Ten Essential Tips for Gardening Beginners

1 Planning
Decide what you want to do with your vegetable garden and spend time working out the best way to achieve it. There are so many choices –fruit or vegetables, greenhouse or polytunnel, work out what suits you and it in advance.

2 Location
Position is very important in planning your vegetable garden. Consider drainage, protection from bad weather and exposure to summer sunshine.

3 Soil
The quality of your soil will determine the success of any vegetable you grow. Compost and other organic matter should be incorporated to build up and balance nutrient content and maintain a light moisture retentive soil structure.

4 Start Small
Build your gardening project slowly and take time to develop it. One or two beds and some containers can be enough to start growing a modest range of vegetables. More beds can then be added as your skills improve and enthusiasm grows.

5 Get Help
There may be some hard work and a few problems to be solved when setting up your plot. Don’t be afraid to ask other gardeners for help. Cups of tea can always be exchanged for good advice.

6 Grow What You Like
There is little point in working away to produce a crop of vegetables that nobody is going to eat. There may be opportunity later on to expand your range and produce prize winning show exhibits.

7 Join a Group
Your local allotment association or gardening club is an unbeatable source of information and encouragement. Gardeners love to share advice, seeds and cuttings.

8 Don’t be Disheartened
It’s a cruel world for young vegetable plants with a range of pests and viruses always ready to destroy your crop. Don’t give in if caterpillars have eaten your broccoli, learn from the experience and try again next year.

9 Overwatering is as Harmful as Underwatering
Watering requirements will be different in every garden depending on the weather and siting of the vegetable patch. Compost should be kept moist but not saturated and generally watered in the morning or late afternoon.

10 Enjoy Yourself!
Vegetable gardening is not a chore; it is a social activity that encourages gentle exercise and healthy eating. Harvesting beautiful crops should easily bring a smile to your face.