Want to get into gardening but don’t know where to start? Get started with the beauty outdoors of your home and the fresh produce on the table. Let Riverview Tree and Landscaping get you started with a beginner gardening guide, from evaluating growing conditions to choosing plants that ensure success in your endeavors to make planning your first garden less intimidating.

Understanding Your Growing Conditions

Before planting, it is essential to understand your garden’s environment. This involves knowing your hardiness zone and assessing the sunlight in your garden areas.

Finding Your Hardiness Zone

Hardiness zones are geographic regions where specific plants can thrive enough based on the average annual minimum winter temperatures. Finding your zone:

Log onto the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map website
Enter your zip code into the search bar
The map will identify your zone from 1, the coldest, to 13, the warmest.

In Pennsylvania, the Plant Hardiness Zone ranges between 6a – 8a, depending on what area of the state you are in. Knowing your zone is very important and will help you in selecting plants that will thrive in your climate to ensure that the plants you want to use are compatible with your climate zone.

Evaluating Sunlight

Plants have very different requirements for sunlight. To gauge the amount of sun your garden is getting:

Watch your garden throughout the day
Count the hours an area gets direct sun
Divide your areas into
- Full sun: this area gets 6 hours or more of direct sunlight
- Partial sun: this area gets from 4 to 6 hours of direct sunlight
- Partial shade: 2-4 hours of direct sunlight
- Full shade: Less than 2 hours of direct sunlight

Armed with that info, you’ll know exactly what plants to plant in each area of your garden.

Pro-Tip: Most plant tags will have the hardiness zone, sunlight requirements, and any additional information about the plant on them. Below are the icons you’ll see on the plant tags depicting the sunlight requirements for them.

10 Beginner Gardening Tips:

Now that we’ve covered the growing conditions that are important for beginner gardening, here are 10 tips for successfully becoming a beginner gardener.

1. Start Small

It’s enticing to think big, however overwhelming it can get when you’re just starting out. A few containers or a small raised bed is perfect for beginners.

2. Prepare Your Soil

The base of healthy plants is good soil. Mix some compost into your existing soil.

3. Choose the Right Plants

Choose plants that will love your growing conditions and are easy to grow. We’ll give you some ideas a little further down this post.

4. Water Wisely

Most plants want an inch of water per week. Water deeply and less often to get those roots growing deep. Soaker hoses or drip irrigation systems can be very efficient ways to water your garden.

5. Mulch Your Garden

Mulch plants to a depth of 2-3 inches for moisture retention, weed suppression and to moderate soil temperature extremes.

6. Feed Your Plants

Apply a slow-release balanced fertilizer to feed plants for the remainder of the growing season. Apply per package directions.

7. Monitor Pests

Regularly check plants for any signs of pests or disease. Catching issues early makes management much easier.

8. Pruning and Deadheading

Prune dead or diseased plant parts to promote healthy growth. Deadhead flowers to encourage more to bloom.

9. Maintain a Garden Journal

Write down everything that you plant, when you plant it and how well it does. This will prove to be invaluable as you learn and plan future gardens.

10. Be Patient

Gardening is a learning curve. Do not get disheartened if anything goes haywire – every gardener incurs issues, and each season holds its benefits for growing and improving.

Easy Plants for Beginner Gardening

Now that you are equipped with the basic beginner gardening tips, let’s talk about some plants at which new gardeners can excel.

Vegetables

Lettuce: Fast-growing and does well in containers or small spaces.
Tomatoes: Opt for determinate types for easier care.
Pepper: One of the easier vegetables to raise, sweet and hot peppers.
Zucchini: Very prolific, easy to grow.

Herbs

Basil: Fast-growing, adds flavor to most dishes.
Mint: Aggressive grower; best contained in pots to keep from spreading.
Rosemary: Drought-tolerant, fragrant.
Chives: Hardy, great to chop up in salads or as a garnish.

Flowers

Marigolds: Correct and sunny, pest-resistant.
Sunflowers: Fast-growing, which is good for attracting pollinators.
Zinnias: Easy to grow from seed, blooming all summer.
Pansies: Good for cool-season color in spring or fall.

Perennials

Black-eyed Susans: Drought-tolerant and long-flowering
Daylilies: Adaptable to most situations and low-maintenance
Hostas: Just the thing for shady spots, a wide range of varieties
Coneflowers: Attractive to butterflies and drought-resistant once established.

The key to a successful beginner garden is to start small and choose plants that will do well in your conditions. Don’t be afraid to experiment and try new things. Part of what’s fun about gardening is the experimentation!

At Riverview Tree and Landscaping, we’re here to guide you through all your gardening needs, be it advice, supplies, or larger landscaping projects; our staff of experts stands ready to help you out.

Happy gardening!

Stay up to date with the latest happenings at Riverview Tree & Landscaping by following us on Instagram and Facebook.

Beginner Gardening Guide: Starting Your Very Own Garden