I cannot remember the last time I planted something in the ground with the intention for it to grow. I am sure, that as a child, I was tasked with helping with my school’s garden, but I have no memory of any of it at all. So, when I joined Seed Pantry and was keen to start growing my first ever garden, as I have been a flower lover my whole life. At first, I had no clue what I was doing. I quickly realised that I had a lot to learn. Here is a list of 5 things I have learned since starting to grow my first ever garden.
1 . Read the instructions/ Do proper research.
Right this may seem obvious to most people, but I jumped straight into planting without reading anything or doing any research, so naturally I did nearly everything wrong. I even filmed a video of me planting September’s Crocus bulbs, by throwing them down into a poorly dug hole with no thought at all. Luckily my mum, who witnessed me doing such a terrible job, dug all the bulbs up and placed the instructions that came with the box in front of me and forced me to read them. I quickly corrected my mistakes, however was left feeling pretty embarrassed.
2. Wear Appropriate Clothing (It really does get messy).
I have seen pictures of gardeners covered in mud all over the internet, however I never really realised how grubby gardening actually is! After my first planting session there was soil everywhere, mud all over my clothes and dirt under each of my fingernails. Next time I know I have to wear old clothes and gloves unless I want to ruin another shirt!
3. Remember exactly what you are planting and where.
Once again this may seem a bit obvious, however I went in without much of a plan, randomly selected areas of my space and planted various seeds and bulbs. Afterwards, I didn’t take note of where or what I had planted. Now as a result I have green sprouts growing, and I have no idea what they are. I also have no idea what areas are available for planting this month’s box, which provides me with a great, new, unnecessary challenge of finding unused space.
4. Keep an eye on the weather forecast.
Before I started growing, the only thing I checked the weather for was to see if I needed to wear a coat. But now, I realise I have to check the weather each week to see if my plants are going to get that sweet water they need to grow. If it’s dry, (like it has been most summer) then I have to plan time for watering, which fitting around work and my long commute adds another challenge to my day.
5. Be Patient
I was under the rather silly illusion that if I planted anything now, it would be fully grown in a month or two. Finding out my crocus bulbs would not come out till next spring was a bit of a shock to my millennial ‘need everything immediately’ mind set. However, I have come around to the idea that if I stay at it and keep planting throughout the cooler season, I will have quite a beautiful garden come the Spring. Just need to remember to read the instructions first…
Nick
The Rookie Gardener
This was a really great read, thanks.
Thank you 🙂