I am a huge of fan of home gardens—it's one of the first things I set up when I move into a new home, and I don't know if I remember how to function without one—but that wasn't always the case. Two years ago I was convinced botanical life couldn't survive within a ten pace radius of my home. What changed? I stopped over thinking it and just started doing it.
1. Start small. You don't need a full sized garden to get started. Just pick a sunny spot, a plant that you like looking at or cooking with and start from there. My first gardening success was a half meter square of dirt under my front stair case.
2. Invest time in your soil. Once you have your space, big or small, indoor or outdoor, spend some time making sure your soil is healthy. You can buy a top soil or you can start a compost and make your own. My first compost (which went hand in hand with my first gardening success) was a wheel barrow of dirt outside my kitchen and I just buried food scraps as I produced them. (Not an option for everyone, but it worked for me.)
3. Don't stress about the edging. There are so many images of gorgeous gardens that you could be forgiven for thinking you need immaculate edging and specially designed planters. In reality you just need a vessel that holds dirt with holes for drainage, anything will do. My half meter garden just spilled onto the concrete until I found some old decking wood to slip between the stair posts.
4. Plant what you use. There are so many gardening do's and don'ts that it can all seem a bit like hard work. 'Plant these here at this time of year. Don't plant these next to these. Do this... but only if the moon is doing this.' You can read every article you find and still not have any success (been there!). For me, things worked out best when I didn't over-think them. If I needed basil for pesto, I bought basil seedlings from the markets and planted those. If I saw some gorgeous marigolds, I planted those. Some things worked, some things didn't, but if you plant enough things something's bound to stick.
5. Don't over-tend. I killed so many plants by over tending them. Watering them twice a day. Moving them from spot to spot. Replanting them. Staring at them, looking for signs of discomfort. It turns out my gardens just needed space to be a gardens. My half meter garden got watered once a day, give or take a few. It got added to as I tried new plants, picked as I needed things, and that was it!
What would be your top five tips to hesitant first time gardeners?
(Re-edited from a post originally published on 5.27.2011 - CM)
(Images: Sarah Starkey)
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Brilliant advice! I just finished the training portion of the Master Gardener Volunteer Program, after moving into a place with a yard - this is the first time I've had gardening space in my adult life. Even with the training and support of a knowledgeable, supportive group of gardeners, my little backyard projects are intimidating. I'm also helping to start a community garden at a local elementary school. The only thing I keep telling myself is "Just do it."
For my first raised bed, I picked up a load of free city compost, piled it up and edged it with found twigs. It looks rustic and cute - and my seeds are popping up! Easy and free, but I couldn't have started if I didn't just go out there and do it. Gardening is a lifetime learning process, so don't feel bad about your "failures" - they're learning opportunities that will make your future successes possible. Also, don't spend too much money on it. Use Craigslist and other resources to make it cheap. It'll still look good, and stuff will still grow!
I would add: Learn what grows well, and what doesn't in your area. The best place to find that information is at a small local nursery that specializes in plants for your locale. Don't waste your time trying plants that won't thrive where you live (at least until you have some experience). Ask the folks at the nursery which plants, veggies and herbs are easiest for your area, and start with those.
Great advice! Gardening is trial and error. It takes a lot of patience so don't get discouraged if something doesn't work out exactly like you'd hoped. Making your own compost is an awesome idea because not only is it wonderful for your plants and inexpensive but you're also recycling.
Like everybody else I think #6 needs to be: Don't let failures discourage you as they are a great way to learn.
Oh, and there's always space for a garden, however you define that word.
Agreed with HelsBells! I think people don't realize how many plants even the "good gardeners" killed when they were first starting out. You just sort of have to dig in and go for it!
I agree that native plants grow best - they're adapted to the climate and soil types, after all. We had instant luck by growing only local wildflowers. New England Wildflower Society had amazing, pre-European plants that we used and it's so rewarding.
Overtending is definitely high on my list. I killed an entire round of seedlings that way this year! (Of course, some of that blame also rests on the weather for staying cold so long and keeping my plants indoors where I was worried about them.) I've had much more luck with my replanting, which basically consisted of me throwing seeds into the dirt in my containers. My lettuce pot, especially, makes me happy. I'm sure I'm breaking some rules, and it might not end well, but for now, the entire (bright blue) pot is filled with small bright green leaves, and I love to just look at them. :D They make me happy and overall the lettuce has been very satisfying to grow, even if I never eat a single leaf.
