With spring finally on the horizon, now is the perfect time to start planning your vegetable garden. Whether you’re looking to save money on groceries, or simply spend more time in nature, maintaining a vegetable garden at home is the perfect pastime. 

If you’re a beginner, our guide to creating a DIY vegetable garden provides simple, straightforward advice, sure to have you planting in no time. We discuss everything you need to know, from the steps you’ll need to take when planning your vegetable garden, to the tools you’ll need to bring your vision to life. 

At PSM Hire, we’re pleased to offer expert, affordable plant and tool hire services across London and Kent. If you would like to find out more about how our superior services can help to ensure your next DIY project runs smoothly, please get in touch. Call us on 0208 850 5658 and speak to one of our helpful advisors today. 

Planning Your DIY Vegetable Garden 

All good things in life require a bit of elbow grease, and planning a vegetable garden is no different. Before we can being discussing how to create your DIY vegetable garden, we first need to consider some logistics. 

Picking the site for your new vegetable garden is the most critical decision you’ll make in this entire process. Before you begin, you need to be confident that your chosen spot will receive at least six hours of sunlight daily to ensure your veggies can reach their full potential. You’ll then need to consider how big you want to make your new garden. We suggest a 10x10-foot area to start. This allows enough room to grow a good amount of crops without piling on too much responsibility. 

DIY Vegetable Garden - Step by Step

Step 1: Remove the Sod

The first step to installing your new vegetable garden is to remove the sod. We recommend using a flat-bladed spade to cut the sod into strips. Insert the blade of the spade sideways, lifting the sod and rolling it up as you go. 

Step 2: Feed Your Soil 

Once you have removed the sod, spread one inch of compost over the area - this could be made yourself or purchased by the bag. Use a rake to spread it across the surface until it’s roughly one inch thick. 

Step 3: Prevent Weeds

You can prevent the growth of weeds in your vegetable garden using various materials. 

At PSM Hire, we recommend spreading newspaper across the entire patch and wetting it down to hold it into place. Cover the newspaper with a 2-inch layer of leaves or grass clippings. 

Step: 4: Get Planting!

Once you’ve prepared your DIY vegetable garden, it’s time to get planting. Gently push back the leaves and slice holes through the newspaper, exposing the soil. Plant the seeds, ensuring they’re fully covered. Then, put the newspaper and leaves back over the top and water the seeds. 

Those are four straightforward steps to building a simple DIY vegetable garden. If you’re feeling a little more adventurous, you could try creating one of our unique vegetable garden ideas listed below. 

Unique Vegetable Garden Ideas

PVC Pipe Vegetable Garden 

If you want to plant a large number of vegetables this spring but don’t have the required garden space, a PVC pipe standing vegetable garden could be the ideal solution for you. 

In order to make your vertical vegetable garden, you’ll first need to measure and cut the PVC pipes to size using a saw. Using a drill and hole saw bit, punch out 90mm planting holes, roughly 250mm apart. You’ll then need to add drainage holes throughout the pipes and position and secure your pipes to mirror your chosen design. 

When you’ve completed those initial steps, you’ll then need to add a weed block, potting soil and, finally, your plants!

Hanging Vegetable Garden 

Who said hanging baskets have to be filled with flowers? Creating a hanging vegetable garden is the perfect DIY project for gardeners who want to stand out from the crowd. In order to create your hanging vegetable garden, all you’ll need is a set of containers, these could be anything from old buckets to recycled bottles. Simply hand your baskets to a strong, horizontal board and prop it up against your garden fence for all to admire.

What Tools Do I Need to Start a Vegetable Garden?

As you can see, you don’t need an extensive toolbox to create a stunning DIY vegetable garden. A basic set of beginner's tools will do the job just fine. However, if you want to attempt a slightly more complex design, you might need to branch out of your comfort zone in more ways than one. 

At PSM Hire, we’re pleased to stock a range of gardening & landscaping tools for hire, sure to make light work of planning and building a vegetable garden. From chainsaws and turf cutters to basic garden hand tools, we’ve got everything you need to get the job done. If you would like to find out more about our expert hire services, please get in touch. Call us on 0208 8505 658 and speak to one of our knowledgeable team members today.