As we approach spring, days are getting warmer and seeds start hitting the shelves. I thought it would be an ideal time to give some tips and advice for first time gardeners based on my experience. Just FIY new gardeners there is no going back. I know your first gardening season will be full of fun, pests, and what did I get myself into moments don’t despair. Every year you will get a feel for the garden, what works and what doesn’t. On your new garden adventure you’ll learn what you like to grow and those veggies that although homegrown are a hard pass! I’ll leave you with some tips that I wish I could have learned early in my gardening years. Lets jump into it!
Gardening tip #1 Location
I’m embarrassed to admit that in my early days of gardening I didn’t take location into account. I arranged my small garden beds and containers in places that aesthetically fit my yard. Not realizing how much sun they required. Don’t do what I did back then. Most vegetables and flowers need around 6-8 hours of full sun to thrive. (in some zones where temperatures are too hot you can get by with less.) With this in mind set up your first garden patch in a place that gets ample sun. There are varieties that can handle partial shade areas, just do a little research so you can set up your plants to thrive.
Gardening Tip #2 Research what grows well in your area
You will be surprised how many groups and communities there is online. Sharing valuable information on the particular area you are growing in and willing to lend a helping hand to first time gardeners. While it’s true.. you can grow anything your little heart desires, its your garden in the end! BUT you want in on what varieties grow best in your climate. They will often perform better and may even have less pest pressure. Experiment try that fun new variety & a tried and true by others and see what you like best. There are no rules in gardening.
Tip #3 Know your gardening zone
This seems intimidating, I promise it’s not! A quick google search with “what’s my gardening zone + your city & state” will let you know what zone you are gardening in. The gardening zones are based on how cold your temperatures get in your area. For example I’m in zone 9b the coldest it gets here in winter is in between 25-35 degrees F. This is important to know and will help you determine what plants can survive your winters and come back every year (perennial plants, This info is usually on the tag. For example it will say hardy from zones 6-9 that means in those zones it will come back ever year)
Tip#5 Know your first and last frost dates
This is critical and again a quick google search will give you that information type in “what is the first & last frost for + your city” If you want to go one step further calculate how many frost free days you have in your gardening season. Just a reminder every year is different and these are meant to be estimates. Keep your eye on the weather. After the last frost you can plan to kick start your spring garden. Since its your first year gardening I would suggest to buy the majority of your vegetables as starts. Transplanting them into your garden after there is no more danger of frost. Have fun with seed shopping too, you will discover the many vegetable varieties that are not available at the grocery store.
Tip #6 Buy quality soil & feed your plants
It’s important for me to grow food as organically as possible. This is a choice that you will have to make for your own garden. Chances are if you are taking the time to grow your own food you want it as clean as possible. This means starting off with organic potting mix, compost and feeding the soil with natural derived fertilizers, fish emulsions, and worm castings. Healthy soil is an eco system full of good bacteria, microbes and macronutrients that work in symphony to grow healthy plants. Don’t forget to feed your soil so it can feed our plants.
You are going to find a lot of gardening advice online and even from friends and family. Nothing beats hands on experience though trial and error. Have fun with it. Gardening should be a fun experience and trust me even the seasoned gardener has times that things don’t go to plan. For a variety of reasons could be weather, timing, pests things that are out of our control.
I hope that as you embark on this journey you can find the peace and joy right outside your door step.
Happy Gardening!
-Tahiri
