Great – you want to start a garden. I’m so glad you are here. Jump right in and get your feet dirty. We all learn the best by just doing it. Here are some tips, I’ve learned along the way.
Best Tips for First Time Gardeners:
1. Start small. Gardens do take time to plant, maintain, and harvest. Start with an area that you know you will have time to care for. Container gardening is a great way to “get your feet wet” into gardening. Only plant the seeds that you are willing to tend too.
2. Get kids involved from the beginning. Let them help plan and prepare the garden for planting. Trust me, this will help a ton with the maintenance of the garden and increase the learning potential.
3. Don’t over think gardening too much. Your kids want to plant lettuce. Throw some lettuce seeds in the ground. They didn’t work? Why not? This is LEARNING!!!! Next year, they may grow better!
4. Most plants grow better if you water them. 3-5 times a week for a deep watering if you are in cooler climates, every day if you are in the heat and sandy soils like me. Water the soil near the roots, not the leaves.
5. Not only do plants need water, but they need nutrients too. Composted leaf matter, food compost, organic vegetable fertilizers, even sea weed are all ways that gardeners replenish the nutrients leeched from the soils. I keep track on my calendar when my plants were “fed.”
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