Spring is quickly approaching, which means it’s almost time to start gardening. If you’ve been putting off starting a garden - whether you want to grow vegetables, flowers, or a mixture of both - now’s your chance! We’ve found some of the best gardening tips for beginners so you can start your dream garden and watch it grow!
Beginner Tips for Growing Vegetables
While some fruits and vegetables require more care and effort to get a good harvest, there are certainly some vegetables that are perfect for the beginner gardener. Fortunately, many of the most common vegetables are also the easiest to grow. Try planting vegetables like:
- Beets
- Carrots
- Cucumbers
- Green Beans
- Peas
- Peppers
- Radishes
- Zucchini
All of these vegetables are extremely prolific and require only the most basic care to keep them alive. They’re perfect for anyone who wants to start their own vegetable garden either for health reasons or to save money. Be sure to look at the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map so you can be sure which plants and vegetables will thrive in your area.
If you decide to try your hand at growing peppers and live in an area with cooler springs, you can use an empty milk jug to insulate the seedlings so they’ll grow stronger and bigger. Also, the next time you steam or boil any vegetables, save the leftover vegetable water. You can use it to water your garden to give your vegetables some extra love and food. You’ll also want to look into different DIY pest control options to keep pests from eating and destroying all of your hard work.
Beginner Tips for Growing Flowers
The most important step in creating a beautiful flower garden in your backyard or front yard is preparing your land for gardening. Plan out where you want your flowers to be and plot out the sections using rope and wooden stakes. Then weed the areas to cut down on competition and give your flowers a fighting chance to grow. If you’re going to be planting rose bushes, consider using epsom salt mixed in with your soil. Epsom salt is supposed to be extremely helpful for growing a thriving rose bush.
When it comes to selecting which flowers you want to grow, you need to take into account how much sun your yard receives as well as which flowers grow in your hardiness zone and which flowers are easiest to grow. Consider planting perennials to cut down on yearly replanting and save money.
Marigolds, pansies, and impatiens are all considered extremely easy-to-grow flowers for the beginner gardener. They require very little maintenance and care and are extremely hardy. Geraniums are also hard-to-kill and do well in pots or window boxes and are extremely low-maintenance. If you have a shady yard, there are plenty of ornamental grasses and beautiful ground coverings that grow well in shady yards.
