If you’re looking for a new hobby this year, look no further than this guide. Gardening is the perfect beginner pastime for anyone, anywhere.
Whatever your reasons are for wanting to be a beginner at gardening, you’ve made a great decision.
See below our Beginners Guide to Gardening.
Did you know gardening has been proven to help with:
-Mental wellbeing including stress, anxiety, and depression by releasing ‘feel good’ endorphins
-Burning calories
-Diet and healthy living, growing your own fresh, organic fruits and vegetables is much better for you
-Improved immune system, due to growing plants, handling soil/compost that contain bacteria and microorganisms
-Studies have shown growing in your garden helps alleviate allergies and asthma symptoms
And if that’s not enough for you, gardening is fun and enjoyable, so read on in our guide to learn the basics for growing beginners.
Clean up and tidy your garden
Beginning this guide, we believe that before you do anything and just like an artist you need a clean, blank canvas to begin gardening and growing.
Rake or scarify any garden leaves and debris, mow your lawn and tidy your garden shed or greenhouse.
Get familiar with your garden
In the next part of this guide as a growing beginner it’s a good idea to get friendly with your garden or outdoor area before you start any hands-on gardening or growing.
A couple of things to check as a beginner to gardening and growing are:
-Your aspect; is it south or north-facing. This will allow you as a beginner to work out where the sun hits the ground and decide what plants are best for this type of facing.
-Your soil type. An easy way to determine this as a beginner to growing, is with a handy soil testing kit. These ingenious and inexpensive devices permit you as a gardening beginner to test the pH level of the soil. Soil can be either acidic or alkaline. Some plants will only grow in certain types of soil, this will help you as a growing beginner when you decide what to grow in your garden.
Plan and take inspiration
Next in this handy guide we suggest you take some time to think about what you would like from your garden or outside space as a beginner to gardening.
Making a collage or mood board of garden images that you like can inspire you as a gardening beginner.
Some things to consider as a beginner might be:
-Would you like a growing garden, a place to grow your own fruits and vegetables as a beginner.
Or would you prefer a quiet, sanctuary to sit in with a glass of wine at the end of a long day.
-Any colours you would like. Colours create emotions. If you are designing a tranquil bolt hole it’s crucial you choose relaxing shades.
These can include the colours of plants you will grow but also decorations you like such as trellises, planters or arches. You could also paint garden walls or fences a calming shade of blue.
-As a gardening beginner you may be planning to entertain in your garden. You will then require seating or a BBQ area with a fire pit.
If you are a complete beginner to gardening and need some tools or growing equipment, we recommend only getting the beginner basics.
See our helpful blog guide: 5 Products Every New Gardener Needs.
Begin creating your idellyic garden space
This is the final part of our beginner’s guide, once you have a rough idea of what you are looking for in your new garden, you can roll up your sleeves and get started.
Remember, as this guide suggests, start small and work your way up to the more complicated tasks. As you take on more in your garden your confidence and skills will grow.
Some of the easiest plants to grow in your garden if you’re a beginner are; herbs or microgreens (these can also be grown on a sunny windowsill), salad leaves, tomatoes and sunflowers, sweet peas and marigolds (these are hardy and low maintenance).
Keep on top of maintenance tasks in your garden, such as weeding, pruning, mowing, watering and feeding or composting. As a gardening beginner it may help to write in your calendar as a guide to remember. You don’t want weeds or pests taking over your garden.
Conclusion
Beginning any new hobby can seem daunting, but gardening and growing have so many advantages that you shouldn’t be put off if you are a beginner to gardening.
The hints in this guide will help you take gardening and growing at your own pace.
Remember to have fun and enjoy all your hard work in your new garden or outside space.
Happy gardening!