What You’ll Need
A place to plant
Figure out exactly where you’re going to start your garden. This could be a four-by-four foot area in your yard or a planter in your window; it all depends on the space you have available. Raised beds are typically easier to grow things in, and you get a better yield. If you have an opportunity and the space to create a raised bed, definitely do it!
Good soil
Nutrient-rich soil is essential to your success as a gardener. If you don’t have great soil available to you, enrich what you have using a 50-50 mix of compost and your native soil, or simply buy soil from a nursery.
Sun
Vegetables need at least eight hours of full sun a day, while flowers and other decorative plants have varying sunlight needs. Study what kind of light your garden area receives throughout the day, and pick plants accordingly.
Basic Tools
Make sure to have a spade, a garden fork, a hoe, a hand weeder, some hardy gloves and a basket for moving around mulch or soil.
Seeds or Clippings
See the bottom of the page for the best flowers and vegetables to grow this spring!
Tips and Tricks
Start slow and small
Spring is a great time to begin digging and growing. Plan ahead what seeds you would like to acquire and where you wish to plant them. Consider carefully what plants you choose, and research their compatibility. Sometimes plants will compete for space and try to kill each other. If you are starting your garden from scratch, it’s best to only pick a few things, rather than 10 or 15. It’s better to succeed just a little than to fail grandly.
Do some spring cleaning
This may sound a little strange, but make sure to clean your garden. Removing debris like leaves, sticks or other objects that may get in the way of your growing is important.
Get a head start
Starting your seedlings inside allows you to get ahead of the game. You can pot your seeds in pretty much any small container and keep them somewhere where there is “bottom heat,” like the top of a refrigerator. Once the seeds begin to sprout, you can gradually begin to transfer them to their permanent homes outside.
Group plants around a theme
This tip is more about visual appeal. Creating a collection of plants with the same foliage or flower color is an easy trick to make your garden Instagram-worthy. Planting a border plant around your garden in a contrasting color will really make it pop. Vegetables and herbs are wonderful to edge flower beds with, both visually and logistically.
Variegated plants are valuable
If you are struggling with your garden being a sea of green with no color variation, variegated plants are your friends. Variegated plants have leaves that are lighter in color. They help to “lift” what would otherwise be blocks of solid green foliage.
– By Ava Johnson
