What You'll Need to Start Growing Produce

Photo by Sandie Clarke on Unsplash

There’s something incredibly satisfying about growing produce yourself, whether you have a smaller plot that’s just enough to feed your family or a whole plot of land dedicated to crops. Home-grown produce is tastier, fresher, and cheaper than buying it in. 

So, whether you want to start a vegetable garden for you and your family, or you’re looking to grow a lot of crops to sell, you’ll need some equipment and supplies to get started.

Equipment

The tools that you’ll need may vary depending on the size and purpose of your plot. For example, an industrial agricultural farm will need tools that can handle larger amounts of produce than a hobbyist’s garden. It also depends on what you grow, as certain crops may need further processing while others can be used or shipped immediately. 

However, there are some essential tools that every produce grower will need. First, you will need a soil test kit to make sure that your soil has the right balance of nutrients and chemicals for your crops. It will test for pH, phosphorus, and nitrogen, as well as other things that may help or hinder your gardening plans.

You should also have a water butt or at least some way of watering your plants. Whether you use watering cans, a hosepipe, or an irrigation system, having water close by and handy will always help.

Finally, you will need a way to work the ground itself. For farms, this means a plow of some description, but home gardeners will likely stick with a combination of tools including a ground rake, a shovel, a dutch hoe, a garden fork, and a trowel. 

Seeds 

Every plant starts as a seed, which shouldn’t come as a surprise by now. It stands to reason that you’ll need to find a seed supplier before you can start planting. However, before you buy your seeds, make sure that you plan your crops.

If you’re running a business, planning your crops for the year can make a huge difference to how much you earn, but it’s important for home growers as well. You can’t just grow anything either. The crops that you can grow are dependent on a few factors.  

Your climate, your soil quality, and the time of year are the most important factors. If you live somewhere cold, you can’t just stick tropical plants outside and expect them to survive without at least a greenhouse. So, learn what you can grow and when. Only then can you get seeds.

Supplies

To help your crops along, you will need appropriate horticulture supplies. These include fertilizers and pesticides, especially if you’re growing a lot of crops and want the largest harvest possible. 

The type of fertilizer and pesticides that you should use depends on what you’re growing as well, so do your research beforehand. Different fertilizers have different levels of nutrients, which suit different crops. As for pesticides, you should research the pests common in your area and which plants they attack, so you can be more focused when using them.