Creating and maintaining a home garden can be a daunting task for beginners. Whether it’s vegetables or flowers you want, starting the journey can seem overwhelming. Kim Clark, co-owner at Lambert Growers, and Heidi Orme, a manager from Millcreek Gardens, give advice to first-time gardeners who are ready to get their green thumbs dirty.

Plan ahead

Depending on the vegetable or plant you are looking to grow, the timing of the crop is crucial. Some vegetables and plants are better suited for colder temperatures, making them ideal to plant in the fall.

“The key is to do your crop when it’s warm enough that the seeds can germinate if you’re directly sowing outside,” said Orme. “Vegetables like broccoli and kale will last through the winter and be ready for an early spring harvest, and flowers like tulips and daffodils will bloom in the spring when planted in the fall.”

Planning ahead and educating yourself on different crops and their ideal cropping and harvesting times is an important part of creating and maintaining a home garden.

When it comes to summer crops, it is recommended to start summer crops like tomatoes and peppers indoors in the early spring. 

“When temperatures get into the mid 40’s they could potentially freeze,” said Orme. “Wait until at least Mother’s Day weekend to start warm crops outside. If needed, they can be started indoors and moved outside once the temperature warms up.”

Another important aspect of planning a home garden is having enough time to dedicate to planning and maintaining the crop.

“Gardening takes dedication,” said Clark. “Once you start, you’re in it for the long haul. There are so many stages of life with gardening. Committing a little bit of time every day to go out and touch grass and dirt can feel daunting, but it’s always rewarding.”

Define your purpose

Many first-time gardeners often get caught up in the details of gardening, making the experience overwhelming. One way to simplify this process is to define the purpose of your garden.

“I always tell customers to ask themselves, ‘what is it that I want for my garden?,’” said Orme. “Whether they want the purpose of the garden to be a visual appearance, a nice smell, a good hangout space, or a kid-friendly garden, those are each going to look different and that will determine what you plant.”

Defining the garden’s purpose helps simplify the process for new gardeners and keeps the most important aspects of gardening at the forefront.

“People sometimes get caught up in decision paralysis,” said Orme. “If you make out a big list, it feels like there’s a lot that can go into planting a garden, and there is, but if you start small, that’s an easy way to simplify. For a vegetable garden, plant something you know you will eat, and then plant one thing different. Maybe you’ll find your new favorite food because home grown tastes so much better than buying it from the store.”

Clark also says that planting something you’re looking forward to harvesting is a good way to get started.

“I always tell customers to try starting with something you want to eat so you feel more of an investment in it,” said Clark. “You can always ask for suggestions on things that are easy to grow. Starting with something like tomatoes might be challenging, but if you come to a specialized garden shop, we can help you know what might be best.”

Gardens can serve many purposes and the results are usually very rewarding.

“There are so many great aspects to growing your own food,” said Clark. “It’s great to have so much pride in doing something. It takes so much time and effort to get started, so harvesting is so rewarding.”

Get creative

Once the planning and purpose of the garden have been decided, creativity helps the garden take shape. 

“Gardening is an experiment and it’s not meant to be perfect,” said Orme. “Not everything goes exactly the way we imagine it will. Make some mistakes and learn as much as you can along the way. Use your creativity to make it your own.”

One way to get creative ideas flowing is to look at examples of gardens in magazines or online, narrowing down what you like visually. Because focusing on visual appeal, smell, and practicality all at once can feel overwhelming, focusing on just one aspect of the garden can help you follow your vision.

“When people wonder about things like whether the flowers they choose will look good together, where they should plant their flowers, and which colored flowers they should plant, they get overwhelmed,” said Orme. “My advice is to start small. Pick one section of your garden and work on that section. Experience the success of that and then work on the next section.”

Have fun, enjoy

While gardening can be hard work, the end-goal of the gardening experience is to create something for you and your family to enjoy.

“Gardens are amazing because we’re not only harvesting food for our bodies, but being in the garden is food for the soul,” said Orme. “There is something refreshing and rejuvenating about being outside and playing in the dirt. It’s very grounding.”

Planting something that delivers quick results is one way to enjoy the process of gardening as a beginner. 

“Sugar Snap Peas are some of my favorite vegetables to crop in the fall,” said Orme. “They grow so fast that you can practically watch them grow.”

Another one of Orme’s favorite vegetables to plant in her home garden is heirloom tomatoes. 

“Tomatoes are some of my favorite things to grow in my garden,” said Orme. “They aren’t hard to maintain and they taste so good when they’re harvested. Nothing beats a home-grown heirloom tomato.”

Aside from nutritious home-grown vegetables, Orme reflects on the visual, de-stressing properties of a flower garden.

“I love to go outside and reground myself in my flower garden,” said Orme. “It helps me de-stress. It’s beautiful. I also love that it’s something I can look at and be proud of. Gardening fills a creative void that a lot of people have, and I love that you can share the harvest of your garden with others.”

Orme said the ultimate key to creating a thriving home garden is to set yourself up for success.

“Don’t overwhelm yourself. Make sure you’re thinking about all of it. Make sure you have good soil, good water, and good fertilizer. Set yourself up for success by using tools that are there to help you succeed.”

Familiarizing yourself with local shops, like Lambert Growers and Millcreek Gardens, is a great place to start.

Feature Image: With the proper care harvests can be bountiful. Photo by Yoksel Zok of Unsplash.