Vegetable gardening tips to prepare for the next growing season
Last year was a better than normal gardening season. I had a lot of fun with my vegetable garden and the yield was much higher than 2023.
Then came the winter and all good things must come to an end. So I am looking forward to this year’s challenges and what I want to grow for our family.
Thinking about what you want to grow in 2025
Grow what you eat! This approach ensures that the effort you put into gardening directly benefits your household and reduces food waste.
List vegetables, herbs, and even fruits your family enjoys most. Consider staples like tomatoes, carrots, lettuce, or unique favorites like zucchinis or eggplants.
Think about how often you consume and cook certain vegetables. For example, if you eat salads daily, growing more lettuce, spinach, cucumber, and tomatoes makes sense.
Opt for versatile crops that can be used in multiple dishes. For instance:
Tomatoes: Great for soup, sauces, salads, and roasting.
Bell peppers: Work for stir-fries, roasting and raw as snacks.
Herbs: Enhance any dish and are simple to grow.
Choose crops that grow well in your local climate and season for better yields and fewer frustrations. Once you’re more experienced with gardening, you can try harder-to-grow vegetables.
Take it slow and do one thing at a time.
By growing what I eat, my garden becomes a personal extension of my kitchen.
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2. Cleaning up your garden
Your best action is to remove any spent or failing plant materials. Experienced gardeners know that many of the bacteria, fungi, and other organisms that caused those diseases. Pathogens that are sources of those diseased plants this past season can survive over the winter in dead leaves, stems, roots, and dropped fruits that get left in the garden. Much like a piece of bread that is kept too long and has mold growing on it, garden debris also will carry the pathogens that can come alive with those same problems when the temperatures begin to rise in the spring. Prevention of diseases and insect infestation now, will keep you from a repeat of problems in next year’s garden.
If you experienced early or late blight or other tomato related diseases this past growing season, you want to make sure you reduce the risk of repeating that problem, either by moving the tomatoes to other raised beds or changing the soil.
3. Getting a greenhouse was my single best decision in 2024
It protects crops from frost and extreme weather, allowing you to grow earlier in spring and continue later into fall.
With heating, you can even grow year-round, especially for cold-hardy crops.
It protects your vegetables from pests, diseases, and unpredictable weather events.
I can manage temperature, humidity, and light levels to create optimal growing conditions which makes grow cycles faster and get more harvests in less time.
I can even start seeds in my greenhouse, a controlled environment, giving my seedlings a healthy head start for transplanting outdoors.
Choose a size that fits your needs and space, starting small if you’re a beginner.
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4. Staying organised
If you prepared and are organized, you are less likely to become stressed and can maximise enjoyment in gardening.
Maintain a gardening journal, on paper or digital. Because I film all my gardening activities for YouTube vlogs, it's even better!
You don’t need a fancy camera, recording with your phone should be more than enough!
Record the exact date for sowing seeds or transplanting seedlings.
Include the name, type, and variety of each plant.
Note where seeds or plants were purchased.
Track germination success rates, time taken to sprout, and any adjustments made, like soaking seeds or using growing light.
Record unusual weather patterns that affected growth for example frost dates, heatwaves, heavy rain…
Note average highs and lows during planting, growing, and harvesting stages.
Observe microclimates: Identify areas in your garden that retain heat, stay cooler, or get wind protection.
Create a map with crop placement, including beds, containers, and pathways.
Track where you planted each crop to plan effective rotations for next year, avoiding nutrient depletion and pest build-up.
Note successful combinations that enhanced growth or reduced pests.
Record the types of pests encountered and when they appeared.
Note what worked best — natural predators, companion planting, organic sprays, or physical barriers.
Identify any diseases and how you addressed them.
Record the first and last harvest dates for each crop.
Note the amount harvested, especially for high-yielding plants. This can be measured by weight, count, or volume.
Include notes on flavor, texture, or other quality aspects to decide if you'd grow the same variety again.
By following this comprehensive approach, your gardening journal will become a valuable tool for identifying patterns, refining your gardening strategies, and ensuring a productive and enjoyable season year after year!
5. Making gardening fun
We’re likely to keep doing something more consistently if it’s fun!
Add decorative touches to your garden with small figurines, pathways, and fairy houses. Personalise your space with DIY projects. Hang wind chimes, garden bells, small fountain…
Add string fairy lights or solar-powered lanterns around your garden to create a magical ambiance for evening strolls.
Just create a relaxing space for you.
Incorporate benches, swings, or hammocks to enjoy your garden while sipping tea or reading a book.
Do picnic in your garden. Lay down a soft blanket or set up a low table with cushions for seating and enjoy the results of your hardworking.
Surround the area with fragrant plants like lavender, jasmine, or gardenias for a soothing atmosphere.
Add herbs like mint, thyme, or lemon balm, which release a fresh scent when brushed against.
Make gardening a social activity. Invite friends or family for planting days, garden tours, or harvest parties.
Join or create a local group to share ideas, advice, seeds and plants. Gardening becomes more rewarding with a supportive community.
Set up kid-friendly projects like planting fast-growing crops (radishes, sunflowers) or creating a bug hotel.
Growing colorful, unique, and unusual vegetable varieties can make gardening more fun, exciting, and visually captivating.
6. Being consistent
Establish Routines
Pick specific times for gardening tasks—early morning or evening works best to avoid midday heat.
Group similar tasks together, such as weeding during watering.
Set RemindersUse your phone or a calendar to set reminders for key tasks like fertilizing, pruning, or applying pest control.
Adapt Your Schedule
Monitor plant health regularly and adjust care routines as needed. For example, some crops may need extra watering during heat waves.
7. Keep learning
Gardening is a continuous journey of discovery, and learning new techniques, experimenting with different plants, and reflecting on past experiences are crucial for improving with each season.
Take time to review your 2024 garden production, care, and location. What worked and what didn’t. Identify which plants thrived and which struggled.
Try different growing methods, different mulching and composting method and compare them. Embrace mistakes, every gardening failure is an opportunity to grow. Analyze what went wrong and use it to refine your approach.
Expand your plant knowledge, stay updated on best practices. Read gardening books and blogs. Platforms like Instagram, YouTube, or Pinterest are full of tutorials, tips, and inspiration from experienced gardeners. You can check out my gardening playlist to see more videos on vegetable gardening.
I’m so excited to see what you’ll create in your garden this year! Share your plans or any fun ideas you’re trying this season—I’d love to hear all about it!
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