Newbie Gardener

FaithCaitlin

Hi ladies! 

I've always had an interest in gardening and flowers and I'd love to start gardening.

I'd love to hear any tips, suggestions, etc to get started! Any thing I really need? Don't need?

I'm in South Florida, if that matters!

Thanks! Can't wait to chat and learn from you all! 

living_insanity

Always wear gloves!  I was pulling weeds once and I had some prickly things end up in my hand that turned into blisters. 

 

Whatever local nursery you have should be selling flowers that are ready for planting now.  They should rotate their stock based on the seasons.  Right now they may have bulbs you plant in the fall like tulips and daffodils.  In the spring they may have summer blooming bulbs like gladiolas.  

Lilac++

I just started gardening two years ago. I felt VERY overwhelmed at first, but I bought the Square Foot Gardening book (this one) and it really helped me out. It breaks things down very simply and helps you come up with a basic plan for planting veggies and herbs. I still have a lot to learn, as my garden this year produced a bit more than last year, but not much... I think I need to add more compost/manure into the soil in the spring.

I also adapted some of the spacing that is recommended in the book based on my own experiences. A 1 foot square is not enough for a tomato plant IMO! Mine were growing all over each other the first year, so now I plant them 2 feet apart and that seems to work. You learn a lot as you go along

ddubbity

Hi! (it's balletdawn from Offbeat on the TK). I'm originally from Tampa & learned a lot of gardening from my mom, but when I moved around the country, I'd always look around at what my neighbors had that was doing well. Especially where I live now, I plant a lot of things that would be here naturally anyways.

 Where you are, ferns & impatiens are pretty quick growing/satisfying. I never really gardened when I was there because I moved a lot & lived in apartments, but I grew lettuces and peppers on my porch. 

~NB~

Needs:

LOTS OF WATER, good fitting gloves, good quality bypass pruners (like Felco #2), hand rake to keep beds neat: http://www.amazon.com/Wolf-Garten-2725004-WOLF-Garten-Mini-Rake/dp/B00023S4US/ref=sr_1_1?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1318944907&sr=1-1

and the University of Florida website:

http://hort.ufl.edu/woody/fact-sheets.shtml

Don't needs:

Any type of garden kits or tool kits, landscape fabric/weed blocker fabric.

And please don't go on any bug-killing rampages! If something is damaging your plants, post pictures! We'll help you figure out what's going on and what to do.

 

pdxmouse

You also need a plan. A very specific one where you've studied the sun and water aspects of the site (dry shade? sunny but poor drainage?), soil (sandy? clay? nitrogen deficient?) and the plants 5-year growth pattern (how did my two inch rosemary get 3 feet around in less than two years?) is best. But if you're itching now a general plan is fine. If you select plants whose needs match your conditions, you'll get more survivors and better growth/blooms. (A green thumb mostly depends on "right plant, right place".)

I'd start with things like bulbs and annuals because if you don't like them they're easy to move. Unless you're sure you want them, avoid self-seeders and "spreads easily" because they'll be very hard to get rid of if you change your mind.

Then decide how big to make your beds. Prep the soil by removing grass and weeds and adding compost (*this is best after a soil test). Figure out irrigation. I like winding a soaker hose through and connecting it up as needed. Plant by digging out a hole at least twice as wide as your container and spreading the roots outward. Then mulch. You'll have lower maintenance if you do all this and hopefully like your results.