Since today is Earth Day, we might be wondering what we can do to lower our carbon footprint, so why not go green and start gardening? Shea Doherty of Our Farm south of Portage la Prairie shares a few tips for those who are keen to go green and start gardening.

“Be prepared, it’s like a puppy dog, you’ve gotta water your plants,” says Doherty. “That being said, location is most important. The ideal location for a garden, of course, would be where it gets sun most of the day. Then of course water. Especially things like squash, cabbage, carrots, onions, those vegetables love intense heat. Things like lettuce, spinach, broccoli, they prefer a bit of shade in the evening.”

Doherty says when he helps gardeners, the first thing to do is to check the soil.

“Let’s check if your soil is good, because you don’t want to have it on a gravel bed, because plants don’t like growing amongst rocks,” Doherty says. “Make sure it’s good, with a source of top soil at least six inches for most leaf vegetables. If you’re doing root vegetables they need at least two feet of top soil so they have that area to put their tubulars down and give you a good stock build.”

Doherty adds to make sure it’s fertile soil, but notes it can’t be hard clumps of clay. He says it would be an equal mix of black earth, sand, peat moss or compost added in to create a rich soil. He says after you’ve chosen the ultimate location, he says depending on the seed you sow, the larger the seed, the deeper you plant it. If it’s corn for instance, corn seeds are a ¼ inch big, so they’d be ¾ inch into the soil. You want always the same depth of the seed and same depth over top so they germ properly. He says it also keeps predators, such as racoons or crows away. As soon as you sow into the earth, water immediately so that it sets the soil and gives the ability to germinate within a couple of days. Colder temperatures take longer to germinate, but Doherty notes things like radish, lettuce, and peas, within four days you’ll notice them sprouting.

After planting he says it’s just weeding. He says keeping other plants out of your mix is important, as weeds will stunt the growth of your product.

Doherty’s recommendation to all first-time gardeners is to start slower, and gradually grow every year.

“Don’t do a large plot because it’s a lot of effort, and it’s best to keep it moderate and clean,” Doherty says. “Stay away from the big plants, and only do one or two plants in a small plot, so that you’re able to handle it.”

Doherty says to have fun and ‘grow’ with it.

For more tips from Doherty on container gardening and flower gardening, check back later this week.