Easy Gardening For Beginners
Gardening is a fun and rewarding venture for beginners and seasoned green thumbs alike. The smell of a fresh flower or the taste of a homegrown garden vegetable can not be rivaled by commercial offerings. Don’t let inexperience keep you from digging in the dirt and trying your hand at growing something. A garden is always a work in progress; you’ll learn through trial and error. Get started this growing season with these easy gardening tips for beginners.
Location, Location, Location
Location is the key to success in growing flowers or vegetables. While some flowers (like hostas or impatiens) will grow well in shady areas, almost all garden plants need a location that receives at least 6 hours of sunshine per day.
Space
You don’t need ample space to start growing plants. A sunny patio or window sill will suffice for a container garden. A small herb garden that provides fresh herbs year-round can be grown in a sunny window, or tomato and basil plants can be grown in one large container on a sunny patio or stoop.
Window boxes attached outside a home or apartment window take up zero land space yet can yield colorful beauty and fragrant herbs. A mixture of low-growing, trailing, and tall plants are aesthetically pleasing when grown in window boxes. Fragrant plants will allow you to bring a delightful floral scent indoors when the windows are open—plant window boxes with nectar-producing flowers like petunias to attract hummingbirds and butterflies.
Soil Preparation
Feed the soil, and the soil will feed the garden plants. Using any container (planters, window boxes, etc.), fill the containers with a good quality potting soil mixture and mix in a small amount of slow-release fertilizer before sowing seeds or planting plants.
Suppose you plant in a traditional in-ground garden, till the soil to a depth of 18 inches, and mix in organic matter like compost or rotted cow manure before planting or sowing seeds. Organic matter will rot over time and provide a continuous food supply to plants. It also prevents the soil from compacting so water and nutrients can reach plant roots, and the roots will be able to increase through the loose soil.
Mulch
What organic matter does underground, mulch does on top of the ground. Mulch slowly decomposes and feeds plants, helps retain soil moisture, and prevents weed growth. Mulch after garden plants has become established.
Container gardens need a layer of mulch, just like an in-ground garden. Add several inches of organic mulch (pine straw, hay, tree bark) around all plants, keeping mulch away from plant stems. Buy from a reputable online nursery.
