When you know NOTHING about ANY type of gardening, or plants or vegtables.

(You may also be wondering what I'm doing HERE LOL.)

How do I even begin to start my own vegtable garden???

And I mean when you know N.O.T.H.I.N.G. :confused:

The very first thing you do is start small. Don't go big, because it becomes too overwhelming for the first time gardener.

If your planting veggies, you just need a small space, worked up with a good shovel or spade. If you want to put fertilizer in, a good time is in the fall after you've saved some veggie/fruit scraps in a compost pile/container.

A few veggies that grow really well and nicely are tomatoes, lettuce, onions, and beans. They are simple to grow if that is what your family likes. I'm not sure about your weather there Bev, but I'm sure you can grow those easily where you are.

You can also start with a few containers if you don't have a gardening space. Tomatoes do well in those. Another place to start is herbs, where you can grow them right inside on your windowsill.

Decide where you want to start. Do you want a few containers to start with, then here are a couple of sites:

http://ag.udel.edu/extension/information/hyg/hyg-86.htm
http://mel.lib.mi.us/science/contain.html

Just a few tips, I'm sure there will be more.

Cj's right, start small. You also need to pick a spot that gets good light and drains well. Don't want to drown your plants,lol.

Get the kids involved from the get go. If they help grow it they are more interested in eating it. Besides it's fun too. Kids love watching for things to sprout and grow & getting their hands dirty.;)

No need to get fancy containers for starting seeds. You can use paper milk cartons. Small ones like you get at school ore the bigger ones cut in half lengthwise. Paper egg cartons too. Add soil ,seeds, water & light and your good to go.

Some seeds like to be planted directly in the ground so no need to start them ahead of time.(like Beans)

Speaking of seeds, there is all kinds of info on the seed packets that tell you just what that seed needs to grow well,how long till it germinates and when it will mature.

Adding some flowers in your veggie garden is not only pretty but some like marigolds help keep some pests away.

If you have any questions along the way , we'd love to help Bev.:)

I agree, start small. In fact I highly recommend a book called The Square Foot Garden by Mel Bartholemew. I'ts a garden classic and in most libraries.

He talks you thru starting with a 4x4 foot salad garden and helps you grow from there. Wonderful advice.