I’m a gardening expert and growing vegetables in your backyard the first time isn’t as scary as it seems with a few tips

IF you’re interested in growing vegetables in your backyard for the first time, it may not be as scary as you think.

Creating a garden may be easier than expected with some guidance from gardening experts.

GettyCreating a garden may be easier than expected with some guidance from gardening experts[/caption]

GettyVallin Kostovick suggests gardening newbies ‘look for bush, baby, or dwarf varieties as these are petite and grow great in beds and containers’[/caption]

Speaking to Architectural Digest, gardener Allison Vallin Kostovick offered vegetable garden ideas for anyone new to the planting world or in search of their green thumb.

Vallin Kostovick, the founder of Finch + Folly Farm in New Gloucester, Maine, suggests gardening newbies “look for bush, baby, or dwarf varieties as these are petite and grow great in beds and containers.”

She advises people to take the season and temperature into consideration when creating a vegetable garden.

Vallin Kostovick says vegetables, like lettuce and peas, thrive in cooler temperatures like early spring.

Anyone taking up the gardening hobby at the beginning of summer should center their attention on peppers, cucumbers, beans, and tomatoes, the gardening expert explains.

‘Start Small’

Vallin Kostovick encourages new gardeners to “start small no matter what kind of garden you plant.”

A smaller garden is easier to manage and allows for more time to master the art of gardening, according to Vallin Kostovick.

According to the gardening expert, a small garden – approximately four four-by-four feet or four-by-eight feet – is perfect when starting the hobby on a small raised garden bed.

Beginner-friendly veggies

Vallin Kostovick told AD it’s important to remember: “What goes together well in the kitchen, grows together well in the garden.”

She says lettuce and tomato are great when paired together in a garden as the tall tomato plants create shade for the lettuce.

The experts suggest beginners start out growing lettuce, peas, carrots, zucchini, beans, beets, rash, summer squash, and herbs.

PlantParenthood founder David Angelov told AD magazine that tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers are some of the easiest vegetables to grow.

Pick a theme

Anyone interested in growing a garden should consider choosing a specific theme, says Vallin Kostovick.

Some garden theme examples are salad, culinary herb, salsa, sauce, and edible flowers.

Those choosing to plant a salad garden could pick things like peas, cucumbers, radish, carrots, and lettuce.

For anyone looking to make a delicious pasta sauce, Vallin Kostovick proposes growing bush tomatoes, alongside basil, oregano, and onions.

Vallin Kostovick tells AD that creating a sauce garden will “take your pasta game to the next level.”

For an edible flower garden, she suggests growing violas, nasturtium, calendula, or borage.

Vallin Kostovick also suggests using different planting vessels.

She told AD: “I personally love using galvanized tubs. Wooden crates and whiskey barrels are a great alternative as well.”

Vessels or large pots should have good drainage and enough depth for the vegetables of choice, Vallin Kostovick notes.

GettySome garden theme examples are salad, culinary herb, salsa, sauce, and edible flowers.[/caption]

GettyVallin Kostovick tells AD that creating a sauce garden will ‘take your pasta game to the next level’[/caption]