60 Top Gardening Tips For New Gardeners

Throughout my gardening journey, people have frequently sought my top advice for beginners. It’s a question that I have grappled with quite a bit. Over the years, I’ve dispensed a lot of gardening guidance on my YouTube channel. Still, the question lingers – what is my premier gardening tip?

My number one tip for new gardeners. It is NEVER to USE A Tiller until you have removed all the perennial weeds. Well-meaning gardeners usually tell new gardeners to use a Tiller to till the soil. This is a huge mistake, as you will cut up perennial weeds making your issue a hundred times worse.

This question also got me thinking about everyone else’s number one tip. So, I contacted gardeners on Facebook and asked them this question.

What to expect tips for new gardeners

This blog will give you the number one tips from many seasoned gardeners on Facebook. Some of which I will add my two cents worth at the end. These are tips I think every new gardener can benefit from. This resource can set you on the right path as a new gardener.

Before I continue, I want you to know that every new gardener has felt the same as you. Asking the question. Where do I start? I decided to make this post 60 top tips for new gardeners. Use these experienced gardeners’ advice and know it’s tried and tested. Of course, I am always happy to answer questions and provide further advice via my YouTube Channel.

New to Gardening?

The first of our tips is about things you should consider before starting. This will place you in the right mindset for gardening and sticking with it throughout the year.

  • Carol Bee says, ‘Find an old Pro to ask advice’ This is good advice; speaking to gardeners around you can help with local climates, soil conditions when to expect first frost dates, and so forth. You can glean a lot from sitting down and having tea with an old gardener who has stood the test of time.
  • Keith Bissonnette says, ‘Talk to other gardeners who can advise you about plant disease, pests, watering, and other environmental challenges you may face.
  • Mike Smith says, ‘I learned much from watching YouTube videos, Facebook groups, and Magazines. Do a lot of research before you waste time and money.

It is essential to establish connections with local gardeners around you. Maybe there is a gardening club. You have a local allotment society or even a community garden you can reach out to. I would also suggest joining some gardening groups on social media. This can be a great way to get instant answers to those burning questions.

Planning Where to Garden

Whether you want to grow vegetables or flowers and shrubs, knowing where you will garden will be the first thing you should consider. Not everyone has their land. You may live in a flat or apartment or even in rented accommodation with limited outside space.

If this is the case, look for community gardens or allotments, or even contact neighbors who may be too elderly to look after their gardens now and see if you can arrange to garden in exchange for flowers or vegetables.

If you have your garden at home, a smallholding, or a homestead, you will have precisely what you need and can skip the last step.

Garden Design

This subject is all down to personal preference. However, there are fundamental rules to follow. If you garden to grow a garden to relax in, then tranquil planting and possibly flowing water will help you get where you want to be. But this is a subject for other blog posts.

Here I wish to tackle the basics of how you can design your garden. Lori Pokol says, ‘To pre-plan and experiment,’ and Sudheer Manthri says, ‘To plan before you plant. This is sound advice; by pre-planning, we already know the number of plants required, their position to be planted, and their conditions.

Tips for new gardeners

Tips for new gardeners on planning a garden

With the invention of the internet, programmers have designed many tools to aid the gardener. These tools, such as the Gardena Garden Design tool and the Vegetable Garden Planner, are designed to help maximize your gardening space’s productivity and beauty.

Consider the foundations for your garden where large items will go that you do not want to be moving regularly, for example. The placement of compost bins. More on these a little later in the blog.

Thresa White has a precious point on this subject too. She says, ‘Take time to research what you want in your garden. Draw it out before you plant. I did not follow this plan. I used time and energy only to change the whole layout. I learned the hard way.

Improving Garden Soil

I have been making YouTube gardening videos for over nine years. And throughout that time, I have always said that you must feed the soil, not your plants. This increases the soil life, and a by-product of this means your plants get everything they require. This tip also comes from David Mann and Kevin Searcy, who agree with me, and Gloria Crenshaw says, ‘Soil is the key.’

