So you want to start a garden. Hooray!! But if you have little to no experience with how to establish a garden, you're probably asking yourself, "Where do I even start?" I remember being in your shoes and wondering if this was something I was capable of. Deciding to become a gardener is a lot easier said than done. I gathered together the 3 best tips that helped me gain confidence as a new flower and vegetable gardener.
1. Know your growing zone. There are a lot of plants out there to choose. From veggies and fruits to all kinds of flowers, you're going to have to decide the types and varieties of plants you're going to grow in your garden. The most crucial information you can have when making these choices is knowing your climate zone. It will determine what plants you can grow and when you can start, plant, and harvest them. Every zone has special dates known as the first frost date and the last frost date. These are the times of the year that will help you make estimations for when your growing season will begin and end. So make sure you know your zone! You can look up your zone online or check with your local nurseries or gardeners.
2. Find a resource you trust. Before you start planning the details of your garden you want to find a few resources you can go to for tips, guidance, and information. You're going to be learning A LOT as you grow as a gardener and I promise that you don't need to know everything right away. You will learn as you go. That being said, when you're trying to figure out when you should start your tomatoes or how much sun your cucumbers need, it makes it so much easier to have a resource you already trust to go to. These can be online resources like websites, blogs, or online courses, it could be a book or two, or it could even another gardener who is willing to help you learn and succeed. As a flower farmer, the first resource I leaned on (and continue to do so) was Erin and her team at Floret. I highly recommend her blogs and books for those wanting to succeed as cut flower growers.
3. Make a Plan. Planning out the details of your garden probably takes the most time of anything in the gardening process. But when you take the time to plan diligently, you will thank yourself later! First you'll want to decide what types of flowers and/or vegetables you're wanting to grow. Then you'll choose which varieties of those types and try learn as much as you can about them. I highly recommend making a chart where you can record all the plants you'll be growing, when you need to start them, and when they need to be transplanted. I also try to take notes on each plant that might need extra nutrients or specific care at certain times. Once you know which plants you'll be growing, you can draw up a sketch of your garden so you know where all your plants belong when it comes time to put them in the ground. If you need a little help getting you started, you can download my free garden planner. Just click this link and you'll be planning your garden in no time.
