Many people are very intimidated at the thought of becoming a plant parent. This is an accurate assumption to the untrained eye. I would go so far as to say, the first year that a gardener experiences is the most important growing season a gardener will ever have.
The very first time you decide to start a garden often times people think buying seeds and soil is really all you need to get started and essentially thats true, but there are many steps to be taken before sticking your hands in the dirt that 1st time growers miss almost every time (including myself). Although I would consider myself young and as of now an intermediate gardener, I have always kept a garden since I was 18 years old, and now 12 years later I have experience with a multitude of different types of gardens and growing plants in general.
I‘ve had a passion for growing my own plants and nourishing them through their life cycles, but It wasn’t until i decided to undertake serious indoor and greenhouse gardens that I realized all the years i’ve grown a garden I had absolutely no idea what I was doing.
I take much of my inspiration from my grandmother, god mother and aunt who all have grown plants my entire life. Embarking on the path of being a successful plant parent can be easy as pie if you first do the proper research, so you don‘t end up disappointed and out of a grip of money later on down the road.
Top Mistakes of First Time Gardeners
New gardeners tend to plant what they want to grow versus what their environment can successfully grow. (Knowing what climate your growing in matters!)
Using poor soil
Over-feeding, over-watering, under-watering, inconsistent feedings
Bad cleanliness habits, cross-contamination of plant pests
No knowledge of plant problems
Growing the wrong plants together or close by each other, not enough spacing
forgetting you have plants
little or no pollination
Animals, fungus, mold, and pests discovered to late to help plants
no plant training, no pruning, over ripening
Knocking the basics out of the way before sowing your seeds is the first step in becoming a better gardener. You can’t be a bad gardener if your unaware of what your missing to become a successful gardener. For those living in the southern part of the US you can enjoy long growing seasons making a first time gardener‘s experience much easier for a second grow. Tackling issues early on and always researching and documenting your garden activities is an essential aspect of maintaining a garden.
If your thinking of becoming a gardener first, determine how large or small you want your garden to be. Understand that gardening can become an addicting habit for some, others find that they really dont like gardening at all. For those with limited space, should opt for an indoor garden, this way you can really get a feel at what it takes to actually keep a plant alive without having to bother with it on a regular basis. If you have a balcony I would recommend first starting with an herb garden which provides an abundant supply of the freshest herbs that you can incorporate in cooking and other projects, these are easy to maintain with minimal work.
If your thinking of becoming a better gardener subscribe to Mo’s Lifestyle blog for detailed guides on maintaining your garden, giving yourself resources to answer your questions in real-time as you start your garden journey.
