Christine Covino

Gardening Basics for Beginners: The Dos and Don’ts

Lynneah Bennett

Whether you have a green thumb or not, you must know the basics of gardening in order to find long term success with the greens. This post outlines all of the gardening basics for beginners that one must know in order to have a flourishing garden of flowers, food, or greens!

Gardening Basics for Beginners

Everyone has to start somewhere. 

Some people are born with a natural green thumb. They probably grew up surrounded by nature and knew how to corral dahlias by the age of 8. 

Others of us…

Well, you know the deal. 

No matter what kind of thumb you’ve got (brown or green), there’s a place for you in the garden. 

And since everyone’s got to start somewhere, here are some basic gardening facts for beginners to keep in your back pocket. You never know when you might need them! 

Harvest spicy herbs, woman’s hands with garden shears and wicker plate with aromatic fresh Lemon balm mint (Melissa officinalis) herbs. Nature, gardening, growing greenery in garden, gardening concept

Gardening Vocabulary for Beginners

Annual: A plant that lives for one year or less, like petunias. 

Perennial: A plant that lives 2+ years, returning after winter. 

Fertilizer: Essentially, food for your plants. Fertilizer is packed with nutrients to help your plants grow. 

Compost: One of nature’s best fertilizers! Made of decomposing material, such as plants, food, and other organic substances. 

US Hardiness Zones (Zone 1-13): These geographic zones are based on the average chilliest temperatures in the winter. The map will give you a good idea of what plants will thrive in your zone!

Propagate: Growing a new plant from a cutting, root, or seed of the original plant. I see people propagating pothos on Instagram all the time! 

Bolt: When plants send up a flowering stem (which is how they produce seeds) before they’ve been harvested. This is also called “gone to seed.”  

No-Till: Also called no-dig gardening, it is quite literally no digging (plus, no tilling or stepping on the soil)! This is an organic method of gardening that does not disturb the soil in an effort to keep nutrients in and let nature do its thing. 

Square Foot Gardening: A grid usually placed over a raised bed to help organize what plants go where. This keeps everything clear and orderly and is usually used for veggie gardens.

Companion Planting: When two plants are grown close together and support and benefit each other. For example, a tall plant could provide some shade to a partial shade plant. 

What’s the Sun Got to Do with Gardening Success?

To start, every living thing (except for some mushrooms) needs sunlight. The real question is how much sunlight? 

When you’re browsing your newly bought seed packets or starts, check the seed label for any clues about what they need. 

There should be one of the following terms on the label: full sun, full shade, partial sun, and partial shade. There may be a fancier term, but these are the true basics. 

Full Sun

If you see this on your plant’s label, they need some serious sun! At least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight, preferably in the morning and afternoon. 

Full sun may seem awesome (and it is for sunflowers), but lots of plants can’t handle the heat. Especially the late afternoon heat. At that point, too much sun could dry them out and leave them shriveled. 

If your full-sun plants are struggling (I’ll touch on what this looks like later), add a layer of mulch on top of the soil to help trap some moisture in. 

Full Sun Plants:

Full Shade

Believe it or not, full-shade plants need some sun too. 

Usually, full-shade plants get around 4 hours of sunlight a day, either in the morning or in the late afternoon. You may also find full-shade plants beneath a tree where only dappled sunlight falls through. That dappled sunlight is the light that gets filtered through the tree’s canopy. 

Full Shade Plants: 

Partial Sun

Partial sun and partial shade remind me of Goldilocks and her porridge! Not too much sun, not too much shade. 

These plants need around 4-6 hours of sun a day. Partial sun plants need that much sun to fruit and flower, but they aren’t as needy as full sun guys.

Partial Sun Plants:

Partial Shade

The flip side of the partial sun plants! 

If you’ve got a partial shade plant, pick a bed that gets between 4-6 hours of sunlight a day. 

So, what’s the difference between the two then? Partial shade means your plants can take the morning heat, but once those afternoon rays start streaming in, they need a break. Look for a spot that’s sunny in the morning and early afternoon, with some shade in the late afternoon. 

Hint: trees are your friend here! 

Partial Shade Plants: 

Once you’ve planted everything, take a few moments throughout the day to see how they’re faring. Some may love the spot you picked, others might not. 

Everyone makes mistakes in the garden—that’s part of life! If you’re worried about your plants, check for the following signs:  

If your plant happens to exhibit one of the first two symptoms, they’ve got too much sun. The last two mean that your plant isn’t getting enough sun and is stretching itself as far as it can to reach more of that delectable sunlight. 

Gardening Soil Basics for Beginners: Texture

The ideal soil texture for most plants is a loamy soil. It’ll clump in your hand, but it’s not too dense to block roots from growing. 

Loam is:

Loamy soil is a beautiful balance between the many different soil types. So, how do you know which component you have the most of? And if you’ve already jumped ahead, I’ve got an article for you about building healthy soil. 

Silt

Silt is the not-so-happy medium between sand and clay. It’s made out of ground down quartz and is very common in rivers and creeks, especially muddy ones. Sadly, it doesn’t hold together well, which means it’s very difficult to farm with (or build on). 

If your soil feels like flour when it’s dry, you’ve got silt. Time to amend it! 

Clay

Clay is practically impenetrable. It’s incredibly sticky and cohesive, which makes it easy to identify. 

It’s so compacted that there’s not a ton of oxygen, so your roots could literally choke to death. However, clay soil is usually chock full of all the yummy nutrients your plants need. The good and the bad. 

But if you have too much clay in your soil, it needs amending.

Sand

So many people have pictures of barren deserts as the background on their computers—but remember, the key word there is barren. As in, not much growing there. 

Sandy soil will flow right through your fingertips in individual grains; it won’t stick together like clay. It also doesn’t provide enough nutrients to support most (or any) plants. 

So, you guessed it, sandy soil needs amending. 

Gardening Soil Basics for Beginners: Acidity

Your soil has its very own pH balance—and your plants may or may not like what it’s got. 

In general, most plants thrive in neutral soil, so around a 7 on the scale. Others like to lean towards acidity, like blueberries and hydrangeas. You can check your soil’s pH balance by picking up a test from your local garden center. It’s worth it. 

Branch of ripe homegrown tomatoes in greenhouse. Shallow depth of field

Common Companion Plants for Beginner Gardeners

You’re likely to see marigolds around a vegetable garden, and for good reason! Just like you and me, our plants need friends too. 

Companion plants are amazing for attracting beneficial pests, deterring nasty pests, suppressing weeds, providing shade, and so much more. The benefits are truly wild! 

When in doubt, stick with marigolds, calendula, and cosmos. They are all about attracting beneficial pests and deterring the ones you don’t want around. 

If you’re not sure where to start, consider planting one of the following pairs: 

I hope this brief guide of gardening basics for beginners helps you get started on your gardening journey. Let it be known that I’m rooting for you—pun intended. 

Xoxo,

Christine

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