Ernst Ernst says, ‘soil test and light measurements. Performing a soil test can reveal what you are working with. This will give you scarce minerals or nutrients and tell your soil’s underlying PH. There are many products on the market to test soils. Terri Stralow says, ‘Invest in the dirt. It’s worth the money. And this is backed by Kimberley Reynolds also.

I have tried many of them, but the best one I found and used at home is Amazon’s Luster Leaf 1662 Professional Soil Test Kit. This has 40 fantastic tests. It enables you to take soil samples from all over your garden to ensure the right growing conditions for the plants you wish to grow in that space.

An alternative is to send soil samples away for professional testing. I have done this in the past, and it shows a complete breakdown of your soil’s nutrient cycle. Companies such as Lancrop Laboratories and Agrolab.  This is for more serious gardeners. I used it when trying to break a world record for the heaviest marrow. Which still eludes me.

Composting at home

Barb Hughes says, ‘Take care of your soil and learn how to compost.’ Now we know what our soil contains; we need to consider how we will maintain the soil in its current form and improve upon it.

That is where composting comes into play. There are many ways to compost, and I have a YouTube video on building a compost pile.

This video shows you exactly how the composting process works. However, if you prefer to read this in blog format, you can find it here.

There are many ways to compost: piling it on the floor in a heap, using a manufactured compost bin, or even a bin from pallets. No matter how you compost, the important thing is that you plan to compost. Victoria Wilds says, ‘It’s all about the soil.’ And Michele Sullivan Burns agrees with Victoria.

Raised Beds or Ground

Over the past ten years, it has become popular to grow in raised beds. Raised bed gardening has many advantages and disadvantages, like growing in the ground. It is all down to personal preference.

Here are the pros and cons of raised beds

raised-bed-advantages

Here are the pros and cons of Growing in the ground.

ground-advantages

However, Robert G McLaughlin says you decide to grow, ‘leave plenty of room between beds. This will allow you to work comfortably and get a wheelbarrow around the garden. Gardening is a lot of fun if you plan your space accordingly.

Watering the Garden

This is another consideration you need before ever planting anything. You may be lucky enough to have a tap right in your garden where it is required. But today, we are all getting much more conscious about saving water. There are a few ways to save and collect rainwater to irrigate your garden.

moisture-meter

Aydin Keigan says, ‘My moisture meter helps me not to overwater my plants.’ This is a good idea, especially for new gardeners who don’t understand that individual plants require different water amounts.

Taps may not be available if you are gardening on a homestead, a smallholding, or even an allotment. For 12 years, I gardened when the only source of water I had available was rainwater. I had to ensure I was utilizing all buildings for rainwater catchment.

I have gotten so used to this that even though I have tapped in my garden, I still use around 95% rainwater. Leslie Roos says, ‘Have a good water source system.’ To see my 10,000-litre rainwater catchment on YouTube, click here.

This is not only better for the environment but also saves money purchasing water from water companies. But it’s also better for your plants in most cases. I wouldn’t use rainwater when watering seedlings, as this can cause fungi and moss to grow, killing them.

Linda Thomas says, ‘Water Less.’ There are many ways in which to do this. Lately, I made a video about hydroponic peppers, and those six plants have not used 100 liters between them all year. This is a great way to save water. Using a watering can is often not the most effective way to water. Drip irrigation, soaker hoses, and hydroponics systems like this Autopot system I bought on Amazon can all be significantly used to save water.

Yvonne Cleveland Says, ‘Invest in a sprinkler system or buy a timer and drip hoses to help your plants stay evenly watered. This will save your plants when you get bored, busy or on vacation.

What gardening tools do I need?

I have always said a gardener’s best friend is the garden hoe. There are so many different types of hoe, and I have many of them. Onion, Dutch, and speed hoe, but my all-time favorite is the Stirrup hoe I purchased on Amazon.

