Hi Besties! Are you interested in gardening but not sure where to start? Gardening can be a rewarding and enjoyable hobby, but it can also seem overwhelming if you’re new to it. In this post, we’ll provide an overview of gardening basics, including the benefits of gardening, common gardening terms and concepts, and the basic items you’ll need to get started. We’ll go into some of these topics in more detail in other posts.

Benefits of Gardening

Take a look at our blog post titled “The many benefits of gardening” to see a detailed list of all of the benefits of gardening. I won’t go into them all again here, but gardening can have a positive impact on your mental and physical health. Additionally, gardening can be a creative outlet and a way to learn new skills.

Common Gardening Terms and Concepts

Before you start gardening, it’s helpful to understand some common terms and concepts. Here are a few to get you started:

• Annual: A plant that completes its life cycle in one year or less, usually flowering, producing seeds, and dying in that time.
• Biennial: A plant that completes its life cycle over two years, usually growing leaves in the first year and then flowering, producing seeds, and dying in the second year. Examples are Sweet William & Foxglove.
• Compost: A mixture of decomposed organic matter, such as leaves, grass clippings, and food scraps, that can be added to soil to improve its fertility.
• Fertilizer: A substance that is added to soil to provide plants with nutrients they need to grow, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
• Germination: The process of a seed sprouting and beginning to grow into a plant.
• Hybrid: A plant that is created by cross-breeding two different varieties to produce a new variety with desirable traits.
• Mulch: A layer of organic matter, such as straw or leaves, that is spread over the soil surface to help retain moisture, suppress weed growth, and regulate soil temperature.
• Perennial: A plant that lives for three or more years and usually comes back year after year.
• pH: A measure of the acidity or alkalinity of soil, with a range of 0 to 14. Most plants prefer a pH of 6.0 to 7.0.
• Pruning: The act of trimming back or cutting off parts of a plant, such as branches or leaves, to promote growth, shape the plant, or remove dead or damaged parts.
• Seedling: A young plant that is grown from a seed.
• Transplanting: The act of moving a plant from one location to another, usually from a small container to a larger one, or from indoors to outdoors.
• Weed: Any unwanted plant that is growing in an area where it is not wanted, often competing with desirable plants for resources such as water and nutrients.

Basic Items Needed for Gardening

You don’t need a lot of fancy tools to start gardening, but there are a few basics that will make your life easier. Here are some basic items that may be helpful to stock up on before you begin and what they’re used for:

• Soil: You’ll need soil to plant your seeds or seedlings. Choose soil that is appropriate for the type of plants you want to grow.
• Seeds or seedlings: You’ll need something to plant! Seeds are a great option if you want to start from scratch, while seedlings are ideal if you want to ease your way into gardening.
• Watering can or hose: Plants need water to grow, so you’ll need a way to water them. A watering can or hose is essential for keeping your plants hydrated.
• Gardening gloves: Protect your hands while you’re working in the garden with a good pair of gardening gloves.
• Hand tools: You’ll need a few hand tools to dig, weed, and cultivate your garden. A trowel, hand rake, and pruning shears are a good place to start.
• Sun protection: Gardening can be hard on your skin, so protect yourself with a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen.
• Plant markers: Keep track of what you’ve planted by using plant markers to label your rows or pots.
• Garden cart or wheelbarrow: If you have a large garden, a garden cart or wheelbarrow can be a useful tool for transporting soil, plants, and tools around the garden.

The items above are linked using my Amazon Associate account. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you are thinking of purchasing these items, it would really mean a lot to me if you could purchase them through the links above!

Conclusion

Gardening can be a fun and rewarding hobby, and it doesn’t have to be complicated. By understanding some basic terms and concepts, and having a few essential tools, you can start growing your own fruits, vegetables, and flowers in no time. And who knows, you might just discover a new passion in the process!