Gardening For Beginners

Ten years ago, I started gardening. It was small, but it was successful. I had tomatoes, cucumbers and jalapenos. Since then, I have changed locations, started container gardens and had my husband build me two large garden beds surrounded by a fence. Year after year, I have worked on different gardening skills, and if I've learned anything at all in the process, it's one thing: it's okay to mess up!

If you are new to gardening, I suggest you go in with these few things in mind:

1. Plants die

2. The weather can be fickle

3. Bugs and animals will eat your vegetables

It is what it is. I can't even count the amount of mistakes I've made while gardening. The flipside of this though is that gardening brings me so much joy. Each year, I try to get some seedlings started. If they succeed, great. If not, I get starter plants from a local plant sale. When I successfully start a plant from seed and can continue its growth in the garden, I feel such a sense of accomplishment. If it's your first time gardening, maybe try with starter plants first. You will likely be more successful this way. If you want to try your hand at seeds, maybe start with one of the easier options (like carrots or radishes). I have found that snap peas are so fun to plant from seed; just be aware that they need a trellis to grow vertically. If you choose to start seeds, I suggest using a kit like this Burpee Seed Starter Kit. It has a tray that goes underneath to hold water for the seeds to stay just moist enough, and there is a dome that goes on top for a greenhouse effect. They even provide you with little pellets that turn into the soil for your seeds. I’ve used this in the past, and have had success with it.

When starting your outdoor garden, choose a sunny spot (be aware of where the sun rises and sets in your garden spot). Then, consider how each plant will grow. Will they grow vertically, underground or spread out wide? If your plants grow vertically, be sure that it won't interfere with sunlight exposure for other plants. For instance, I wouldn't plant my snap peas to grow up a trellis that will eventually block the sun from my tomato plants. This is something I really didn't consider much when I started gardening. I basically just got overly excited and planted what I wanted wherever I wanted. This is a completely fine method if you are willing to learn the hard way, and honestly, I'm still learning. I am constantly finding new ways to grow certain plants. Some times it helps learning new tricks, and other times, it's a miss. Either way, I'm learning what does and does not work. The key is to be openminded, but if you can help avoiding certain errors, I would suggest making a plan ahead of time and putting some thought into it. Even if it’s simply buying a starter plant and putting it directly into a bigger pot with new soil. Something as simple as that turns you into a gardener!

If you have kids, I can’t recommend involving the kids in gardening enough. The entire process is a learning experience for them. I know it can be difficult to let go of the reigns on some projects with kids because, of course, it’s much more messy. In that case, give them their own separate gardening area. If that means one or two pots to grow seeds, fine. I’ve given my boys both small pots and small sections in my garden to grow what they like. Whether they grow something of their own or not, they are always happy to help dig or pick any of the vegetables from the garden. To watch them learn how to grow foods from seed is absolutely priceless, and I will continue to do so for as long as I can.

My Favorite Plants and Tips:

1.) All tomatoes: some are indeterminate, which means they can continue to grow up, up and away! Some are determinate, which means they are more bush-like and shorter. Be mindful of how they grow when placing them in your garden. You can see whether they are determinate or indeterminate by looking at the information tag when purchasing.

2.) Cucumbers: I give my cucumbers something to grow up on and even tie the vines on for extra support. I’ve used a tunnel and a trellis. Both work wonderfully!

3.) Potatoes: specifically the small, new potatoes. All you have to do is give these plants a little room and time. Once the stem starts to grow up out of the dirt, I cover it back up with new dirt. Then, after a while, they stem grows so tall and falls over. When it falls over, that’s the time to check and see if they are ready to be picked! I love that I can check the progress of the potatoes along the way by just digging beside it.

“Helping” me garden with his wrench. Abe age 2.

Onions and potatoes and snap peas, oh my!