With the end of winter fast approaching, gardeners everywhere are already busy at work planning their spring gardens. If you aren’t a seasoned gardener, planting zones, soil amendments, decoding seed packets, and companion planting can all seem like a foreign language. Don’t loose hope! Here are my 5 best gardening tips for beginners!
1. Start Simple
Learning something new is fun and exciting, but as a beginning gardener it can be overwhelming. Have you seen the size of the garden sections at stores? They’re exceptionally large. It can be daunting to navigate it all. Don’t try to make sense of it all at once. It will take all the fun out of gardening.
For years, I had overwhelmed myself with the full scope of gardening and I was not successful at all. This made gardening a chore and something I did not like to do. There was so much to learn, and so much information out there that I had a hard time deciphering it all. I tend to jump into things with both feet, but I never seemed to be able to really grasp gardening.
Gardening can be a seasonal activity or depending on your gardening zone (and/or the use of a greenhouse or high tunnel) it can also be a year-round activity. There are so many different varieties of plants. Some of them are only for spring while others are only for fall, and don’t even get me started on all the different types of soil!
Try beginning with a few plant starts. Check your local garden section to see what plant starts are available right now. That will be your best indicator as to what is in season. Choose two or three plants and transplant them into a larger container or right into the ground. Plant starts are a great way to get a garden up and going quickly.
2. Read the Labels
Whether you choose to begin with plant starts or go for seeds, it’s important to read the labels that come with them. Those little plastic stakes that come with your plant starts have more than just the plants name on them. Look on the back and you will find information about watering, spacing, and the amount of sunlight your plant needs. These things vary depending on the variety of plant.
If you’re starting with seeds, save the packet they come in. Great seed companies like Botanical Interests, and Burpee will give you a lot of information on the seed packets. Not only will you find planting information like seed depth, spacing, and watering, but these companies also give you more information about the variety like maturity dates, a brief history on the variety, and companion planting recommendations.
Following the grower’s recommendations is the best way to ensure success in your garden.
3. Start With What You Know
Does your family like tomatoes? How about cucumbers? Do you like to make stir fry? What do you put in it? Starting with a fruit or vegetable that you’re familiar with is the best way to start your gardening adventure. Think of it as starting at the end! You already know what the end product is supposed to look, feel, and taste like. Having that knowledge will help you as you cultivate your garden.
If fruit is forming on your plants and it doesn’t look like you think it should based on your end knowledge, start your research. Observe your plant, the amount of sunlight, the moisture in the soil and check it against the information on your seed packet or plant stake. Look up the plant variety online and see if the pictures available look like what you’re seeing. Having end knowledge of a fruit or vegetable you’re already familiar with is a great benefit.
4. Ask Your Tribe
We all have that friend that gardens. For a long time that was not me, but my friend Sharla has these amazing, raised garden beds and always grew beautiful gardens. I started asking her questions. Then I turned to my mom. My dad was really the gardener in our home, but mom always planned and worked with him on it. I remembered bits and pieces of gardening tips from him – like using crushed Oyster Shells in the garden (you can read more about that in my previous post Deterring Pesky Garden Pests), but my mom remembers a lot more.
Next, I made friends with the ladies that work in the garden section of our local store, my Garden Gurus as I’ve dubbed them. Allie & Stacy have SO MUCH information about gardening. I’m constantly amazed at what they know, although by now, it should not surprise me. Allie always smiles when she sees me in the store and likes to ask me about how my garden is going. Stacy always has the best informationand encourages me to try new things.
Asking people in your circle who have a passion for gardening is really your most valuable resource. These are people who live and grow in your climate zone, and chances are, they already know enough about you to know how much information or guidance you’ll need. Take advantage of the wonderful resource you have at your fingertips and not only will this help expand your gardening knowledge, but the added time together will also help cultivate your relationship.
5. Have Fun
This to me is the most important aspect of gardening! If you aren’t having fun, why would you want to keep doing it?
Get your kids, spouse, parents, & siblings involved and start a Victory Garden. Choose fruits and vegetables everyone loves and work on the project together.
Make your garden a focal point! Add flair or whimsy to your garden and put your Gardening Style on display.
Grow something crazy! Yes, I said crazy! Have you even seen a Winged Bean or a 3-foot long Manpukuji Carrot? Hop over to Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and check out their large variety of seeds. They have some amazing varieties there! This year I orders Death Spiral peppers for my heat loving boys. With a Scoville Heat Scale of 1.2 MILLION, these little peppers pack a wallop!
Get a beginning gardening buddy! Find someone about the same skill level as you. Share knowledge you find and learn together.
My friend Gale over at Thrift Around the Clock was a beginning gardener like me. We both have come up through the gardening ranks together. Now, even though she moved away, we still continue our (almost daily) gardening chats and videos. We have had more fun laughing at our “Rookie Mistakes” than anything else. Like the time I asked my husband to make a cool string design (it was amazing) for my beans climb only to discover later that I had bought bush bean seeds instead of pole bean seeds. Or how about when Gale picked up sunflower seeds and planted them not realizing they were the giant Mammoth Sunflowers that grow over 8 feet tall! Boy, was she surprised! I still need to swap you for some of those seeds Gale!
Step Outside Your Backyard & Seed Swap!
Seed and plant swapping is another fun thing to do with your garden. Once you get familiar with the basic aspects of gardening, it becomes easier to expand your knowledge. Exchanging seeds or seedlings with friends and neighbors is a fun way to widen your variety too.
Whatever you choose to grow, providing healthy, nutrient rich foods for yourself and your family is extremely rewarding physically and mentally. In these crazy times of COVID Quarantine, the security of having food available to you in your own yard is a peace of mind that can be a calming presence.
Happy Gardening!