Since the United States was founded nearly 250 years ago, Americans have felt a strong connection to the land. Almost all of the Founding Fathers were farmers, including George Washington, James Madison, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, who once said: "The small landholders are the most precious part of a state.”
“A man who cultivated his own soil was immune to moral corruption, Jefferson said, unlike the deplorable merchants who ‘have no country’ and therefore no real attachment to their nation,” author Andrea Wulf wrote in Founding Gardeners: The Revolutionary Generation, Nature and the Shaping of the American Nation. Americans looking to take their liberty to the next level might consider following in the Founders’ footsteps by planting a vegetable garden – it’s a simple way to take control of what goes on the dinner table. Start on the path toward self-sufficiency and become the American the Founders envisioned today.
Vegetable Garden 101
The Old Farmer’s Almanac, founded in 1792, states that anyone can start a vegetable garden by following these five easy steps:
Choose a location that gets at least 6-8 hours of sunlight every day.
Prepare a 4×4 or 4×8 raised bed – or 10×10 in-ground plot.
Enrich the soil by blending in compost or organic material.
Select easy crops.
Plant cool-season crops in early spring and warm-season crops after the final frost.
With those basics in mind, pick a sunny, easy-to-access spot with good drainage to help plants grow strong and produce a bountiful harvest. Prepare the soil by removing any rocks or debris and loosen it to a depth of at least 8-12 inches. Add organic matter, such as compost or aged manure, to the soil, then level it with a rake or hoe before planting.
“Most first-year gardeners struggle with the same problems,” the Almanac warns, with attempting to grow difficult crops among the biggest mistakes. Luckily, it’s an easy issue to avoid. The historic guide recommends beginner gardeners start with the following vegetables: lettuce, green beans, radishes, tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, beets, carrots, chard, spinach, kale, or peas.
Of course, a small garden won’t have 12 different vegetables, so the Almanac suggests growing “what you actually eat” and selecting plants “worth growing” like those that are “dramatically better fresh (think lettuce and tomatoes).” Experts also recommend taking one’s travel schedule into consideration because summer gardens require frequent attention.
It’s important to know which vegetables should be planted directly from the seed or from seedlings. Of the vegetables listed above, tomatoes and peppers should be transplanted as seedlings – the rest grow well when direct-seeded outdoors.
Lettuce and peas are considered cool-season crops, meaning they grow in early spring and fall. Warm-season crops like tomatoes and peppers should be planted after the soil warms up. Tall crops should be planted along the north side of a garden to avoid casting shade on shorter vegetables.
Check seed packets for harvest timing, which is listed as “days to maturity.” To extend a harvest, plant new seeds every couple of weeks. The Almanac notes that it’s good to start small as a beginner gardener: “It’s better to be proud of a small garden than be frustrated by a big one.”