That'd probably be my addition to the list: grow things that make you feel emotionally satisfied and fulfilled. Looking at my lettuce is somehow very relaxing. Same goes for my grandmother and her morning glories, even though they never fed anybody. If you feel happy when you think about your garden, I bet the plants can tell. :)
My problem is pretty much always the same. My basil plants do really well in bright sun but as soon as winter rolls around, sunlight isn't as frequent and my basil starts to look sad. It perks up once the sun is out, but it's not always easy.
Learn the basics of light requirements - most novice gardeners underestimate how much light a plant needs to thrive.
And never buy into that "green thumb" fantasy.
Beginning to garden, indoors and out, is like learning to cook from scratch - start by following recipes, then through trial and error your skill and self-confidence increase over time.
Plant what grows easily in your area. Gardening is work enough without struggling against nature. I live in the valley (Los Angeles) where it is very hot in summer and generally dry. For the first few years in our new home, I referred to my garden endeavors as "experiments" and I knew a lot of them would fail. That was okay! You will know your garden is successful when your plants propagate to the point where you are giving new pups & volunteers away. Gardening teaches you a lot of patience, but the rewards are wonderful.
If you're interested in a veggie garden, I swear by 'sproutrobot.com' It keeps you up to date with when you should plant what, based on your zip code, and even will send you alerts like "thin your seedlings this week!" after they've sprouted. I love it, and so far it's helping my first veggie garden to be a success :)
Thank you for the wonderful tips! I'll definitely try them out this weekend. For someone who can even kill cactuses, I've been putting off plants for a long time but now am inspired to try again!
Thanks for the advice! I have been over thinking this way too much. I am just going to do and start small. I am starting in containers because my yard and soil are not good at all. I know I will be thrilled once I start. Can't start just yet, I live in Ohio, where the weather is questionable. Good luck to all who are just starting.
great advice. It's easy when you're starting out to give plants too much attention. They're living things that need their own space to develop
One thing to keep in mind (especially in New York City) are squirrels! Over the years I've planted lots of lovely flowers, only to have them dug up and carried off by annoying squirrels. All they leave is a hole in the dirt ;(
If you do have a lot of squirrels, try planting things they DON'T like...herbs are usually a safe bet.
Or, try protecting them with some creative wiring (like a piece of window screening, purchased cheaply off the roll at a hardware store, with a hole cut through it for the plant. Tie around the top of your pot or stretch and stake around your ground.)
Or let your cat/dog act as a deterrent!
I am a novice gardner and I just finished reading Yo Grow Girl by Gayla Trail-- awesome book (she also has a website: YouGrowGirl.com). I found her book and site to be so helpful. She's got everything under the sun and yet, none of it is complicated or overhwelming. She keeps it real simple. I'm looking forward to trying her organic, homemade pest repellents.
As a novice gardener and chef I would really like to know how to prune those fast-growing herbs, ie, parsley and mint so they won't go to seed as quickly, tomatoes, Laurel plant which will most certainly grow like a bean stalk, Fig tree....
Weird, how did my comment from 2011 end up here?
This is all really good advice. My #6 would be: treat your first year as an experiment. If any thing goes wrong, just say "Next year, I will________ instead."
I've always been a plant person--houseplants, then container/patio gardens. Last year, with an actual back yard, I made my first attempt at a "real" vegetable garden. It worked pretty well, but my yields were not that great. What was great, however (besides the fun) was to look back at my pictures and realize how small last year's garden was, compared to the same time this year. With a lot less effort, I've already packed about twice as many crops into my small space. I don't know if my harvest will be any more impressive, but I am having a lot of fun, it keeps getting easier, and I feel like a "gardener".
I am a novice gardener and have found, as others have suggested, the County Extension service to be really helpful. They have brochures and tips on what to plant and when. I've been blogging about my own experiences which helps to keep me motivated.
www.the-bs-hive.blogspot.com
if you are in touch with your neighbors, do a plant swap, or ask for the stuff they thin out - it is ok to start with a friendly note dropped of in their mailbox - most gardeners like to share. if it grows well enough to spread in their yard, it will likely do the same in yours.
I actually think sharing gardening experience with your new neighbors is fun!
Starting small isn't bad. It helps anyone become very good in gardening. This site helped my cousin improve her garden when they moved in their new place. I'm wondering what plants should we start planting whenever we move to a new place, as well.
Could you give me ideas? Thanks!
These are some great easy gardening tips. My mom was a great gardener, and I haven't found out how good I am yet. I hope to be great, but we'll see!! Thanks!
Keep a journal of your successes and your failures. Make maps of what you planted where, so you don't scratch your head when someone asks you "what's that?" or you aren't sure if it's something you planted on purpose or a volunteer/weed.