gardening for dummies

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 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.

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.)

How do I prepare my garden for spring?

Before you begin planting in the spring, here is a checklist of the 8 steps you should take to prepare your garden for a successful season:

Get your shed in order. Go over your tools. ...
Clear out weeds, mulch, and debris. ...
Prune. ...
Prepare the soil. ...
Set up new planters and garden beds. ...
Divide perennials like Daylilies.

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.

Where do I start with a garden?

Follow These 10 Steps to Start Your First Garden Off Right

Consider What to Plant. Do you want to plant a vegetable garden? ...
Pick the Correct Spot. ...
Clear the Ground. ...
Improve the Soil. ...
Work the Soil. ...
Pick Your Plants. ...
Start Planting. ...
Water at the Right Time.

What month do you plant vegetables?

April is the best time to plant most of your vegetable seeds after your last frost. It's still not too late to plant tomatoes and peppers from seeds as well. Be sure to check your gardening zone for last frost dates.

What can I plant in my garden right now?

15 Vegetables You Can Plant Now for Fall Harvest

Radishes. Radishes are one of the quickest maturing crops at four weeks from seed to harvest. ...
Broccoli. Broccoli can be sown directly into the garden in late summer for a fall harvest, or plant from transplants for a little ease. ...
Brussels Sprouts. ...
Turnips. ...
Collards. ...
Green Onions. ...
Kohlrabi. ...
Lettuce.

When should I plant tomatoes in my garden?

Tomato plants will not set fruit until the night time temperature reaches 55 F./10 C., so planting tomato plants when the night time temperature is at 50 F./10 C. will give them enough time to mature a bit before fruiting. The second sign for knowing when do you plant tomatoes is the temperature of the soil.

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.

What do I put on the bottom of a raised garden bed?

The bottom of a raised garden bed should be a layer of grass clippings, leaves, wood chips, straw, and other organic material. The cardboard should be placed on top of that layer. The organic material will turn into compost, while the cardboard will prevent weeds.

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 plant now for spring?

12 best spring-flowering plants for a colourful garden

Pansies. First is great early spring bedding plant, ideal for pots or hanging baskets by the door to greet you when you get home.
Daffodils. An early-flowering bulb that comes in so many shades of cheering yellow! ...
Crocus. ...
Helleborus. ...
Muscari. ...
Fruit tree blossom. ...
Hyacinth. ...
Tulip.

How do I prepare my flower beds for spring?

10 Tips to Get Your Garden Ready for the Spring Season

Pull those weeds. ...
Prune the summer-blooming flowering shrubs. ...
Fertilize the beds. ...
Inspect trees and shrubs for winter damage. ...
Rake off or trim any winter-killed, brown leaves from last year's perennial flowers. ...
Divide perennials. ...
Rake matted or excessive leaves off the lawn and out of groundcover beds.

When should I start preparing my garden for spring?

A couple weeks prior to planting anything is the time to get your garden beds ready for the year of growth to come. Early spring is ideal timing to add soil nutrients, ensure the soil isn't compacted, and remove any stray weeds.

What are the 5 things plants need to grow?

Plants need five things in order to grow: sunlight, proper temperature, moisture, air, and nutrients. These five things are provided by the natural or artificial environments where the plants live.

How do you make plants healthy?

Healthy plants don't happen by accident. To grow strong and verdant, plants need sun and water as well as soil that has sufficient nutrients... and that's where commercial fertilizer comes in. Fertilizer puts badly needed nutrients back into the soil, but it can be harsh on plants, and it's costly too.

What plants need to grow activity?

Plants, like all living things, have basic needs that must be met for them to survive. These needs include: light, air, water, a source of nutrition, space to live and grow and optimal temperature. There is an easy acronym to help remember basic plant needs, these are the things that plants need to survive and thrive.