Gardening for beginners can be tough..trust me, I would know! It can be especially tricky to start a garden from scratch, especially if you don’t have much experience. If you are vowing to start a vegetable garden from seed during your next growing season, use these basic ideas, tricks, and hacks to get your garden started. In only a few months, you can have an edible harvest (or at least some gorgeous blooms and foliage) and these tips will help you get there. Learning how to grow vegetables from seed can seem like a daunting task, but if you follow my advice, I’m sure you’ll know how to grow vegetables from seed like a pro in no time! Grow vegetables from seed with these tips and tricks! Are you ready to start gardening for beginners? Let’s get started!
Know Your Grow Zone
This is incredibly important and it’s always the first thing I tell new gardeners. If you don’t know your growing zone, you can’t grow beautiful fruits and vegetables if they don’t survive. Here’s a guide gardening based on your growing zone here.
Apply Only Aged Manure or Compost To Your Garden
It can be tempting to give your garden a dose of compost as soon as you think it’s ready, but manure and compost that is too fresh may actually harm your plants. Fresh compost is rich in nitrogen, which may burn the flowers or foliage of your plants if applied too early. Always wait 6 weeks for compost or manure to age before mixing it in with your plants.
Grow Vegetables In A Sunny Spot
Most vegetables need to be grown in an area of the garden that is exposed to 8 hours of sunlight a day, at a minimum! If your yard layout doesn’t give you that kind of sunlight, grow shade veggies like Kale, Lettuce, or Cabbage.
Always Weed
Wouldn’t it be incredible if there were a magic mixture that killed all weeds on contact? Unfortunately, there’s not and that means that you’ll likely have to do a majority of the weeding yourself! Instead of using harmful chemicals, I always find that the most effective form of weed control is hand weeding. To prevent the spread of weeds and new ones from popping up, gardeners should apply a layer of mulch to their garden beds at the start of the season.
Plant Bulbs Before the Ground Freezes
When planting your bulbs, make sure you get them in the ground by the time the ground freezes in the Fall. This will ensure that you have bright, gorgeous blooms as soon as the weather is warm enough. When planting, a good rule of thumb is to place the bulb in a hole that is 2-3 times its size.
Learn The Length Of Your Growing Season
If after reading that last post you had no idea when your first frost date was, make it a point to figure out when! Determine when your first and last frost dates of every year are. This is helpful because it’s important to learn the length of your growing season so you know when your gardening window is!
How Much Water is Enough Water?
I was a really unsuccessful gardener at the start because I had a tendency to overwater everything! Most garden plants only need around 1-2 inches of water once per week. Water deeply when you do; it will ensure that the bottom roots of your soil are just as hydrated as the top ones are!
Keep Things Messy Come Fall
You might be tempted to strip your garden down to its bare bones come Fall, but don’t do that! Keep things like ornamental grasses, as well as the seed heads of flowers available in your gaden so the birds have something to eat! You’ll love watching them from your kitchen window, and they’ll love a tasty winter treat!
Now you know how to successfully create a garden for beginners and (hopefully) grow vegetables from seed!
