gardening 101 for dummies

9 Gardening Tips for Beginners

Know Your Region. It may sound obvious, but not everything grows everywhere, so what you plant is determined by where you live. ...
Test Your Soil. ...
Start With “Easy” Plants. ...
Create a Plan. ...
Keep a Notebook. ...
Set a Calendar… ...
Water Carefully. ...
Keep Up the Good Work!

How do you start a garden for beginners?

How to Start a Garden – 10 Basic Steps

Decide what you'd like to grow.
Choose a location.
Plan your garden beds.
Invest in basic garden tools.
Test your soil.
Prepare the soil.
Choose the right seeds or transplants.
Plant with care.

What are the basics of gardening?

5 Gardening Basics for Beginners

Prepare your soil. If this is your first year gardening, you have a few options available to you. ...
Watering matters. If there is one thing that I have learned in regards to watering my garden, it's this: less is more. ...
Let in the sunshine. ...
Care for your garden. ...
It all takes time.

What should you not do when gardening?

Here are 12 gardening tips to help you avoid common mistakes made by novice and experienced gardeners alike.

Planting too early. ...
Planting too late. ...
Not amending the soil. ...
Adding too much nitrogen. ...
Planting too close. ...
Planting too deep. ...
Using too much mulch. ...
Using too little mulch.

How do you start a vegetable garden step by step?

10 Steps to Starting a Vegetable Garden

Choose the right location. Choose a location for the garden that has plenty of sun, ample space and close proximity to your hose or water source. ...
Select your veggies. ...
Prepare the soil. ...
Check planting dates. ...
Plant the seeds. ...
Add water. ...
Keep the weeds out. ...
Give your plants room to grow.

What's the easiest vegetable to grow?

10 Easiest Vegetables to Grow Yourself

Peas. ...
Radishes. ...
Carrots. ...
Cucumbers. ...
Kale. ...
Swiss Chard. ...
Beets. ...
Summer Squash (Zucchini) Summer squash and zucchini like well-composted soil and need plenty of space (plant them 3 to 6 feet apart in warm soil and lots of sun.)

Are used coffee grounds good for plants?

To use coffee grounds as fertilizer, simply sprinkle them onto the soil surrounding your plants. Summary Coffee grounds make great fertilizer because they contain several key nutrients required for plant growth. They can also help attract worms and decrease the concentrations of heavy metals in the soil.

What four things are needed for anything that can grow?

There are many things plants need to grow such as water, nutrients, air, water, light, temperature, space, and time.

How do you get good at gardening?

Here are some tips I've shared:

Plant what's in season. ...
Avoid cheap potting mix. ...
Plant root crops and legumes as seeds not seedlings. ...
Know the difference between sun and shade loving plants. ...
Provide consistent watering and adequate drainage. ...
Start with some easy plants so you can build your confidence.

What Every gardener needs?

Tools for Gardening

Gloves. Every gardener should have a few pair of nitrile-coated gloves. ...
Pruners. Sharp pruners are necessary for chores like clipping stems and harvesting vegetables. ...
Premium Quality Soil. The success of any garden hinges on quality soil. ...
Watering Gear. ...
Plant Food. ...
Shovel. ...
Rake & Hoe. ...
Wheelbarrow.

How do you make hard soil soft?

To help soften hard soil in a vegetable garden, add a 2-inch layer of compost twice a year and mix it into the top 2 inches of soil. If the soil in your garden or vegetable patch is bare over winter, spread a layer of mulch over it to protect it from heavy rainfall.

Is cow manure good for your garden?

Cow manure is a great all-purpose fertilizer. It's low in nitrogen so it won't burn your tender plants, and has a good balance of nutrients. What's more, since a cow's four stomachs digest its food so thoroughly, very few weed seeds make it through, so you don't have to worry about them.

What things are bad for plants?

5 Things That Will Kill a Plant ...

Fresh Cow Manure. (Your reaction)
Water. (Your reaction) ...
Sunshine. (Your reaction) ...
Bleach. (Your reaction) ...
Urine. (Your reaction) Whether it's the family dog, a neighbor's cat, or your sister's sweet little boy, urine from any of these beings is harmful to your plants. ...

What month should you start a garden?

If you're new to gardening, you may think the growing season doesn't begin until April or May. But that's not true — you can start planting seeds much earlier. In fact, you should! If you start the right crops now, you'll likely be harvesting your own fresh veggies by April or May.

How do you start a small vegetable garden for beginners?

Pick the Right Location

Plant in a sunny location. Most vegetables need at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. ...
Plant in moist, well-drained soil. If you have poorly drained soil where water pools, plant veggies in a raised bed or raised row for improved drainage. ...
Plant in a stable environment.

How do I start a small vegetable garden from scratch?

Here's a little ten step primer for all of you first-timers:

Start slow; start small. ...
Build raised beds! ...
Be creative. ...
Play to your region. ...
Build the beds now, so you can hit the ground running first thing next Spring. ...
Use a barrier against weeds! ...
Enrich the soil now. ...
Protect your investment with mulch.

What is the hardest vegetable to grow?

Wasabi: the hardest plant to grow in the world

Cultivation: it's grown unlike any other plant. ...
Access: one wasabi farmer said it took 6 years simply to get access to viable seeds.
Temperment: too much humidity or the wrong nutrient composition can wipe out an entire crop of finicky wasabi.

How big of a garden do I need to feed a family of 4?

For a family of four, the Morning Chores calculator recommends a garden 40-feet-by-20-feet. “That would allow you to grow an adequate amount of vegetables to feed that family of four,” Lindley said.

What can I grow in a raised bed garden?

Vegetables that can be sown directly into the garden from seed include root crops, such as carrots and beets, beans, peas, corn, cucumbers, squash and salad greens. In some cases, these crops are direct-sown because they do not transplant well and it's best to sow the seeds right where they're going to grow.

Are tea bags good for plants?

This is also good for houseplants, so add old tea leaves to their water. When potting plants, place a few used tea bags on top of the drainage layer at the bottom of the planter before adding soil. The tea bags will help to retain water and will also leach some nutrients into the potting medium.

Can you put too much coffee grounds in your garden?

Because they are acidic, coffee grounds make good acid mulch. Of course, too much of anything is just too much, so apply coffee grounds in limited amounts. ... Working coffee grounds into the soil will improve its tilth, but do this sparingly unless you have acid-loving plants, like camellias and azaleas.

Are eggshells good for the garden?

The calcium from eggshells is also welcome in garden soil, where it moderates soil acidity while providing nutrients for plants. Eggshells contain such an abundance of calcium that they can be used almost like lime, though you would need a lot of eggshells to make a measurable impact.