Top 5 gardening tips for beginners

Our top 5 gardening tips for beginners will help you or someone you know to start the gardening journey off equipped with the know-how to get started in the garden. As a beginner gardener, it can seem daunting to wonder where to start, but every gardener has to start somewhere, and it will become a lifelong hobby. Once you put your green fingers to use, you'll never look back. These tips will help to get you started in the garden. 

1. There are no mistakes in the garden 

No question is silly; anything that doesn't work out isn't a mistake. Each season, each garden, every year - it's all changeable, and every gardener comes across situations every year no matter how many years they have been gardening, that can be a challenge. If something doesn't grow as you'd expected or something 'goes wrong', consider this a way to learn. Try to work out why the plant didn't succeed, and next time, do it differently. 

2. Right plant, right place is key 

The best way to help your plants thrive is to ensure you are planting the right plant in the right place. It's not as difficult as it sounds. Know your garden by noting down which areas are shady or sunny, if the soil is clay, sand or loam, or if the soil is alkaline or acidic. Remember that different places in the garden can vary from the next. Looking around your neighbour's garden is an excellent way to know what grows well. When you know what your garden is like, you can buy the appropriate plants for your soil and aspect. Plants will be sold with labels describing what they prefer to be grown in, so always look closely at the details. 

3. Think of it as a journey

Everything you do in the garden is part of a journey into understanding nature, plants and wildlife. There is no end goal because gardens evolve; even the most perfectly landscaped garden will probably change in time. 

4. Saving money in the garden 

Get into the habit of saving money by seed saving from plants you love to grow in the garden, recycling wood, pallets and anything from the kitchen that can be used in the garden. Working with your garden, rather than against it, will help you not to spend lots of money for things not to work out. 

5. Enjoy every step of the progress

Even when things don't go to plan, please take it as a learning curve and enjoy it! Each season, every seed that germinates, your harvests or cut flowers, and the birds that come to the garden are part of the process, so enjoy every part of it. 

Our friendly staff are happy to advise if you need it next time you come into the store.