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How Do I Start Vertical Gardening?

I am an absolute beginner in gardening - where do I start?

  • I have never done any gardening before but have just moved into a house with a small back garden (half lawn, half paved). I would like to start basic gardening but I don't have much time or money or ANY gardening knowledge! I don't have anything in mind - though growing fruit and veg would be nice - but I just want the garden to look a bit more 'kept' and hopefully gain some new skills. So where do I start? Links to any good sources (preferably websites) with starting tips for beginners would also be appreciated.

  • Answer:

    The answers from , , and are all good and point you in the right direction.  A few of my own suggestions: I too started out with absolutely no knowledge of gardening.  I grew up in a large city with virtually nothing in our backyard except concrete.  When I moved to our own house after I was married, I was eager to garden.  But I did not know what I was doing.  When I first started to garden I bought plants, put them in, and then found that most of them were wrong for the amount of sun they had.  I also realized that my soil was not good and needed help.  You need to assess the conditions in your garden. Also, read!  Find some good gardening books that deal with soil, types of plants that are good for your zone, how to plant, and what to plant.  When you are ready to start, don't worry about having a really good plan in terms of what to plant where.  Aside from planting for the correct sun and soil conditions, I have never worried about how plants will look together.  They always look good.  For flowers, I love a mix of all sorts of various colors.  Just think about height--tall in back, shorter in front.  For vegetables, it is important to remember that tall plants (like tomatoes or cucumbers on a trellis) will block the sun from smaller plants (like bush beans).  Other than thinking of that and deciding where to plant so you don't block the sun, plant where you like. To save money, start from seeds if your growing season is long enough (zinnias, for example) or buy smaller plants rather than larger ones.  For annuals (vegetables, petunias, marigolds, herbs, etc.), I have bought both larger and smaller plants and found no difference between the two within a few weeks.  For perennials, smaller plants take a bit longer to grow, but so what?  It might take them an extra year to get to a good size, but with the money you save on smaller plants, you can possibly buy more plants. Go to websites or order some catalogs (they are free) from big seed companies, like Burpees, Johnny's Select Seeds, etc.  I think the catalogs are more fun than the websites--the colors are easier to see.  Once you get on their mailing lists, other companies will send you their own catalogs.  Also, visit nurseries in your area.  The people who work at nurseries are generally helpful and can give you good advice.  Go to several--different nurseries sometimes carry different kinds of plants. You don't need a lot of tools  You can start out with a few hand tools--don't get cheap ones--and a hose.  You might need a shovel to dig holes for bushes.  And perhaps a rake, if you have to smooth the soil after digging or gather up leaves in the fall. Don't worry about doing something wrong--you can always pull up the mistake. And remember that gardening is fun!

Judy Levy Pordes at Quora Visit the source

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First thing you need to do is test your garden's soil (you can get it professionally done if you don't have time or you can do it yourself to save money: http://preparednessmama.com/jar-soil-test/) This will give you a good idea of what your soil needs in order to keep a healthy garden. Secondly, spring is a great time to start planting for exact dates see the Almanac (you can customize by your location): http://www.almanac.com/gardening/planting-dates I would start out planting onions, potatoes, carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, squash, lettuce, and garlic. It's easier to plant from seedlings (baby plants) than from the seed. See this guide for more about spacing your garden: http://www.saferbrand.com/blog/gardening-beginners-garden-game-plan/ Water your plants early morning and the frequency will depend on the temperature where you are located and the soil drainage. Typically, you'll want to water about 1-2 inches a week that may look like 2 deep watering in one week. http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/info/watering-garden.htm

Elizabeth Kelt

My biggest challenge, like you mentioned, is time and money. I don't know much about gardening, but I've always wanted to start one, just didn't want to spend the money on the start-up costs. Here are 2 blogs I found really helpful. They have some tips on how to save money and creative ideas on how to repurpose things around the house and use them as gardening supplies.  http://sm.diytax.com/YSLM and http://sm.diytax.com/YSLB

Catherine Marrin

You will be happy to know that spring is the best season for gardening and any kind of digging. Gardening mostly rainy season such watering seeding and watching is the best for plant grow. To start a gardening, first you can make an idea then pick a place for gardening. after clearing the ground & soul, you may plant seed. After seeding, keep watering when needed.  After all don't forget to Fertilize with a dry fertilizer about halfway through the season...!

Shailendra Kumar

Personally, I am a fan of organic gardening, and a general search of the topic will yield plenty of information. I would start with container gardening until you are more comfortable. That's another easy topic to research. If you have a neighbor with a garden you admire, introduce yourself, and say “ I just love your garden, I've never had one. How did you do it?” Great Way to meet new people and make a friend!

Roz Smith

The soil is the best place to start, have a great foundation of clay that serves as the holding group, then rich nutrient soil that even tells you that it holds the water and conserves the energy.

Patrick Jellum

I think you should first plan what you want to plant. Then search for any quality seed suplier in your area. For suppose you are having problem with space then container gardening is the best choice. But if you are planning to plant stuffs outside the house i.e in your backyard or garden then getting landscaping done, spreading pesticides becomes necessary. For such things we generally require some professionals for this you can get some idea from http://www.gardeningnorthside.com.au/. I have used their service and really having good experience with them. Reference link

Sneath Henry

Okay, first thing to do is to identify your goal. Do you want to grow some veggies for home, or just have a nice lush lawn for your backyard? Once you’ve figured this out, you can start looking for resources, I learnt many of my gardening techniques by reading through forums and blogs. My go to forum site is http://forum.homeone.com.au has lots of active gardeners sharing thoughts on many landscaping issues. I also visit http://blog.diynetwork.com/maderemade for some easy DIY tips on your garden. It also helps if you know where to get gardening supplies. You can easily google wholesale suppliers, just type in “landscape supplies” and the city where you live in. For example, I live in Sydney so I just type in http://www.allstakesupply.com.au/landscape-supplies-sydney and go through the pages of results. Hope these tips can help you start. Happy gardening! Cheers!

Jamie Jones

The United States is a big country and gardening approaches that work well in one area don’t necessarily lead to success in other regions. Increase your odds by checking with local experts before diving in.   Most parts of the country offer access to a Cooperative Extension office where garden experts help guide both novice and experienced growers. Look up the closest office online.   1) Stop in and ask for information on basics: -         Soil considerations for the region -         Weather and growing zone info -         How to assess the amount of sunlight in your garden area (many people get this basic wrong) -         Suggestions for plants; edibles and ornamentals -         Regional tips 2) And, look at the online material that’s been organized for your review. There’s usually a huge amount of information.   These two steps will help you avoid trying to grow things won’t survive in your region (citrus in the Midwest, tropicals in the Northeast) and will help you identify the right plant for your individual site. You’ll improve the likelihood of gardening success your first season. And it’ll get better going forward as you learn more. Have fun!

Jill Fielder

A great place to start is by making sure you are familiar with the lawn problems in your area. This will help you avoid wasting money and/or working around problems your lawn may have. You can check this helpful map to find the lawn problems in your state http://www.sears.com/common-lawn-problems/dap-120000000441321 (sponsored)

Lisa Collins

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