9 Next Level Gardening Tips For The First Year

Everyone can't possess the natural talent for growing plants. However, anyone can learn the ropes. One of the most gratifying feats you can achieve as a naturalist is starting your garden.

Vegetables, flowers, fresh fruits, and herbs have a way of lighting up even the grimmest yards.

Apart from brightening up home surroundings, gardens make it easy to eat healthy on a budget.

Have you already started your garden but are not satisfied with the overall look? Or do you want to start your first garden but do not know where to kick-off?

You don't have to be an epic gardener with extraordinary skills to start something.

This guide comes on board with helpful tips to ease your workload.

Read on for more insights!

In this article +

Next level gardening tips

1. Decide what to grow
2. Choose location 
3. Examine the soil
4. Prep the ground!
5. Keep water close
6. Invest in the right gear
7. Grow what you like
8. Opt for seed starter kits
9. Tag everything!

Bottom line

Tip #1 - Decide On What To Grow

Don't know what to plant yet?

Now's the time to make that decision.

Consider what you'd like to plant in your garden.

First, think of what kind of garden you like.

Your ideal garden could be a crop or flower garden.

If you choose to go for fruits and veggies because of their contribution to your family's menu, make sure you plant only the ones you and your family love.

If you decide to settle for flowers and herbs instead, make sure their blooming periods match your schedule.

Whatever you decide on, know that every type of garden has its unique maintenance requirements.

It's okay if you are not sure about your gardening preferences from the start.

You don't need epic gardening tools to get started.

Just make sure you set up your garden on a small scale before venturing into something bigger.

Tip #2 - Choose The Best Location

Every plant needs sun, so consider the sunlight factor.

Vegetables that bear fruits need more sunlight than those that do not.

Some examples of these types of vegetables are peppers and tomatoes.

Other crops like scent leaves and lettuce perform better in slightly sunny sites.

On a second note, let your garden be near your home. Your crops should be close to where you live.

Tip #3 - Examine the soil

To get a rich and productive garden, test the ground beforehand.

Check whether the soil is alkaline, neutral PH, or acidic.

Does the soil have existing fertility?

Note that the key to a bountiful harvest is healthy soil.

A soil test will let you know whether the ground is prone to erosion or whether the soil is likely to get contaminated by any road paths or surrounding structures.

You also know a sandy, rocky, clay, or silt soil with a soil test.

To achieve a Next level Gardening homestead, you must know the details of the soil you'll be planting on.

You can know some details of your soil by simply looking at it.

Tip #4 - Prep The Ground!

For experienced gardeners, this tip is an obvious one.

For beginner gardeners, this tip might seem uncommon.

In whichever case, clearing the ground of your garden is a must-do.

Weed the soil, plant your crop, and water it.

Start by clearing the weeds with a hoe, cutlass, or another weeding instrument you prefer.

Slice beneath the sod with a spade.

For easy removal, cut the sod into sections and set it aside for decomposition.

Dig in the soil and plant the vegetable or flower.

Water your plant and give it some sunlight.

Newly seeded beds need regular watering.

Contrarily, established plants can thrive with 50ml to 100ml of water weekly.

Short-term veggies like radishes will not need fertilizers.

If your vegetables are long-term such as tomatoes, you may need the assistance of fertilizers to augment the overall performance of your crop.

You can go the extra mile and mulch your soil with straw before planting. This way, you reduce the stress of frequent irrigation.

Tip #5 - Make Sure Water Is Close

When managing a garden, it is crucial to keep water close.

Ensure that water is always available to feed thirsty plants.

Nothing reduces crop performance faster than last-minute watering on a hot sunny day.

Mulching with several layers of leaves or straw helps reduce the need to water often.

When you mulch your soil, you suppress weeds too.

Look into investing in a reliable irrigation system, or you can settle for a superior hose with a sprayer attachment.

Tip #6 - Invest In The Right Gear

It's not next-level gardening without the right tools!

Without the appropriate gear, you could run into problems while gardening.

To avoid problems while gardening, invest in essential tools such as; a garden fork, a hoe, a cutlass, a rake, pruners, a quality hose, a spade, a hand trowel, some rubber gloves, etc.

Tip #7 - Grow The Things You Like

Don't spend your time nurturing flowers and crops you don't like.

It only makes sense to grow things you and your family love, then all your expended efforts will become time and energy well spent.

Plant only those fruits and veggies that your family eats to help save some extra cash.

Tip #8 - Opt For Seed Starter Kits

With seed starter kits, you can start growing your plants immediately.

Seed starter kits let you plant flowers and vegetables indoors till they mature enough to grow outside.

This practice is a tested and proven way to make your plants sprout without the extra hassles.

Tip #9 - Tag Everything!

Sometimes we fail to recall where we plant stuff.

It doesn't matter that you planted only two types of seeds.

To avoid forgetting your planting point, label every spot you plant something for easy recollection.

Tag the basil, tag the peppers, tag the radishes, tag them all.

To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow - Audrey Hepburn

The Bottom Line

Whether you want to launch your garden for the first time or double your garden yields, the next-level gardening tips listed in this guide will help you through your journey.

Don't forget to try the tips, and let me know how it went in the comments section below.