4 Tips For A First-Time Gardener, From A First-Time Gardener
Photo by Dziana Hasanbekava from Pexels
When I see the earliest signs of spring each year, my mind immediately drifts into a Jane Austen-style romance for my someday-garden. Maybe you can relate to the daydream of darting out to the garden for a sprig of fresh herbs, a crisp cucumber, or a perfectly-ripened tomato.
Until recently, though, a garden just wasn’t an option for us; being condo dwellers, we had no yard and no direct sunlight. I’ve fought the urge every year to storm the garden center and fill my car with as many pretty things as will fit. This year, though, no such resistance is necessary!
This past summer, we moved into our first house — with a yard! — and I have been no-so-patiently waiting and researching and planning the launch of our backyard garden. But as excited as I am to see our tiny crops emerge, I’m most excited to see my tiny daughter experience the garden. I’m hopeful that while she plays in (eats) the soil, she will witness what growth and careful tending can bring, building a tangible foundation for the many intangible life-metaphors that a garden offers.
All this sounds dreamy, doesn’t it? And it is! But here’s the deal: we’re city folk. We weren’t particularly handy, we didn’t relish the idea of being covered in dirt, and we had absolutely no idea where to begin. If that sounds familiar, follow in my tentative, garden-novice footsteps!
Tip 01 | Make the barrier to entry low.
Sure, you can absolutely build your raised beds and trellises from recycled wood scraps, perfect the brown and green compost-to-soil ratio, only use heirloom seeds, or install a timed irrigation system — if that’s meaningful to you.
What was meaningful to me was just getting started! So I ordered a raised bed kit (that required virtually no tools to assemble) from my home improvement store of choice. I had garden soil and pre-mixed compost delivered from a local soil company. The vegetables and flowers we’re growing are a hodgepodge of gifted seed packets and seedlings from the store.
A good old-fashioned watering hose with a spray head will do the trick when it hasn’t rained. And then, my friends, there will be a garden. A garden no less real or valuable for being of humble make.
Tip 02 | Ask for advice from a select few.
As I was starting, a friend gave me this bit of wisdom: “Ask a hundred different gardeners how you should do something and you’ll get a hundred different, often contradictory, answers.”
Find a friend or relative — someone you trust and respect — and call, video chat, or meet for coffee to pick their brain. That same wise friend has been a lifeline for my gardening journey; she is a passionate gardener and is in my same planting Zone, which is enormously helpful!
If no one you know gardens, Instagram is actually a great place to start — search hashtags or your location, find someone you admire, follow them, ask questions, and go forth in confidence and grace!
Tip 03 | Keep your hopes high & your expectations low.
I haven’t been as excited as I was about our radish seedlings sprouting since the day my baby started walking. Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but I was very excited. And then… my dog ate nearly half a row of sprouts, soil and all — facepalm.
Gardening, like all of life, is never going to be perfect (especially if you have toddlers and dogs). Despite all your best efforts, plants will get diseased, pests — or pets — will feast on your precious greens, the weather won’t cooperate, and some things just won’t work for no evident reason. And that is okay — more than okay: it’s part of the process. We learn, we try new things, and we move forward.
Tip 04 | Embrace curiosity.
I don’t do bugs. Not bees, not earthworms, not even ladybugs or butterflies. I also don’t do snakes, which we unearthed while raking the spot for the raised beds. But guess what? All of these things are beneficial for our little garden. Yes, even some snakes; ours apparently eat slugs, which are notorious garden destroyers (just be sure to check with a pro before you go trusting any ol’ snake).
Because they’re my little helpers, I’m learning to resist the urges to flinch or run away. I use an app to identify unfamiliar bugs, birds, snakes, and even weeds that we encounter around our yard.
Sometimes I take it a step further and add them to a nature journal, drawing or writing a brief description to help me remember my new friends. This kind of curiosity cultivates respect and gratitude for the world around us; and no matter what anyone tells you, those are the two most important things to have in your garden. Well, and a good pair of gardening gloves. Because snakes and bugs.
In short…
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the how-tos and should-nots when you start a new project, but actually starting is the first and most difficult step. Once you’ve passed that, I’ve got some good news: you are gardeners, my friends! If you need a little extra motivation, I’ve linked a few products below that might make your journey a little easier and more fabulous — best of luck!
