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Vegetable Gardening Supplies for Beginners
15
items So you want to start a veggie garden but you're also completely overwhelmed by everything that's out there? I got you. I'm not the best gardener here, but I live in New Jersey, the Garden State, so that's something!
I don't have seeds here because that's going to be your personal preference. My advice is to buy mainstream seeds to start. Yes, they're mass produced and could have GMOs but you want early wins and those seeds will grow.
I don't have seeds here because that's going to be your personal preference. My advice is to buy mainstream seeds to start. Yes, they're mass produced and could have GMOs but you want early wins and those seeds will grow.
Sections
3
Starting Seeds Inside
Planting Outside
Equipment and Tools
Starting Seeds Inside
Lovely for starting seeds inside. I have three of them (but I only use two). I plant my tomatoes, peppers, and annual herbs in these.
16 XL Cell SuperSeed Seed Starting Tray
Can you use dirt from your yard to start seeds? Sure. For a better chance, seed starting mix is the way to go.
Jiffy Natural & Organic Seed Starter Mix, 12 QT, Garden Soil
If you are starting your seeds in a cold room like a garage or a tool shed, these are wonderful. Mine are on constantly for about 4 weeks or so, and have lasted 4 years so far. In the off season you can use them to keep a sourdough starter happy or h...
VIVOSUN 2 Pack Waterproof Seedling Heat Mat
Once you put your seeds in the trays and your trays on the heating mats, turn the container part of this over top of your trays to keep the humidity in until the seedlings arrive. In the off season, store your garden supplies in it!
Sterilite 64 Qt. Latching Storage Box 14974K06
Seeds don't need light to grow. But once the little green plants poke up from the soil, they need sunlight. Remove cover and hook these suckers up, bending them to be right over the plants so that they grow upward, not lean toward the light. I keep m...
4-Head Flexible LED Clamp Grow Light
Planting Outside
This isn't something to buy, but you really want to know when the earliest you can plant outside without your plants freezing to death. (US based)
Last Frost Dates
Pricier option: Vego is worth the hype. We have the raised garden beds but if I was just starting out without yard space and with some money to burn, this is what I'd get.
Classic Rolling Garden Bed
You can plant vegetables in plastic pots, but they should be at least 5 gallons for one tomato plant. I used pots like these when I had the small apartment balcony. I still use buckets for carrots and beets. These have drainage holes built in but if you go with regular buckets/containers, you'll have to drill them in yourself.
Hydroponics Organic 5 Gal. Nursery 10-Pack
I've been gardening in my backyard for nine years now and we are slowly converting our hand-built wooden raised beds to Vego beds. They're taller, which is better for me, and they hold up better.
17" Tall 9 In 1 Large Modular Metal Raised Garden Bed Kit
Tomatoes need support. You don't need to splash out on expensive cages.
33-in Galvanized steel wire Round Tomato Cage
Equipment and Tools
This is all you need to start putting plants into the ground. The trowel is wider, good for digging general holes. The transplanter is thinner and is good for digging smaller plants out of the ground to move them. The cultivator/rake helps turn the s...
Fiskars 3-Piece Garden Tool Set
Once upon a time I was young and seemingly indestructible. Now my knees don't appreciate kneeling directly on the ground. It's fine to use tools that make you feel better.
Gardening Kneeling Bench with Tool Pouches
I didn't use gardening gloves until I started growing out my nails. The feeling of dirt beneath my nails sends me to another planet.
Digz Women's Large Nitrile Coated Gloves (3-Pack)
Sometimes reaching into plants to knock off bugs, pick produce, trim them makes my arms itchy. Why? No idea. Let's blame menopause, it's messed up everything else. I have similar arm guards and they're not too warm to wear.
TZT Sports Arm Sleeves for Women 1 Pair
I get my soil tested every other year because I don't want to guess at what fertilizers (if any) I need. This isn't a link to buy: search for “soil testing” and find a local gardening cooperative/college that will do it for a small fee.
Soil Testing Laboratory | Rutgers Cooperative Extension