Ok is there an easy way to garden ???

Ok I want to plant a garden (never done it before) I want both Veggie and flower garden how hard is it and what is the easiest things to take care and hard to kill I am afraid I will kill everything but I love the looks and I really want to have a sucessful couple gardens (flowers and veggies)
Ok is there an easy way to garden ???
You are gonna love gardening, don't try to do it all in one year. Get to know where the sun shines the most, and where the shaded areas are. Because you will need flowers for the sun areas, and flowers for the shaded areas.





Since you are a beginner, this year start your garden with plants that you get from a garden center or nursery. They are called bedding plants and come in a six pack. Look for a little tag sticking in the six pact showing directions on how to grow the plants. If the tag is not there, ask for one or buy something else. Directions are VERY important.





Seeds are not always easy to grow. And wildflowers are the hardest so don't be disappointed if they don't show up.





Two good things to do for yourself is to call your local County Extension Service and ask for all the information that they have about gardening in your area. They usually have a packet/kit of things for the home gardener.





And number two would be to pick up a couple of beginner books. You really do need to know about soil, compost, mulch and etc.





To keep from over watering or not watering enough, buy a water analyzer from a nursery or garden center. Be sure to read the directions. This will be one of your best tools.





Send for some free gardening catalogs and get use to the different types of plants, colors, and when to plant. They are filled with good informtion and pictures. And they will keep you company during the long winter months. Here is a list of just a very few. There are hundreds more:





http://www.waysidegardens.com

http://www.dutchbulbs.com

http://www.jacksonandperkins.com (Roses)

http://www.parkseed.com

http://www.burpee.com



Other catalogs:

http://www.leevalley.com

http://www.gardeners.com

http://www.GardensAlive.com

http://www.deerbusters.com (all types of animal control)

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Container/pots/window boxes needs:





All need holes in the bottem for water drainage,

Potting soil that comes in bags,

Slow release fertilizer for flowers (not for green plants), OR liquid fertilizer that will need to be used more often-read directions,

Water crystals to be mixed into the soil for holding water,

Bedding plants or full grown plants.





Here is an excellent link to check out for color combinations and plants that look good together:





http://www.fernlea.com/awesomeaccents/re...
Reply:start small this year. I would try tomato plants and marigolds. you can plant those together even. you can try them from seed, but if you want to be sure that you'll have plants, i would buy the starter plants from a garden center. plant them in full sun and keep them watered. don't get too caught up in what's the right way to garden. You'll learn for yourself as you go. Good luck.
Reply:gardening is usually easy - hence, makes a great hobby for many people. However, it's a living thing - it needs regular care and maintenance. The websites provide lots of tips on successful gardening, go into any one of them and do some research - you will surely enjoy gardening if you follow some of the tips from the very experienced "gardeners"
Reply:Here's the truth to gardening. It is always easy because it is a learning curve. You are always learning and "enjoying" it. And when harvesting comes around, it is pure joy.

It is never hard work. There will be disappointments, but never regret. Gardening allows you to be alone and escape from the daily grind.

Go for it, I truly hope you enjoy gardening to the hilt.

Do some reading and ask questions here.

Start off with a small plot to get yourself going.
Reply:For vegetable, Tomato plants are pretty darned hearty. Pull off the bottom leaves and leave the top, bury to within @2-3 inches of the top. This will allow the entire stem to root and make a much more stable plant when bigger. Whatever watering method you use, be consistent. Try not to starve them, then drown them. Keep an eye on the leaves. When the just start to curl, you have to water, and probably need to step up your watering frequency. I water mine @every other day for @ 1 hour. The do very well, and the indeterminate types (Indeterminate means they will keep growing taller and taller) can get to 6 or 7 feet if I keep staking them up. I usually look for a mix of early and mid season harvest, determinate and indeterminate types, and a mix of some hybrids with good disease resistance (Look for one with VFNT or better), and plant at least one heirloom, like a brandywine.



Believe it or not, I could go on much longer just on Tomatoes. I know it seems complicated, but they will grow as long as you have dirt, sun, and water. The rest of this crud just helps ensure your tomato harvest is of quality.
Reply:Use a lot of compost. Buy a big bag of peat-moss and mix that in your soil.

Start a compost pile too.

Get a soil sample and take it to your county agriculture office. The test will tell you if you need lime etc.
Reply:easy way to garden? get a gardener.

seriously it is a lot of work but very enjoyable.

talk to neighbors that have gardens you like the looks of, they can be very helpful.
Reply:!st time garden where-what state? In Wisconsin we have some buds forming but snowbanks still around where it isn't raining and too wet yet to plant. as a start- when in your area the trees start getting leaf buds, nights are above 50 degrees consistantly and ground is thawed 6+ inches down and not mudballing when squeezed you can plant peas and pansies. Dig ground hands length depth and turn clods, make shallow cuts and lift waist high before dropping to loosen soil. Poke lumps with shovel or hoe, then rake to break into smaller pieces. Try Little marvel peas planted a 1/2-1 inch deep a hands width apart in a double row 6/8 inches apart. cover lightly and water. Pansies are tough little greenies- plant green house transplants about 6 inchs. Beans and sweet corn need 55 degree ground temperature to sprout- plant them when peas start to flower as a rough guidline 6-8 inches apart 2 foot betwen rows- blue lake bush beans, silver queen or golden cross bantam corn. .Tomatoes - get greenhouse transplants about same time beans planted, plant about 3 foot apart plastic covers helpful here in wisconsin for early cold nights. Rutgers and OG55/wisconsin 55, do good for me, Big boys also fruitful. Dig tomatoe holes a foot deep and mound compost around stems when they get about 2 foot high, then stake or cage to support. sunflower seeds plant about time beans sprout up about 4 inchs. Marigolds can be started from seed or transplant. this will get you started on easiest , relatively hardy plants. If you have sandy soil you might want to amend with clay - compost is good for all types of soil. If wet low soil might want to consider dutch/chinese raised beds.
Reply:plants want to grow, that's the thing about gardening. You and the plant generally have the same goal in mind... well sort of you want some fruits and it wants to set seed and reproduce, but well, almost the same and what I just said is kind of irrelevant besides.



The best advice i could give is to start small! If you work a full time job think about how much time you will realistically have to be weeding and mulching and stuff and then make a good plan for yourself. You could think of this year as a practice round. If it turns into something that you love and you want more of than next year make it even bigger and more wonderful.



Get some good organic growing guides, plant good beneficials near your veggies and attract those pollinators. You can do all kinds of awesome amazing things. But, start with what you can do now. You wouldn't want to get overwhelmed and then give up forever ya know!



Find a local CSA and see if you can volunteer every so often. Meet other gardeners in your area. You'll get lots of wonderful knowledge.