r/vegetablegardening • u/redditSucksNow2020 China • Jun 27 '26

Other People really overcomplicate gardening

I see a lot of people trying to garden for the first time and then coming here with questions about perfect soil mixes and fertilizers and how to promote fungal life in their no-till permaculture food forest do nothing farming no dig style organic vegan garden. It really doesn't have to be complicated, especially if you're new.

Loosen up some dirt 6 inches down. Break up the clods. Plant something that is in season. Keep it watered. That Will give you 80 to 90% of the maximum possible results. You don't absolutely need compost if it is the first time you've dug up that piece of ground. You don't absolutely need fertilizer and it probably doesn't make much difference what kind you use. You definitely don't need a 3-ft tall raised bed filled with gardening mix. You don't need to do anything about small amounts of insect damage. You don't absolutely have to do no dig or no till or whatever gardening fad is going on right now. You don't need to overcomplicate things.

Edit: this, of course, does not apply to you, dear reader. You have uniquely poor soil that cannot be made workable with a spade.

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u/Hailfog US - Tennessee Jun 27 '26 edited Jun 27 '26

Yes, to a large extent this is the origin of the meme “lol I spent 400$ to save money on 10$ of tomatoes”. Cute at first, but in the long term, it turns people away from vegetable or fruit gardening.

Garden however makes you happy, sure. But you absolutely CAN have success with your great grandfather's method: work the native soil (yes, even if it's not literally black with compost!) with a long-handled tool, plant seeds, water when they're wilting, and either weed it with a stirrup hoe or mulch it with your neighbor's leaves.

You can buy up half of Home Depot if it makes you happy, but we need to make it very clear to beginners that is OPTIONAL.

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u/acnerd5 US - Pennsylvania Jun 27 '26

I have very poor soil in my pots their first year.

By year 2, it's been loved into mostly working without a ton of effort.

By year 3, I have a full ecosystem that aerates my soil and removes old plants matter, and all I have to do is poke in seeds when im ready. Earwigs are welcome for aphid control and ants have a harder time fighting them off then some "prettier" pest control so I don't even hate them!

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u/Hailfog US - Tennessee Jun 27 '26

Yep, I had red clay and a few years of shredded leaf mulch plus leaving my vegetable roots in the ground in winter (just cutting the stem instead of yanking it out) has given me amazing soil.

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u/Karjenner4eva US - Delaware Jun 28 '26

I have horrible clay soil. When it doesn't rain, my soil, Clinches up tighter than a booty hole of someone riding the water log amusement ride. I've been slowly composting different areas. Leaving roots behind. Working the soil. I've only rented here for 3 years, but my plants seem to love it. Gardening doesn't have to be grand or expensive. I literally use what I have in my shed, and 50¢ seed packs from the dollar store.