Sheltering at home is a safe bet, but it can get a bit tedious. This is when gardening can come in and save the day. If you are growing your first vegetable garden, we have some tips to lead you to success. We will also share with you the benefits of crop swapping with your neighbors. There’s no better way to get fresh produce at home without having to go to the stores.
Starting Your Garden
Before anything else, you want to learn what will grow well in the Los Angeles climate. During late summer and early autumn, plants such as asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, fava beans, and lettuce will thrive and grow well.
Squash, cucumbers, carrots, sweet corn, watermelon, blueberries, and radishes are also wonderful choices. Just make sure you choose the varieties that will grow best in the current climate. Blueberries, for example, often do better in a cooler environment. However, you can find radish varieties that will do well during the spring months.
Tips For Gardening In LA
If you are planting vegetables, consider building the garden closer to your kitchen door, if possible. Doing so will allow you to get to the plot more easily and tend to it more closely.
You should also consider building raised beds. The soil in California is not always naturally fertile for vegetables, so you want to raise the bed and fill it with the best possible soil.
An automatic irrigation system is ideal for providing your plants with water. Some people may forget or may not have the time to water the garden manually and even end up not thoroughly wetting the soil.
You should also set traps for pests that eat fruits and vegetables. If anything has fallen, pick it up to prevent fig beetles and other pests from going to your garden. You also need to stay on top of the weeds before they go to seed.
Crop Swapping
Now that you have your garden up and running, why not check with the neighbors to see what they have grown? This is an excellent opportunity to organize a crop swap with others in the community so that everyone has access to fresh fruits and vegetables without heading to the stores.
What are you looking to plant in your new garden?
