Whether you’re looking for a new hobby or want to try sustainable gardening to do more for the planet (and your wallet), getting outside, planting bulbs, and spending more time pruning branches is a great opportunity.
But getting into any activity can be tricky if you’ve never done it before, and if you’ve never had a garden, you might not have the knowledge or the tools to dig in and break ground. The good news is that gardening is one of the most accessible hobbies you can try, so check out these tips to help you get into gardening.
Get the Right Tools
You can’t garden successfully without the right equipment, so purchasing essential gardening tools is crucial for starting your garden.
You don’t need to invest too much or buy the most expensive tools at first. Since you’re only just getting into gardening, you can get by with a few basic tools like a trowel and pruning shears.
As you learn more about gardening and spend more time outside, you can increase your collection and upgrade to the most robust and reliable tools that can handle regular use.
Tidy Your Garden
Since you’ll spend plenty of time in your garden, you may as well tidy it up. Mowing the lawn, cutting back bushes, and removing garden debris (like branches and leaves) is a great place to start.
Getting into gardening can be overwhelming, especially when you realise it’s not as straightforward as expected. You can make things easier by tidying it up and removing as much as possible. This approach gives you a clean slate so you get to work without feeling like there’s anything in the way.
Make the Space
Some people prefer to redo their entire garden whereas others might only want to use a specific part of the garden, such as where you’ll get the most sun. You can also install a greenhouse if you want a dedicated space that keeps your plants safe.
Once you’ve established the space for your gardening adventures, you can cordon off the area or use planters to make it look more like a garden. Although you won’t have anything to grow yet, this will come once you focus more on your new hobby.
Plan The Garden
It’s also worth planning your garden so you know what to expect and how to get the best out of your plants. Thankfully, even beginners can find advice to plan and design their garden to make sure you get everything in its right place to prevent crowding.
You can also look at which plants or flowers thrive in different conditions. While you’re likely to start your garden in the summer, you still want it to look great throughout the year, so finding plants that can survive colder or wetter conditions is also ideal.
Start With Something Easy
You don’t want to try to do too much too soon, so starting with easy, entry-level gardening ideas will help you build momentum and actually enjoy the process.
Many people try to plant exotic fruits or tricky vegetables that may or may not turn out great. This approach discourages them and it can feel like all their hard work went to waste. Instead, try growing wildflowers, lavender, or strawberries which are all ideal for beginners.
Look Out For Pests
Another issue could be garden pests. Knowing about common problems, including aphids, slugs and caterpillars should help you prepare for them. You can use protective measures to keep animals and pests away from your plants, such as fencing. However, this only sometimes works. You could use pesticides, but this might not fit with your all-natural approach. Instead, monitor your plants and garden closely to see whether there are any pests. If you notice issues, you can find advice for dealing with them and protecting your garden.
Use Compost
Using compost can increase the number of nutrients your plants get, which will drastically affect how well they grow. Instead of throwing out food waste, put everything into a compost bin which you can then use to fertilise your plants and encourage them to thrive.
In fact, anything natural can help your plants grow. Besides food waste, you can use grass cuttings and leaves. This approach is more sustainable and affordable as you won’t need to go to the garden centre to buy fertiliser.
Prune Regularly
Similarly, the more you take care of your garden, the easier it will be to maintain it and develop a reliable habit. If you prune your bushes and plants regularly, you ensure everything grows as it should. As you prune regularly, you’ll learn more about what each plant likes and needs, allowing you to transplant them if necessary or give them more water than others.
Regular pruning keeps everything under control, so your garden will continue to look its best throughout the year.
Encourage Wildlife
The idea of a pristine garden has evolved over the years. Many passionate gardeners use their space to improve the environment and ecosystem. You can have flower beds lining each side of the garden, but keeping a wildflower patch by letting the grass grow will encourage bees and other insects to come around, pollinate, and improve the environment.
Spend Plenty of Time There
The more time you spend in your garden. The more you’ll get out of it. Therefore, getting into gardening is easy as long as you keep doing it. You will learn more and develop attachments to all your plants. Although it might take some time to get going, especially since many plants can take a while to grow, you’ll be amazed at how that first sprout makes you feel. As you spend more time in your garden, you can explore different plants, get more ambitious, and maybe enter a few flower shows eventually.
Gardening
Many people have found gardening to be a fantastic hobby that benefits the body and the mind. Gardening gives you an excuse to spend more time outside and helps you find some purpose. The fruits of your labour are also a bonus, and you can pick up plenty of fun skills along the way and make your garden one of the most attractive parts of your home.
