Starting a Garden a Beginner Guide (2024)

Everything you need to know as a beginner starting a garden from seed to harvest. Beginner friendly with need-to-know tips!

When diving into gardening and starting a garden we know the excitement that comes with dreaming of the summer days harvesting all the fresh produce. There’s nothing like watching your hard work grow into a harvest and eating food you’ve grown! But as a newbie, it can feel very overwhelming when it’s time to start. So we want to take out the guesswork and give you a step-by-step guide. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know for starting a garden, from seed to harvest.

Getting Started: Choosing Your Garden Space When Starting a Garden

The first step in starting a garden is selecting the perfect spot for your homestead. You want your garden to be easily accessible and in eyesight. If your garden is in a location on your land that you enjoy being then you’re likely to take better care of it. You also want it to be close to water access, have good sunlight quality, at least 6 hours of sun a day, and the soil to drain well and be nutrient rich.

We did our garden close to our house but since it was newly built the topsoil was gone due to leveling out the building area. In our naivety, we planted our first garden here straight in the dirt. It wasn’t even close to successful. This year we are using soil we purchased that’s designed for gardening. This way we can be sure the plants will get the nutrients they need to thrive. You can also test your soil to see if your soil to see how you can best amend it.

Choosing Your Garden Method

Different garden methods suit different spaces, preferences, and needs. We are starting with raised beds on our new homestead since we’ve had so much success with it in the past. We plan on adding a larger market garden as we expand. Our goal is to supply most of our food year-round. I recommend choosing one and starting small. Going all out can cause burnout and overwhelm. Start small and expand as you get hands-on experience when starting a garden as a beginner. Here are some popular garden methods, including raised beds, container gardening, and traditional in-ground planting:

1. Raised Bed Gardening

What it is: Raised bed gardening involves growing plants in beds that are elevated above the ground level. These beds are typically framed with wood, stone, or other materials and filled with soil.

Advantages:

• Improved drainage and soil aeration.
• Better control over soil quality and composition.
• Easier access for planting, weeding, and harvesting.
• Warmer soil temperatures, extend the growing season.

Ideal for:

• Gardeners with poor soil quality or drainage issues.
• Those with limited space or mobility.
• Vegetables, herbs, and flowers.

2. Container Gardening

What it is: Container gardening involves growing plants in pots, containers, or other vessels instead of directly in the ground. This method allows for flexibility in placement and can be adapted to various spaces, from balconies to patios.

Advantages:

• Ideal for small spaces like apartments, balconies, or patios.
• Easy to move and rearrange.
• Control over soil quality and composition.
• Minimal weeding required.

Ideal for:

• Urban dwellers with limited outdoor space.
• Those who want to grow herbs, flowers, or vegetables in a controlled environment.
• Gardeners who enjoy experimenting with different container designs and arrangements.

3 Traditional In-Ground Planting

What it is: Traditional in-ground planting involves directly planting seeds or seedlings into the native soil of your garden without any raised beds or containers.

Advantages:

• Natural integration with the surrounding environment.
• No need for additional materials like raised bed frames or containers.
• Suitable for large-scale gardening operations.

Ideal for:

• Gardeners with ample space and access to fertile soil.
• Growing a wide range of crops, including large vegetables and root crops.
• Those who prefer a more traditional or naturalistic approach to gardening.

Seed Starting for beginners

Now, onto the fun part – seed starting! When starting a garden this is usually the most intimidating part but it’s really easier than it seems and can save you a lot of money! One whole packet of seeds is often less than one plant start from a nursery. You can get quality seeds from your favorite nursery or online. We like to order ours from MIGardener and Bakers Creek. My biggest tip before you get seeds is to think about what your family eats on the regular and grow those things! There’s no point in growing things you and your family won’t eat. I like to get varieties I can’t get from the grocery store. This makes the hard work feel even more worth it. Then look over the seed selection and get things you’d like to try as well.

When to Start Seeds

I usually like to start our seeds indoors a few weeks before the last frost date in our area. You can go to the farmer’s almanac online and find the last frost date for your area. The back of the seed packets will recommend how many weeks you’ll want to start them before the last frost.

What to Start Seeds in

When starting a garden you have two options for starting seeds. You can start in small seed starting trays from Walmart and uppot them later. Or you can order some larger seed starting trays and skip that step. I currently uppot mine but next year plan on ordering the larger trays. Either way, you want your pots to be in a tray. This is for your convenience! It’s so much easier to pour water in the bottom of the tray than watering each little plant one pot at a time.

To start: Fill your trays or pots with moist soil. Sew 2-3 seeds to ensure spouting just under the top of the soil. Cover with plastic or a dome to keep them warm. Keep them moist and warm and in 1-2 weeks you’ll find lots of happy little seedlings sprouting! If you need to up pot to bigger trays do this after they get their first set of true leaves.

Direct Sowing Seeds

Depending on your area and growing season some seeds can be directly sown in the garden.

We directly sow our lettuces every year. Beans and peas do great being sown directly outside. Also, any root vegetables that don’t like their roots messed with do better directly sown like radishes, carrots, beets, and turnips.

Hardening Off: Preparing Plants for the Outdoors

Before your little plant babies are ready to brave the great outdoors, they need a bit of tough love. Start by gradually introducing them to outdoor conditions – think sunlight, wind, and temperature changes. It’s like boot camp for plants, but trust me, they’ll thank you for it later when they’re thriving in the garden.

