May someone here tell me what's the best way to start gardening?

Question

I'm very interested in gardening, yet I'm very young and know NOTHING about it, so I'd really like some advice on how I can start or even recommendations on books that can get me started.

Answer 1

Welcome to the gardening world! I've made a shopping list for you.

*Potting Soil with continuous feeding plant food mixed in.
*A bag of Mulch.
*A gardening Hoe.
*Miracle Grow Liquid Fertilizer - the no mix kind.
*A Watering Can.
*Insect Spray - the kind that says it kills 100 different pests.
*Plants.

First of all, you should go to your local nursery and let them help you pick out plants/flowers that are the easiest to grow and maintain for first-timers. Picking out a difficult plant to grow will only discourage you. Next, prepare your growing area. Make it simple. Pull weeds from the roots, not just what you see above the ground. Otherwise, they'll come right back. After that, get a simple hand-held gardening hoe and a big bag of potting soil that has continuous feeding plant food in it. Get on your hands and knees and get dirty! Mix the potting soil with your dirt, use your hands, start to enjoy the feel of the earth, it'll go right to your soul. Next, make holes big enough to cover all the root of whatever you're planting. When you're planting something you bought from a store and it comes in those little plastic containers, be sure to squeeze the plastic container gently to loosen the dirt or you might pull the top of the plant right off (ahem....i've never done that, of course). If this happens, no worries, just plant the roots anyway. If you have a description tab in the plant and it says "full sun" or "part shade", listen to it. The growers mean what they say. Later in your gardening career you'll learn what plants will flourish with a little placement imagination of your own, but for now, follow those directions! Also, the description tab will have a diagram that shows you how far apart to space the plants when you put them in your freshly dug holes. For instance, you've decided to start with some lovely pink Petunias, the diagram tells you to space each plant 2 feet apart. It seems rather silly to space them that far since the plants are so small, tucked neatly in their tiny containers, right? Well, in about one quick month, those tiny Petunias will be crawling all over one another, fighting for ownership of their space and will eventually choke each other. So again, follow the grower's instructions. Same thing goes when planting seeds. The seed packet will have planting instructions. However, be kind to yourself, don't start with seeds. It's just too easy for seedlings to die from over-watering or under-watering and birds LOVE them. Just because you put plants that someone else started in your own dirt doesn't mean you're not a gardener! Mainenance is what it's all about. So after you've got your plants in the ground, get your bag of mulch and put big handfuls of it anywhere you see bare dirt. This will keep moisture where it belongs, in the ground, and weeds won't grow very well. You'll still have a few pop up so don't worry when you see them. Just reach down and pluck them right out. After mulching, fertilize. There are several great fertilizers, such as Miracle Grow, that don't require any mixing. You just buy, open, and pour! I like to use my watering can to fertilize. Miracle Grow says to pour the fertilizer over the leaves of the plants, then soak soil. You can also get time-released fertilizer pellets that you mix into the soil before you plant. Osmocote is a good brand. They make one for flowers and one for veggies. I usually get some Osmocote and toss some in the dirt whenever I plant, but I still always use my Miracle Grow! So after you've fertilized with the liquid, sit back and ENJOY your hard work. Take pictures! In two months you'll look back and be amazed at the gardener you've become. Remember to water on a regular basis. Not sure how often? Stick your finger in the dirt, close to the base of your plant. Is it dry? Water! Is it moist? Let it go another day and check again. Over anxious beginners LOVE to water their plants because it makes them feel very involved with the growing process. But you'll get yellow leaves and brown flowers or yellow leaves and small fruit. Lack of water will bring you wilted EVERYTHING. Aside from watering and fertilizing, check for insects. Look, there are a million different bugs and worms and they all do different things to different plants. It takes time to learn this stuff, but if you really want to know, do a search on the internet about garden pests. You'll learn plenty!. But as a fresh gardener, the best way to avoid getting overwhelmed with bugs is to stick with what's simple. Purchase a spray that says it kills over 100 garden pests on the label. That'll cover you until you learn more. Read its label. You'll learn some from that as well. Now, don't spray unless you really need to. If you see little holes in the leaves or little bugs on the leaves or ANYTHING that your gut tells you shouldn't be there, then you spray like the label tells you to. AND THAT'S IT! I know I've written alot here, but I read some of the answers to your question and I thought some of them were too vague and some were too complicated. Remember, you'll get different answers from different people. Follow your instincts, even if you're not confident about what you're doing. Humans have been growing things since the beginning of time, it's our nature. You'll make mistakes and kill things and that's the very best way to learn. But remember, all it takes to start is DIRT, A GARDENING HOE, A WATERING CAN, MULCH, FERTILIZER, INSECT SPRAY, & PLANTS. Now go get 'em!

Answer 2

There are many good resources out there. It depends on what area of the country you live in. If in the West any of the Sunset books are great. In the South, Southern Living. A good all general book Better Homes and Gardens, "Complete Guide to Gardening". Be careful of buying too many books, it could be confusing. I have found that some books may say different things on the same subject. I have also found that many of the people at the Home Depots and Lowe's don't know diddly. There is a lot to know to have a successful garden such as soil, mulches, chemicals, and plant habits to name a few. Start small so you feel confident of what you are accomplishing. Too big of a garden may be overwhelming with the maintenance and could discourage you. Gardening is a great hobby as well as therapeutic. Happy gardening!

Answer 3

Gardening is a lot of fun and a lot of work but itis wonderfully rewarding. Start with Amazon.com and key word books on beginning gardening. Look at the reviews and determine which one suits the type of gardening in which you are interest. Flowers, vegetable, containers, herbs, etc. There are several "Dummies" books that should be easy to follow. I started with a few indoor plants and my interest grew from there.
Where do you plan to garden? Is the area really sunny, really shady? This may also determine the book you want to select.

Remember to start small with maybe a container or two, or a small patch around the mailbox. Those beautiful photos in the magazine reflect many years of experience with lots of trial and error. Even the most experience one have failures so don't give up if you do.

Good luck and happy gardening.

Answer 4

I can't recommend any specific books, but I can recommend that you look up books in your local library. Do a search of their database; they should have a few shelves devoted to gardening. Or you can ask you librarian if he/she can help you find books.

Also, you can go to Home Depot and ask the people who work there about how to start a garden. Keep in mind what kind of garden you want (fruit or vegtable) and ask them what plants are good starters for a first time beginner.

Good luck!

Answer 5

Don't worry about not knowing much, it's half the fun finding out for yourself. I don't know what country you are in, but you plant/sow most things in the spring and it's best to weed and dig the ground in the autumn before. Garden Centres have easy grow seeds for kids. Good Luck.
P.S I look in other peoples gardens to see if they have anything I want to grow myself.

Answer 6

first of all find out what you want to grow,,flowers,,veggies etc..then go to the library or go to a nursery..or even ask a neighbor...you also have to think about...do you live in an apartment or a house do you have a yard big enough to garden...can you aford to garden..the first year can be very pricey if you dont have seeds from the past years you have saved.do you have the time to put into it...its kinda late in the summer now though....