Getting started on gardening

So you've made the decision to start your own garden? Be it a large garden in your front yard or a small container garden indoors, you'll need a fair bit of proper planing to ensure that things run smoothly.

First off, ask yourself what type of gardening do you want to do. Do you plan to convert your neighborhood into a flowery park? Perhaps beautify your house? Or a few potted plants outside your apartment for some greenery to get away from the busy city? Gardening of different scales need different types of equipment. A small watering can is fine for your small rose bush. You'll need sprinkler systems to water an entire field of assorted flowers.

Next consider how much you are willing to spend. For those just getting started on gardening, ideally you would want to cut costs while being able to enjoy watching you first plants blooming with flowers. For starters, you should start small and slowly expand. Aim to spend no more than US$100 on your beginning equipment, seeds and all. You may be tempted to buy the state of the art tools - don't. Most beginners don't know how to fully utilize such equipment anyway. If possible, make a trip to the local discount department store's gardening section. There's plenty of good stuff that you can pick up at value-for-money prices. Remember that you need money to maintain the garden too - buying fertilizer and weed removal products.

Once you have acquired all the equipment necessary, decide on what you will grow. For beginners, you may wish to start with tomatoes and green beans (they grow fast). Make sure you read up on how to grow each plant before you begin, as poor conditions can quickly kill a plant or render it flowerless. Pay attention to the amount of water needed, the soil acidity and the temperature. In the next few posts, you will learn how to grow a few different types of plants.

Good luck and happy gardening!