Day 1: Put plants outside during the early morning or evening for two hours. Move back inside.
Day 2: Move outside for 3 hours. Move back inside.
Day 3: Move plants outside for 4 hours. Avoid the middle of the day when the sun is harshest. Move back inside.
Continue this for 7 days by adding 1-2 hours on each day. By day 7 they will be ready for the garden! Plant them in the evening and water well!

Moving Day: Transplanting Seedlings into Their Forever Home. Starting a Garden!

Once your seedlings are hardened off and the frost is nothing but a distant memory, it’s time for the big move. Gently transplant your plants into the garden, give ’em a good drink, and watch as they settle into their home. They may experience some shock. This is normal. After a few days, they should recover and perk back up!

Transplanting tips:

Transplant on an overcast day or in the early morning or evening.
Make sure the soil is moist and loose.
Be gentle with the roots.
Water well after transplanting.
Mulch around plants to hold in more water.

How to arrange your Garden. Where to Plant What.

You can play around with this and find what works best for your garden. Here are some tips you can keep in mind when you’re starting a garden and deciding where to plant things!

1. Consider Plants that are heavy feeders and heavy drinkers and try not to put them right beside each other so they don’t have to compete for water or nutrients.

Heavy feeders: Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, squash, broccoli, potatoes, melons, cabbage, Brussels
Light Feeders: Lettuce, radishes, carrots, onions, garlic, spinach, beets, turnips, kale, herbs, swiss chard

Heavy Drinkers: Cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, watermelon, squash, pumpkins, beans, celery, lettuce, spinach
Light Drinkers: Radishes, carrots, onions, garlic, beets, turnips, kale, swiss chard, Brussel sprouts, broccoli

2. Disperse plants that repel pests throughout and attract pollinators.

3. Consider Plant Size

Plants that get larger like trellised melons and squash, okra, sunflowers, and tomatoes cast a shadow. You can use this shadow to provide shade for plants that like the shade! These include most types of lettuce, root vegetables, and many herbs.

Tending to Your Garden

Now that your garden is in full swing, it’s time to roll up those sleeves and get to work. Mulching around your plants to help hold in water and suppress weeds, Keep your plants happy and hydrated with regular watering, and keep an eye out for any unwanted guests. Trust me, a little love and attention go a long way in starting a garden.

Watering

Water the plants at the base. Use a slow drip hose soaker if possible to saturate the soil down deep and allow for less watering on your end! Plants take in water at their roots so there’s no need to get the leaves wet. Keeping them dry helps to prevent sickness and pathogens from spreading. We can’t control the rain but we can control how we water them!

Pest Control

We prefer organic gardening so we don’t use any commercial pest sprays or powders. Here are some natural ways to deter and kill unwanted pests from your garden. Stock up on pest control of choice at the beginning of the season so you can take action at the first sight of any pests! You can find a more detailed list of natural pest control methods and Homemade pest spray here!

1. Use herbs and plants that naturally deter pests. (list of plants that do this is above under Arranging The Plants)
2. Hand pick off any pests you see and put in soapy water to kill them(wear garden gloves if this creeps you out)
3. Sprinkle food-grade diatomaceous earth on plants. This destroys the outer layer exoskeleton of hard-shelled insects and dehydrates soft-bodied insects. Be sure to wear a mask, as this is just as abrasive to our lungs!
   Effective on: squash bugs, Japanese beetles, slugs, snails, aphids, pill bugs, flea beetles, cutworms
4. Homemade Garden Pest Spray. You can find a recipe here.
   Effective on: Japanese beetles, mealybugs, mites, thrips, aphids
5. 100% cold pressed Neem Oil. Mix according to instructions. Typically, you’ll use about 1-2 tablespoons of neem oil per gallon of water. Add a small amount of castile soap to help the neem oil emulsify. Spray on leaves, stems, and soil.
   

Care

Weed Control: Mulch will help keep weeds suppressed, but any that pop through pull out with your hand or a hoe. Be sure to pull them out at their roots.

Pruning: Regularly prune dead, damaged, or overgrown branches to promote air circulation, improve light penetration, and maintain plant health.

Deadheading: Remove spent flowers regularly to encourage continuous blooming and prevent the plant from wasting energy on seed production.

Harvesting

• Harvest Early in the Day: Harvest fruits and vegetables early in the day when they are at their peak freshness and flavor.
• Use Sharp Tools: Use clean, sharp pruners or scissors to harvest fruits, vegetables, and herbs to minimize damage to the plant.
• Store Properly: After harvesting, store fruits, vegetables, and herbs in a cool, dry place or refrigerate them as needed to maintain freshness.

By harvesting fruits, vegetables, and herbs at the right time, you can enjoy the best flavor, texture, and nutritional value from your garden produce.

If you want a hands-on book as a beginner gardener, We really enjoy this one!

Enjoy it!

Experiment with different techniques, and don’t be afraid to mix and match to create a garden that’s uniquely yours. Create a sitting area near by or place a chair in your garden so you can enjoy it! Grab a cup of coffee or refreshing tea and relax by your garden. After all, the joy of gardening lies in the journey of nurturing and watching your plants thrive. Happy gardening!