One of our favorite activities to do while self-isolating is gardening! Gardening is not only a great way to move naturally, but can also provide you and your household ‘ono, fresh and organic produce you can use right away. It's a win-win! Our friends at De La Mesa Farms shared some excellent tips and tricks for home gardening beginners below. Let us know in the comments your favorite gardening tips!

Building Beds

• When planning out your garden, the first step will be deciding where you are going to grow your vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers.
  • Beginners: you may want to start small by planting a few herbs like basil, rosemary and lavender in a few large five-gallon pots
  • Experienced gardeners: try building a garden bed. These can be raised or unraised. A garden bed will help protect your plants, ensure you have plenty of nourishing soil for them and offer good drainage. You can find plenty of DIY guides online. Lots of home improvement stores also have step-by-step guides or offer easy to assemble versions.
• When selecting a location, pick a sunny spot that will have at least six hours of sunlight daily. 

Soil

• Improve the conditions of your garden by adding soil and amendments. Our favorite soil is Nature’s Care Organic Soil Mix from Home Depot, which already has good amendments mixed in.
• The best amendment is organic matter, the decaying remains of plants and animals. As it decomposes, organic matter releases nutrients that are absorbed by soil-dwelling microorganisms and bacteria. This release and improving of microorganisms makes for healthy soil. 

Fruits & Vegetables

• When considering what vegetables to grow, you’ll want to consider both the length of time it takes them to grow to maturity (known as DTM, or “Days to Maturity”) and how suitable the plants are to the climate.
  • Things like cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and pumpkins are going to take a long time to grow - some in excess of three months.
  • Things like tomatoes and peppers are susceptible to lots of disease and pests in Hawai‘i.
• For beginners, we recommend red radish, arugula and head lettuce. All of these plants grow quickly and can withstand Hawaii’s heat and humidity if watered daily.
• Keep in mind the quality of your seed is also important. We would normally recommend getting seed from Johnny’s Seed Company, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic they are currently only supplying commercial growers. When things get back to normal, definitely check them out. In the meantime, you can look to the University of Hawai‘i Seed Lab and Wild Garden Seed.

Flowers

• Flowers don’t just smell and look pretty, but can offer other good benefits to your garden.
• Certain plants, like lavender and eucalyptus, can deter flies and mosquitos.
• Flowers will also attract beneficial bugs that will help to pollinate your vegetables.
• Finally, don’t forget that many flowers, like nasturtiums, borage, marigolds are edible on their own and add a nice peppery element to a fresh salad.