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EASY and FOR BEGINNERS - Getting Started With Container Gardening
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items This is an EASY and FOR BEGINNERS guide to getting started with container gardening. It can be overwhelming to get into growing your own food and all the steps and wild recommendations from people. Remember to take it slow, start small with things yo...
Sections
3
Supplies
Easy Starter Crops
Resources to Read
Supplies
You do not need EVERY SINGLE THING in this list, this is just some great starter gear options that I have had a lot of success with or I have on my list to buy. Make sure to look up what zone you live in and build your strategy around that!
Containers do NOT need to be expensive!!! These grow bags are super easy to start with, no assembly required, and if you aren't sure where your sun is or the best spot for planting, they easy to move around. Fill the bottom with cardboard and crumple...
Grow Bags - Cheap and Moveable Container Gardening
You need gardening gloves. You need them. You NEED THEM! (Did I make that clear?) Having a couple pairs is a good idea in case they get super soaked or you're working on a diseased plant and want to wash them before touching healthy plants
Gardening Gloves
This spray uses natural oils to keep bugs and pests away! It's completely safe for you to eat (mint and cinnamon oil) and it really does keep the bugs away. Don't use too heavily if your plants aren't self pollinating though, since you will need flow...
Organic Anti Pest Spray
Ready to commit to something more permanent? These beds are a favorite in my family. They're expensive, but they will last the test of time and give you the option to plant a ton more!
Metal Raised Garden Bed Kits, LARGE
Do yourself a favor and grab a kneeling pad! You will be working on the ground a lot, so every little bit of comfort is worth it!
Kneeling Pad for Gardening
You will need scissors, for everything, all of the time. Opening a bag of soil? Scissors. Cutting a length of string? Scissors. Trimming off half dead leaves? Scissors. Harvesting a pepper? Scissors! Have them in your workspace, make them easy to fin...
3 Pack, Scissors
Keep all of your supplies in one place, something you won't mind getting dirty and that can roll and move easily! Plus there is a little drawer to store your scissors and work gloves.
Rolling Working Cart
As your seedlings grow, they will start to need support! (Especially peppers and tomatoes). Spike dowels into the dirt WHEN you plant to avoid cutting roots by adding supports later on. Then as the plants grow, gently secure the main stem to the dowe...
Wooden Dowels - Plant Stem Supports
Make transporting soil, plants, containers easy with a handy cart! Gorilla makes products that last and are very hardy and are worth the investment to save your back from lugging heavy bags around.
Gorilla Carts 2-Wheel Garden Wagon
Maintain a healthy microbiome and good balance of nutrients in your containers with worm castings. These can be sprinkled on top of your containers every month or two and will soak into your soil to keep your plants healthy and fed in a more natural ...
Organic Worm Castings (Natural Fertilizer)
This is a pretty comprehensive set of tools for anything you might need for basic gardening. Having a trowel and a set of clippers is the most important!
Heavy Duty Gardening Tools
Keep all of your stuff in one, rain proof, place! Having an outdoor storage box will make your life much easier. Feel free to start with a normal plastic tote, but those will break down outside over time. When you're committed, invest in something st...
Outdoor Storage Box
As tomatoes grow, they need support. While wooden dowels are good for supporting a growing stem, as the fruit grow, the individual branches need support too for the heavy tomatoes!
Tomato Cages
Seedlings need to be started in little trays. You can use cardboard egg cartons for something more sustainable, but those will be a bit messier. This set is reusable, straightforward, and makes getting your seeds going nice and easy!
Seed Starting Tray (Reusable)
Easy Starter Crops
These will depend on your zones, but I've found tomatoes, peppers, and carrots to be really easy and straightforward! Pair them with basil, mint, chives, green onions, and rosemary to help control pests and give you fresh herbs!
Smaller tomatoes can be easier to start with. They grow a little faster for the impatient, and they need less support since the tomatoes aren't as heavy!
Tomato Seeds, A Grappoli D'Inverno
These seeds sprouted super easily for me, probably 80% success rate and they have been growing really well! Basil is a great companion for tomatoes - both in the container and when cooking!
Basil Seeds, Mammolo
These naturally smaller carrots sprouted really well (but be PATIENT - it took over two weeks!). These are great for containers since they are only 3-6 inches in length, so you don't need as many. Remember to THIN OUT your seedlings once the leaves a...
Carrot Seeds, Little Finger
Heirloom seeds create veggies that you can harvest the seeds from and plant them again next year, so it's always good to grab heirloom varieties! Cucumers are a sort of vine and will want a trellis to grow on, but when you get them in a happy state, ...
Organic Cucumber Seeds, Heirloom
Buy them at the grocery store! Seriously. Cut off the white tips, stick them in dirt, keep them well watered, and boom - infinite green onion supply. They won't look exactly the same, but they will taste amazing. Just cut off the top when you need so...
Green Onion - Grocery Store
Heirloom seeds can be harvested from your veggies and planted the following year, so they're great varieties to choose. Jalapenos are HARDY. I had one destroyed by a windstorm, and two months later, it had almost completely re-grown 3x stronger with ...
Heirloom Jalapeno Pepper Seeds
Resources to Read
Here are a few articles to get you started and build up your general gardening knowledge, some money saving tips, and anything else I have found interesting along the way.
Find your growing zone! This is obviously for the US, so you may need to search for a growing zone map for your own country if you are outside the US. This will determine your planting recommendations, when to start seeds, what grows well together et...
USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map
This is a way to do raised bed gardening that saves you from buying tons and tons of soil. It's organic, cheap, easy to do, and flexible. Remember to save your cardboard and clean paper to build up a stock for building your raised beds!
How to Make Hugelkultur Beds for Growing Vegetables
Companion planting can help you optimized plants that work well with each other. Pairing herbs with vegetables can be a natural way to keep pests away and have easy variety in your garden.
Companion Planting Chart
I picked this book up recently - not only is it a lovely coffee table book with beautiful pictures, this has some really great gardening tips, the basics of soil, fertilizer, composting, and some great ideas for flower gardens, plants that are good f...
Martha Stewart's Gardening Handbook