If you’re a first-time gardener, I’d highly recommend that you buy plants that have already started growing. Don’t buy seeds and try to spout them yourself! Buy plants and them plant them yourself.
When replanting a plant, make sure to place it in a container that rises slightly above the height of the plant’s root system. Pour soil around the sides of the plant and on top of the plant until the bottom of the soil touches the plant’s bottom leaves. Keep the plant out of direct sun and water it multiple times throughout this first day. Plants go through shock when first replanted, so give them a little extra love this initial day.
Choose a pot big enough so that the plant have lots of space to grow. I’ll plant herbs together in pots, but fruit and veggie plants need to be in their own pot. Small pots are cute, but plants need lots of space to grow! Choose a pot or planter four times the size of the starter plant to provide adequate space.
Most plants require fertilized soil. Herbs like rosemary and basil are pretty hardy regardless of what soil you plant them in. But if you’re trying to grow fruits or vegetables, you’ll need fertilized soil. Most popular brands of soil aren’t fertilized, you have to buy fertilizer in addition to soil.
In terms of fertilizer- I’ve had great luck with Miracle Grow. Just follow the directions on the package, one scoop of fertilizer per water can. You only have to fertilize outdoor plants once a week. Some indoor plants do require fertilizing, but only once a month or so. One box of fertilizer should last an entire growing season!
Get yourself a comfortable sized watering can and get used to watering your outdoor plants twice a day. Herbs, fruits and vegetables need lots of water to be successful. Their soil should be damp to the touch. You can actually by little metal devices that measure soil dampness, but I would recommend that you just go based on touch.
Similarly, you can buy self-watering pieces that water your plants throughout the day so that you don’t have to worry. These stick right in the soil and allow the plants to absorb the water as they need. I will add a link later to the fancy ones, but you can fill up a water bottle and stick that in the base of the soil and that works just as well.
Water at the base of a plant only! Please don’t water the leaves, some plants (tomatoes, for example) can actually catch blights if you water their leaves.
Once a month sit down with a big trash bag and take any dead leaves, vines or branches off of your plants. If the stem is already dead, the plant doesn’t need to be funneling energy into it. Your plants will be happier, healthier and will produce more if cleaned regularly.
Don’t let your herbs start to flower! Take any flowers off of basil, thyme, oregano immediately. Flowers mean that the plant is starting to seed and will stop producing. Removing the flowers (or even cutting the stalk with the flowers on it off completely) will stop this process.
On buying pots: Make sure to buy pots with drainage! Little holes at the bottom of the plant. It doesn’t matter if they are ceramic or plastic or even metal. Drainage holes help plants expel excess water. Watering a plant in a pot without drainage can lead to the plant essentially drowning if over-watered. This is especially important for outside plants. Because it will rain at some point.
Harvesting your plants on a regular basis can increase production! Don’t let fresh basil and tomatoes just sit around. Harvest, harvest, harvest! Make tomato sauce with garlic.
Make sure your plants are in sunlight for the majority of the day! Plants need sunlight to photosynthesize and produce food.
Good luck! Sorry this took forever. 🍃
