Welcome to Beginner Gardening. At the outset, you are made to understand that gardening requires patience. Without this virtue, you might as well give up the idea of putting up a garden. Additionally, you realize that gardening is about decision-making and developing skills.
Knowing the basics.This means you have to learn the basics of gardening. Early on, you have to decide on the type of garden you want. Is it ornamental or vegetable? Whatever your choice is, you need to develop core gardening skills such as know a perennial from an annual; tell a full sun from a partial sun exposure or a partial shade from a full shade; identify the soil by its feel: gritty, soapy, sticky or floury; decide whether your soil needs modification and choose whether to till or not your garden or settle for a raised bed.
Planning. Gardening is a process. You need to do things a step at a time, which means planning is a must. Scale and style are major considerations in planning an ornamental garden. Blend your garden with the landscape and the theme of your house. Color combination is a major factor in planning your flower garden, too. Apply the skill of using the color schemes: complimentary, analogous, monochromatic—and, if you feel confident enough—the triadic color scheme. Consider as well bloom times in selecting your ornamentals.
Should you want to raise a vegetable garden expect more intensive planning and growing. For instance, you need to pay attention to the location. Ideally, your veggie patch must be exposed to direct sunlight. Your garden should also be the right size. A 100-square foot area—the size of a small studyroom—is ideal for beginner gardeners. Likewise, planning involves meticulous attention to the layout of your plants. You will realize, given your limited space, that you have to choose intensive gardening layout over row gardening.
The soil factor. Pay special attention to your soil. Its rich nutrient and mineral contents will spell your success as a gardener. You are lucky if you have a pH neutral soil. If it is not, changing the composition of your soil will enrich its nutrient contents. To do this, hone your mulching, composting and tilling skills. You can also use these methods to change the texture of your soil and improve porosity which is essential to successful gardening. Know the water retention quality of your soil. If it is too porous it dries out quickly. On the other hand, if its retention level is high it can get water clogged easily. In both cases, your plants will get damaged.
Seeds or Seedlings. A major decision you have to make is whether to use seeds or seedlings. For beginners, the advice is to go for seedlings. However, seeds are less expensive so here are tips should you find yourself growing your plants from seeds. For starters, stay away from the exotic varieties which are difficult to grow. Next, find out all the relevant information about the seeds, including any special care for growing them such as their resistance to weather conditions—whether hot or cold.
You need to grow seeds in containers preferably small and recycled to cut down on your gardening budget. Special germinating beds will maximize the number of seeds you can grow, but you have to buy them. You also need to know the details in preparing the container and planting the seeds: make sure you have the prescribed 4-inch deep pot; sterilize recycled pots; know whether to spread the seeds or dig tiny holes. In both cases, never put too much soil over the seeds. It will hinder germination and growth. Similarly, keep the soil moist but never over-water it.
The benefit of growing seeds is that you can observe the germination process. Since you are able to monitor their growth, you are sure you are transplanting healthy seedlings. Once they have sprouted two sets of leaves, the next step is hardening the seedlings by exposing them to natural weather conditions. Transfer them outdoors, but bring them back indoors to protect them from extreme temperatures or even strong winds. This should last a few days after which you are ready to transplant.
Transplanting the seedling should be done with extra care. Dig a hole whose depth is twice the height of your container. Then fill half of the hole with some loose soil. Slid out the seedling from the container making sure you don’t break the roots. Plant the seedling into the hole filling it up with the soil left from your digging. Remember: Don’t pack the soil so the roots can take hold more easily, and moisten the soil just enough. Now, it is your plant’s duty to grow for you.
Apartment Gardening. So you want to begin gardening and you live in an apartment. Worse, your apartment has no balcony. So there is just no place to grow a garden. Don’t despair. All you need is light! It is best if you have natural light which would be in your window areas. That is where you should grow your plants. Otherwise, if natural lighting is poor, you can supplement it with grow light. Raising indoor plants will need a lot of creativity. In terms of display design, vertical gardening is still the most practical, but you can explore plant hangers, bookshelves even ladders to achieve unique displays. Be kind to your place as well. Make sure to waterproof your containers to avoid a messy place from the constant watering you will be giving your plants. Use containers with water guards or line your pots with tarp.
Lastly, assure yourself a beginner’s luck as a gardener. Choose the easiest ornamentals and veggies to grow. For ornamentals, go for climbers such as wedding vine or pothos, particularly if you are into vertical gardening. For greens, the best varieties are philodendrons, ferns, dracaenas, crotons and peace lilies. Meanwhile, vegetable growing in your apartment will be fruitful if you start with tomatoes, cucumbers and root crops such as potatoes and carrots. Herbs are also easy to grow so make sure to grow some.
Gardening savvy. Now that you have your garden, have up your sleeves tricks and tips that will make your garden thrive. Master the skills of mulching to protect your plants and composting to enrich your garden soil. Always win the battle against garden pests by skillfully putting up fences or nettings. Be spunky enough to use gardener- friendly insects and plants to rid your garden of pests!
Aren’t you gardening savvy indeed if you can do all these?