This allows me to hoe off newly germinated weed seedlings within minutes. These few minutes a day saves me days of weeding later in the growing season.

Don Clarke says, ‘Make sure you got a spade and a fork.’ A rake, a hand trowel, and a straight line would also be helpful.

Image of a garden spade and rake

Planting a Garden

We have now got into the structure, designed what we want and where we want it, and now have the support structures in place. These may be climbing frames for beans, such as this video I made earlier this year.

Now it’s time to get sowing. That’s right, and we can now think about actually growing something. There are many ways to grow. We can go to a garden center or big box store and buy plant starts to take home and start our garden.

Judy O’Keefe says, ‘Try seeds. It’s fun,’ which is an alternative and the primary way many gardeners go, especially if you have extensive gardens or growing your food. Seeds save you money, but you see a plant’s development from start to finish. This helps you understand what that species of plant needs much more.

Donna Gibbons-Wert says, ‘Check what planting zone you are in and whether a plant-like sun or shade and plant accordingly‘ This is a great tip. You have to know exactly what each set of plants requires, and this can go back to the planning phase, but when you are sowing, it ensures you don’t plant too many of one type of plant.

Viola McShannon Says, ‘Grow what you love to eat. This is good advice, especially if you are short of space, but I would add here that don’t be afraid to try new things now and then.

Sowing seeds

Successional sowing is essential too. Sow smaller amounts. Some plants, like radishes, grow and are harvested very quickly, so you need to sow other seeds a few weeks later to provide you with new followers on crops. Others like Jerusalem artichokes – sunchokes take all season and need to be planted the once. Read the labels that come with your seeds.

When sowing seed, it is important to label everything, don’t be tempted to plant tray upon tray thinking you will remember what is in each tray.

Water seedlings when they come through with tap water only, as discussed earlier. It is much better and more sterile for the plants; if you are worried about chlorine, fill your water cans a day before and let them stand. The chlorine will dissipate overnight.

Potting on Seedlings

It is essential to be able to move seedlings on as they grow. When sown in trays or modules, they are deprived of nutrients as they use them up in the growth. Potting seedlings into a larger container with fresh potting soil allows the seeding to continue its growth.

When potting, you should consider the plants. Some require long taproots, so deep-root trainers are necessary. For others, just a little larger pot will suffice, don’t be tempted to try and skip steps by moving the seedling into larger pots as this often means the soil holds too much moisture, and damping-off can occur, killing your seedlings.

Keep moving plants onto the next-sized pot as required. This will give you an early start while it is still cold outside. It may need fleece at times to protect your seedlings as they grow.

The advantage is that growing seedlings in this way will mean you can have a continual supply when required, and as soon as the outside soil warms, you can start to transplant, how your transplant is dependent on the plants you are taking outside.

Transplanting Seedlings

It is essential to acclimatize any plants grown indoors before taking them out. Initially, putting them in the cold frame through the days and returning them through the nights. This gives them a chance to acclimatize.

Eventually, you leave them outside in the days to return at night. It would help if you did this over several weeks. After which, you may transplant the seedlings into their final growing spots. It prevents transplant shock to the new seedlings. Not doing this is the number 1 cause of seedlings dying when they are put outside.

Susie Spearing says, ‘Don’t Plant seedlings too close together. Remember, they will grow’. Kathryn Dipietro says, ‘Dig the hole twice as deep and twice as big around as you thought you would need.’ And Scott Andrews says, ‘Dig a 10-dollar hole for a 2-dollar plant. Give new plants the best chance to spread their roots.

Jackie Penn Says, ‘Consider companion planting with flowers which will attract beneficial insects such as bees for pollination.

Plant Protection

You have your frail little seedlings all placed out. And now there are all sorts of dangers, from the birds to the dreaded slugs. Regarding slugs, if you need a surefire way to beat this pest, check out this video.

