Some of Our Favorite Quotes...
There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments.
- Jane Kilburn Phillips
My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant’s point of view.
- H. Fred Ale
This is the real secret of life – to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.
- Alan Watts
There can be no other occupation like gardening in which, if you were to creep up behind someone at their work, you would find them smiling.
- Mirabel Osler
There are no passengers on spaceship earth. We are all crew.
- Marshal McLuhan
Cultivate the garden within.
- Unknown
Good work is done the way ants do things: Little by little.
- Lafcadio Hearn
I’m not really a career person. I’m a gardener, basically.
- George Harrison
But each spring, a gardening instinct, sure as the sap rising in the trees, stirs within us. We look about and decide to tame another little bit of ground.
- Lewis Gantt
The most noteworthy thing about gardeners is that they are always optimistic, always enterprising and never satisfied. They always look forward to doing something better than they have ever done before.
- Vita Sackville-West 1892 - 1962
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.
- Thomas A. Edison
It will not always be summer: build barns.
- Hesiod
We come from the earth, we return to the earth, and in between we garden.
- Unknown
Welcome to our Section on Gardening for Beginners.
Whether you are a new gardener or an expert gardener with the benefit of a long family history of growing food, you always start at the basics. Nothing is more basic than the soil you will grow your plants in.
There are many things to consider before starting your first garden. While researching information through the internet, books and friends, the task can seem daunting. However, knowing what you need to do, why you need to do it and taking it a step at a time, it really is easier than it looks.
Knowing your soil will help you decide which vegetables will grow best in your current garden space. You will also be aware of adjustments your soil needs to grow other vegetables you would like, then plan around the amount of work you are willing to do.
To determine the best location for a new garden, or to reassess your current garden, easy step by step information is available at the Get to know your soil page on the CMHC site.
What do Your Plants Need?
Decide what plants you would like to grow and be aware of their needs. For instance, tomatoes like a lot of sunlight, so I have a fence type trellis running north and south to maximize the sunlight. This also creates morning or afternoon shade for my lettuce which likes partial sun.
Raised beds are also beneficial, it allows for faster warming in the springtime and better drainage. A bed need only be raised 8-12” for optimal results. These can be made from lumber, cedar will last longer and you do not need to use chemicals to preserve it. Using supplies you already have around makes for a more interesting and unique garden. I have one made from rocks dug up while making the garden and another with logs from a tree blown down in a storm. Logs do breakdown after a while, mine lasted 5 years then I turned them into the soil as soon as the vegetables were all picked. New logs were placed around the garden the next spring. Old car tires are sometimes used, but personally I would not use them in a food garden. I have seen a wonderful garden wall made with glass bottles, the glass and the airspaces warms the ground early in spring and the cement holding the bottles in place allows for a little seat while weeding.
Seedlings need to be “hardened off” meaning the plant you have been lovingly tending to inside needs to get used to the great outdoors. During the sunny part of a warming day place the seedlings outside for 15 to 20 minutes. This is increased over two or three weeks until they are outside most of the day. Always bring them in at night before the temperature drops.
Once the spring has warmed the ground and all chance of frost is over you can start planting your seedlings.
When transplanting tomatoes remove lower leaves, creating a long clear stem. Dig a hole deep enough to cover the stem with soil, this will encourage root growth all along the stem for a strong sturdy plant.
A few good days of work in the spring can give you a summer of very little upkeep and vigorous, prolific yields. Saving the seeds from your heirloom plants will provide you with food reliably year after year. Each spring I change my garden and each fall I start to plan for the next spring. The benefits of a garden only begin with the fresh food on your plate and fresh snacks while you tend the plants.
Take your time, you can’t rush a garden and remember, you can always change it next year. On to facts