Advice for the Beginner Gardeners

Most beginning gardeners start off with dreams of baskets of bountiful vegetables, eating fresh salads from their gardens, canning a year’s worth of salsa from their own tomatoes, onions and peppers, or picking bouquets of peonies, roses and hydrangeas to decorate their dinner table. And social media is all too happy to sell them that dream. But the reality is, that dream doesn’t happen overnight, and it’ll turn into a nightmare pretty fast if you don’t start off right.

The very first thing to do as a beginner gardener, is to self-assess.  What resources of time, money, space, helpers and knowledge do you have to work with? Do you have limitations such as illness, lack of mobility, a demanding job, or a shady backyard? Why do you want to grow a garden? What kind of garden do you want to grow? What types of plants do you want to grow? What is your gardening philosophy (organic, conventional, a combination, micro-manager, lazy etc.)?

The second thing to do as a beginner gardener, is research. What is your climate (USDA growing zone, annual rainfall, first and last frost dates), what kind of plants will grow and thrive in your climate (and in the space that you have to work with), and what type of soil do you have to work with? What kind of diseases and pests are common in your area, and of the plants you want to grow, which ones are affected? Are there disease-resistant cultivars of the plants you want to grow? How can you manage potential diseases and pests while staying on budget and maintaining your ideals? It’s easier to manage disease and pests if you already have a plan in place.

All of this research might sound daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. You can find general gardening books at your local library. I find location-specific gardening books at thrift stores with titles like “Gardening in East Tennessee”. Every state has a Cooperative Extension Service, and most counties will have a local Extension office, and likely a Master Gardeners group or Garden Club as well. And, of course, a simple online search for “disease-resistant tomatoes that grow in Tennessee” or “best cherry trees for Southern Missouri” or “common cabbage pests in Iowa” etc. will help you find the best plants for you to grow in your climate, and give you an idea of how to manage problems before they happen.

I would caution you about doing your gardening research on social media. Often, people giving gardening advice on social media are parroting advice they found online, and it’s not always accurate, or not always accurate for your situation, or they’re only sharing part of the story. That doesn’t mean there isn’t good info on YouTube, but it does mean that you should get a second witness before believing what you see.

A local gardening mentor, if you can find one, is priceless.  If you keep your ears open, you might find someone at work, at church, or sitting next to you at a little league game who is a gardener, and would be willing to mentor you. Networking isn't just for finding the perfect job either. If you let your friends and family know that you're looking for a gardening mentor, there's a good chance they'll know someone who would love the opportunity to share their gardening knowledge with someone who has an interest. Or, visit with the people selling produce at your local farmers’ market. Someone might be willing to teach you what they know in exchange for an extra pair of hands and a strong back to help out in their garden.

Rein yourself in.  It's tempting to try to grow All. The. Things. when you start your first garden. One hybrid patio tomato plant, well-tended, is far more satisfying to grow than 10 indeterminate heirloom tomatoes that get away from you because you discover that you can’t handle being in the garden in the hottest part of summer. Even if you aspire to be an organic heirloom gardener, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Better to start off with something that is manageable, even if it isn’t your ideal, and gain some experience before expanding your garden. Next year’s garden will be a lot easier to manage if you don’t have to start by clearing out this year’s garden disaster and then spend the whole summer battling the weeds that got out of hand in this year’s garden. Ask me how I know.

Have a Plan B, and be flexible.

Any type of agriculture is a gamble.

If you’ve never started seeds indoors before, leave a little room in your budget to purchase bedding plants. If your seeds don’t germinate (it happens, even to experienced seed starters), or they rot, or you forget to water them, or your cat decides that the seed trays make a fabulous litter box, you can still pivot and grow the plants you want, and try again next year with the seed starting.

If you plan to grow enough tomatoes to can your own salsa, but hail takes out your tomato crop, be prepared to visit the farmers’ market or make a trade with a fellow gardener for additional tomatoes.

Your first peach crop might fail due to a late frost, fungal disease, insect infestation or deer. Some of those things are beyond your control, or even your ability to anticipate. That’s just part of the deal.

Be willing to find the lesson in failure.  We learn more from failure than we do from success. Even a gardener with decades of experience will make mistakes and suffer crop failures. Ask questions, be willing to accept advice, and don’t take criticism personally. Be prepared that some of it will be junk, some of it will be delivered in a less than constructive manner, and some of it will be priceless. A little pruning helps a tree to be more fruitful, and challenges will make you a better gardener. Remember that every spring is a fresh start.

Take notes; lots of them. Pay attention. Observe your weather. Watch which plants attract the bees, and which ones attract pests. Write down the date you plant your potatoes, and date you begin harvesting them. If you have to treat your roses for black spot, write down what you used and whether or not it was effective. Three years from now, you won't remember the name of your apricot tree if you don't write it down, and tree tags have a funny way of fading in the sun or disappearing in the wind. Everything you write down will help you to learn to be a better gardener.

A garden planner can help you stay on track, and a garden journal can help you remember past lessons for future gardening seasons. While I've created some beautiful ones, you can absolutely get along with just a plain old notebook. The important thing is to write. it. down.

To get you started, I've created a printable Goal Setting for Gardeners workbook. You can get it for free by joining my email list.