It may be required for certain crops like brassicas and lettuce, and fruit. We may need to get them to protect them from the birds. These can take the tops off your seedlings when food sources are in short supply. I have seen many gardeners turning the sky blue, screaming at birds for destroying their freshly planted gardens.

Frost protection may also be required. Cloches, tunnels, fleece, and Vegimesh are also great ways to create microclimates to protect against frost and insects. As Lisa Grant Paris says about insects, ‘Buy Praying Mantis and Ladybugs on Amazon.’ This is good advice; bringing in natural predators to control pests that can decimate crops can only be good. I also have a video here to help with pests in the garden.

Zoomed image of two ladybugs

Tip. Create a Pond

Additionally, you may want to create a pond that will help bring wildlife into the garden. This is one of my tips for new gardeners. This one thing will help with controlling pest species within the garden. It will attract hedgehogs, butterflies, birds, frogs, newts, and wildlife that will help you. Check out this video for a pond with a difference.

Mulching your crops can help retain water and keep down weeds. SA Rena says, ‘Mulching first.’ This also helps with pest species, as many don’t like climbing over certain mulches.

More tips for new gardeners

I love gardening; it is my hobby, but not only that, it is my passion, and I am sure it will become yours too. Coralie Druin-Shaw says, ‘One of the greatest rewards to the garden is there’s something new to see every day because it’s alive.’ That is great about gardening; we are joining mother nature and tending to our little land.

I am working in conjunction with the wildlife that shares it with us. Before I go, I would like to add a few more tips from Facebook gardeners below that I haven’t added to this blog’s body. But I think these are worth noting for any new gardener.

Olga Henderson Says, ‘Start small, and don’t get discouraged; Plants die even if you did everything perfectly.’

Linda Dungy Ray Says. ‘Don’t Obsess over getting it right when you start. Perfect way or not, pull on your gloves and go to work. There are a few things you cannot fix if you goof’.

Debbie Taylor Says, ‘Keep notes, what you like Vs. what you don’t like. Try new things. It’s all an experiment. Don’t sweat it; try something else if it doesn’t work out.

Huw Richards Says, ‘Always focus on the successes in the first year. Don’t let failures bring you down. Even the most experienced gardeners have failures.

FAQs on

What is the most essential thing in gardening?
The most crucial thing in gardening is nurturing the plants with care and attention. Providing the right amount of water, sunlight, and nutrients and regularly monitoring for pests and diseases ensures healthy growth and a bountiful harvest. Gardening also requires patience, love, and a deep connection with nature.

What should I do first in my garden?
To start your garden, begin by assessing your space and sunlight conditions. Plan the layout, choose suitable plants, and prepare the soil accordingly. Clear any debris, remove weeds, and ensure proper drainage. Consider the season and plant at the right time. Lastly, water regularly and provide adequate care for your plants to thrive. Happy gardening!

What is the best soil for a beginner gardener?
The best soil for a beginner gardener is loamy soil. It has a balanced sand, silt, and clay texture, offering good drainage and water retention. Loamy soil is rich in nutrients, making it ideal for most plants. Add organic matter to enhance its fertility and structure for successful gardening.

Conclusion

I couldn’t agree more with all of the tips given by the gardeners of Facebook here. They have fantastic advice for any new gardener just starting their journey into this great hobby. I, for one, really hope this blog post has given you room for thought and helped you get on the right track.

But of course, this isn’t the end-all and be-all of gardening, but following the advice here will help you. Consider subscribing to my YouTube channel, where I constantly put out helpful content full of tips and walk you through the entire process.

Before I say goodbye, I want to put one more thing for you to remember. It doesn’t matter what happens; Winter has a great way of resetting the garden. Even the best gardeners struggle occasionally and are not afraid to ask questions because the only stupid question is never asked.

If you enjoyed this post and think other gardeners and new people getting into gardening will enjoy it, I would appreciate you sharing it on Social Media groups. Happy gardening, and remember, folks, you reap what you sow.

Tony 

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