Are you considering starting a garden or just beginning your garden plot? Then, you’ll want to consider these resourceful gardening tips for beginners from Reddit put together to help you in your endeavor.
1. Dig As Much As You Can Water
Only dig as much as you can water. With the proper irrigation, your garden will thrive. One explained, “I didn’t have a good watering setup, so I hauled large cans from the house to the garden until I finished watering everything.”
2. Thoroughly Plan Out Irrigation Setups
Irrigation setups are essential. If you take time to plan out the best method suited for your garden, your crops will benefit more than just throwing something together. Another shared, “I am certified in rainwater retention, so I created my own irrigation system that is easily expandable.”
3. Try a No-Dig Garden if You Have Back Issues
Many gardeners noted that no-dig gardens are an excellent option for people with back problems. It is an approach where you avoid disrupting the soil and adds nutritious components such as compost.
Layers are placed over the soil in raised garden beds, where you plant the seeds. Not only is this good for improving your soil quality, but you also won’t have to bend fully down anymore for your gardens.
4. Maximize Your Sunshine
Maximize the available sunshine that will hit your plants. First, map out how different areas in your yard get sunlight distribution over time. Then, you can plant the crops based on how many hours they get of sun daily. There are more details on this in our vegetable garden layout ideas article.
5. Use Your Half-Moon Edger
Another gardener confessed, “I’ve found the best way to clear grass batches to prep your lawn for planting. First, I used a half-moon edger to cut the grass into foot-wide strips. Then, I was able to roll each patch up like sod. Most of the roots were detached from cutting the strips.”
6. Keep Extra Soil Out of Your Workspace
If you’re planting a garden in your lawn, it’s important not to kill the other grass around the area by burying it with soil. One elaborated, “Instead, I line my wheelbarrow with a tarp and scoop all the soil. It allows my work area to stay clean without killing any surrounding grass. It also keeps the good soil in one place for future projects.”
7. Mark Out Your Garden Plots
Mark out your garden plots. Many people skip this step because they think it’s a waste of time, but this will organize your lines for digging and keep you from going too far. Unfortunately, many gardeners noted having friends skip the step and being disappointed by the results.
8. Try Rain Barrels
Rain barrels are an excellent choice for outdoor gardens. The rain collects on your lawn anyways, so why not place a barrel in an open spot or under your gutters to collect that rain and save your money?
“When I planted my first garden, I spent too much money on water every week. I found that the rain buckets keep my garden thoroughly watered until the next storm, which generally takes little time where I live,” confessed one.
9. Compost Discarded Roots
Compost dead or removed roots. These roots give the soil so many nutrients. Throwing them aside or in the woods is a waste. Adding them to your compost pile will help keep everything together and break it down into a hardy soil mixture.
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10. Maneuver Your Shovel
Many people have trouble maneuvering their shovels. A farmer instructed, “Get a long-handled digging shovel with a rounded and pointed tip. Put it vertically, step on the blade, and use your legs to sink it into the soil.
It helps to be a bit heavy; if you are 100-120lbs, get the narrowest blade you can find. If the soil is moist, you should be able to sink the whole blade by rocking it a bit between foot pushes. Then pull back on that long lever to lift the dirt.”
We hope you enjoyed these Reddit tips for beginning gardening.
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Davin is a jack-of-all-trades but has professional training and experience in various home and garden subjects. He leans on other experts when needed and edits and fact-checks all articles.