Choosing a Gardening Method

Gardening is a beloved pastime for millions of people around the world, offering a chance to get outside, get your hands in the dirt, and create a space that is both beautiful and functional. Whether you're an experienced gardener or just starting out, there are many different gardening methods you can use to grow your own food, flowers, and herbs. From traditional in-ground gardens to raised beds, containers, and even vertical gardens, there is a method for every space and every level of expertise.

Square foot gardening: If you don't have a large garden space or want to keep things organized, square foot planting may be for you! With this method, divide your garden into four or more sections with each section representing a different group of vegetables or herbs. Each season switch up what type of plants are grown in that square. This ensures variety and avoids any build up of nutrient-draining from a particular crop being planted repeatedly in the same spot.

HÜGELKULTUR: The basic principle is to stack logs, sticks, and branches into a raised bed and then fill the bed with soil and compost. This type of gardening has many benefits, including improved water retention, more nutrients for your plants, increased biodiversity, and less maintenance.

French intensive: An advanced method of planting that maximizes the production from a small space. By increasing soil density and limiting air flow between plants, the roots grow closer together and develop deeper in search of nutrients. This prevents competition among different types of plants for moisture and nutrient absorption. In turn, this reduces water requirements for your garden and promotes growth of deeper root systems that can withstand extreme temperatures better than those with shallow root systems.

Permaculture/food forest: One of the main tenets of permaculture is mimicking natural ecosystems in order to create a self-sustaining ecosystem. Examples of this include companion planting, vertical gardening, terracing, and other creative methods that reduce weeds while creating habitats for beneficial wildlife such as pollinators.

Container gardening: Plants are grown in containers such as planters, raised beds, pots, or other similar items. This form of gardening is beneficial for those who do not have access to a large outdoor space, since the containers can be placed anywhere indoors or outdoors that has access to sunlight and water.

Strawbale: An alternative to traditional in-ground planting beds or container gardening. It involves planting seeds, bulbs or other plants in tightly packed straw bales, instead of soil.

Raised bed: This type of gardening involves creating a box or bed on top of existing soil and then filling it with fresh soil and compost. The beds are typically higher than the surrounding ground level, making them easier to access and maintain. traditional in-ground gardening. Firstly, they provide better drainage which allows for less waterlogging, improved oxygen levels in the soil, and better aeration of plant roots. They also enable more precise control over the nutrient composition of the soil as well as the type of plants grown, making them ideal for specialized growing environments like raised beds specifically made for vegetables.

Direct sow/ in ground: This method of gardening requires digging up and cultivating the soil, then planting seeds or plants directly into the ground. Ground gardening allows you to customize your garden layout to maximize yield and create interesting visual designs with different varieties of plants.

Trench/mound: This method has been used for centuries by people who did not have access to store-bought fertilizers or other modern tools and materials. Trench gardening allows you to add nutrients and soil amendments as needed while also conserving space in your garden.

Vertical gardening: The growing of plants on vertical structures such as walls, trellises, or containers, instead of the traditional horizontal growing method.

Hydroponics: Unlike traditional gardening techniques that require large amounts of soil and often result in pest infestations, hydroponics can be done with just a few basic components: water, fertilizer, air pumps (or air stones), a nutrient solution, and a growing medium such as expanded clay pebbles or rockwool.

Aquaponics: Unlike regular gardening, where fertilizers and other chemicals are added to soil to promote plant growth, aquaponic systems rely on natural bacteria to break down fish waste into usable nutrients for plants.

Lasagna: Instead of using soil, lasagna gardening relies on layers of organic materials such as newspaper, leaves, grass clippings, straw, compost, and mulch. Lasagna gardening is also known as sheet composting or sheet mulching.

Core gardening: a holistic approach to caring for your garden that includes preserving the natural environment. This involves practices such as organic farming, reducing water usage, composting and recycling waste products, and limiting the use of harmful chemicals.

Back to eden: The practice is based on the idea of mimicking nature in our own gardens by using minimal effort and utilizing only organic inputs such as mulch, compost, and beneficial insects.

Cottage gardening: A style of gardening that dates back to 16th century England, when it was originally developed to supply vegetables and herbs for the rural poor. It typically involves an informal layout with plants that are grown close together and generally allowed to mix together freely. Cottage gardens usually contain a variety of flowers, vegetables, fruits, herbs, and even decorative elements such as trellises, arbors, and ornamental fencing.

Once you pick your method, you can start your garden. Learning a few other basics will help you.