable Gardening – You can grow a whole garden on your back patio even if you don’t have a big yard.
Determinate Tomatoes – These smaller tomato plants are perfect for containers.
How to Grow Tomatoes in Pots – It’s easier than you might think.
Raised Garden Beds – The pros and cons of using raised beds.
Vegetable Garden on a Deck – 11 tips for growing vegetables on your patio.
Easy Raised Garden Bed – Build an elevated bed for vegetables in just a few hours with these end supports.

General Vegetable Gardening Advice

22 Common Vegetable Garden Mistakes and How to Avoid Them – Don’t make these garden blunders!
30 Common Tomato Plant Problems and what to do about them.
30 Tips for a Great Vegetable Harvest – Advice and general tips for dozens of vegetables
Black spots on Tomato plants – Find out what causes this and how to fix it!
Bell Pepper Colors – Why won’t my peppers turn red?
Best Vegetables for Beginning Gardeners – Gets success from the start.
Catfaced tomatoes – Find out what causes this and how to prevent it.
Companion plants – Nasturtiums attract beneficial insects to the garden.
Crop Rotation – What is it and why is it important?
Cucumbers like to grow up –Keep them off the soil to control pests and diseases.
Cut and Come Again Vegetables – Don’t throw those ends away!
Fall Gardens – Which are the best vegetables to grow when the days get shorter and the nights get cooler?
Fall Gardening Checklist – Find out what to do to put the garden to bed for the winter.
Heirloom Pumpkins – Learn what makes these pumpkins so special.
Preserving Herbs – See my tips for using fresh herbs after the growing season is finished.
Regrow your Food from Kitchen Scraps – How to get food for free.
Sun or Shade – Do all vegetables need full sun?
Storing Vegetables – How do your store your veggies when the season ends?
Sunscald on tomatoes – How to prevent this common problem with ripening tomatoes.
Tips for Growing Heirloom Seeds – No GMO for me!
Tips for Spring Gardening – Start early to stock early ofwhat needs to be done in Spring.
Are your tomato plants developing yellow leaves? Find out the reasons and get some solutions for the problem.
Tomato Blossom Drop – Find out why tomato plants lose their flowers and don’t set fruit.
Tomato Bottom Rot – What causes blossom end rot and how to prevent it.
Types of herbs – Is your herb an annual or a perennial?
Vegetable Garden problems and solutions – Troubleshooting your Garden
Why are my cucumbers turning yellow? – Find out the answer to this common problem.
Why do my cucumbers taste bitter? – It’s a compound called cucurbitacin.
Why are my radishes not growing bulbs? – There are a few reasons and most can be fixed.
Why are my tomato plant leaves curling? – Get 10 reasons and find out what to do about his problem.
When to harvest pumpkins – How to tell when it is time to pick them.

Vegetable Gardening Hacks

Sometimes, it is fun to usegardening hacks. Gardening Hacks are creative ideas that cost little and make your life easier in the garden.

19 creative ways to use baking soda in the garden.
30 Vegetable Garden Hacks – DIY garden Ideas on a budget.
DIY Compost Screens – Using garden plant trays as soil sifters will make light of filtering your compost.
Easy Composting – Use Brown lunch bags to compost on the spot and easily add nutrients to your plants.
DIY Bean Tepee – Fun project that gives your pole beans a way to climb and also gives the kids a place to hide!
Growing Onions Indoors –Did you know that you can grow onions from their parts?
Propagating Pineapples – Use the leafy top to grow a new pineapple plant.
Ripening Tomatoes on the Vine – 13 tips to trick Mother Nature into getting those green tomatoes red.
Seed Tape – Make your own seed tape with toilet paper
Soda Bottle Drip Feeder – Make a drip feeder for your veggies with a common soda bottle.
Sweet Tomato Tips– Do baking soda and epsom salts help with tomato sweetness?
Tomato Plant Cuttings – Not just flowers grow from cuttings. Tomato plants will do this too!
Vegetable Steaming Times – Once you pick the vegetables, find out how to steam them to retain nutrients.
Wooden Spoon Plant Markers – This DIY project uses a common kitchen item as a plant marker.

With the right tip at hand, vegetable gardening can become a truly satisfying experience for you. Keep learning about the topic. Before you know it you, too, will be walking in the house at the end of the day with an arm full of vegetables that you have grown yourself. What a feeling it is!

If you are looking for more information on growing vegetables, be sure to visit my Vegetable Gardening Board on Pinterest. The board has hundreds of great tips and tricks as well as some very creative ideas for your vegetable garden.

If you enjoyed this guide, be sure to check out these as well:

A guide toGrowing Perennials
A guide to growing indoor plants
Guide to Composting
Tips for Growing Herbs