A Beginner’s Guide to Backyard Gardening

Backyard gardening is good for physical health and well-being, and it’s an enjoyable hobby that can help you to connect with the natural world around you — and feel happier, calmer, more positive, and less stressed. And if you’re ready to experience these many wonderful benefits firsthand, the following tips and resources will help you to plan, design, plant, and maintain your new backyard garden. Read on, and let the fun begin!

Garden Planning

The first few steps to planting a backyard garden include choosing a location, designing and planning the outdoor space, and selecting the right types of plants for your climate and region. Here are some tips for getting started. 

• Use a virtual garden planner to choose the best location and design for your backyard garden. These apps can also help you to decide which types of fruits, vegetables, flowers, and herbs to plant in your new garden.
• Find out which plants are native to your area. GardeningCalendar’s online search database can help you to select the best annuals, perennials, and shrubs for your backyard garden. 

Soil Management

After planning your garden, you’ll need to test and improve the soil before you can start planting. Here’s how to do it!

• Test your garden soil with a store-bought soil test kit, distilled water, spoon, trowel, jar, and flat container. 
• Use mulch, compost, worms, and/or animal manure to improve your garden soil organically. 
• Start planting your garden! Be sure to read the instructions on the backside of your seed packets, or learn how to properly transplant seedlings. 

Watering Methods

To grow a healthy garden, you’ll need to care for your plants throughout the growing season and ensure that they’re receiving plenty of water, sunlight, and nutrients. These garden watering basics will help you give your plants everything they need to grow and thrive!

• Explore the basics of watering your newly planted backyard garden. 
• Water your newly planted garden twice each day, especially during the hot summer months. Young plants need frequent watering as they take root. 
• Set up a garden irrigation system to eliminate the need to water by hand. Various flow control valve types for irrigation systems include gate valves, globe valves, and ball sprinkler valves.

Backyard gardening requires a bit of trial and error, but these resources will help to eliminate some of the more common mistakes beginner gardeners tend to make. However, try not to be discouraged if your garden doesn’t perform as well as you’d hoped. Planning and tending to a garden is half the fun — and you can always try again next year!