Starting a Garden: the wisdom of starting small.
, by Ellen Rignell, 2 min reading time
There’s a moment in your mid-thirties, when you wake up one morning and decide you absolutely must start a garden. You have no idea what seeds to sow. You haven’t held a trowel since you were 8 years old. You’re a bit fuzzy as to where your local garden centre is. But the sudden impulse to grow something is real. If this is you, I have some advice.
There’s a moment in your mid-thirties, when you wake up one morning and decide you absolutely must start a garden. You have no idea what seeds to sow. You haven’t held a trowel since you were 8 years old. You’re a bit fuzzy as to where your local garden centre is. But the sudden impulse to grow something is real.
If this is you, I have some advice.
Start small. A handful of seed packets, a few pots, a smattering of seedlings. Yes, I know it’s difficult. A new world of garden delights has just opened up to you, but trust me, a decades worth of experience has taught me that starting small gives you the best chance of success.
Most seed companies and gardening experts give new gardeners a list of flowers and vegetables which are deemed ‘easy-to-grow’. My advice is a little different.
Here are my tips for choosing seeds to start your first garden:
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Grow something you can’t get enough of. Are you a greens addict? A heirloom tomato fan? Crazy about pink flowers? Stick to growing what you love, appreciate and will find easy to use! You don’t need to grow cabbages or beetroot if you hardly ever eat them. Choose 3 things you love and read up on how to grow them. You can always grow a few more next year.
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Don’t forget to grow flowers. They turn a productive garden into a patch buzzing with life. And they will make you smile everytime you see them. Try Calendula ‘Pacific Beauty’ for beautiful edibles, Sunflower ‘Valentine’ to attract birds and Cosmos ‘Apricotta’ for its sheer gorgeousness.
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Grow something generous. Some plants are more generous than others. In the generous category, I place courgettes, tomatoes, herbs, greens like kale or chard and salad greens like rocket and lettuce. As well as unusual varieties like Piracicaba broccoli and Physalis Mary’s Niagara. Grow some of these and you’ll always have something to add to your dinner. For full vases, grow Cosmos, Calendula, Amaranth, Ammi, Nicotiana and Snapdragons.
I hope this gives you a different perspective on starting your garden from seed this year. If you’re anything like me, you’ll totally ignore my advice and go off and buy 20 packets of seeds :) more power to you!
I’ve got lots of lovely varieties here which are great choices for your first garden and this May I’m offering a free seed packet to all new customers. Buy 3 seed packets and the 3rd one is on me with the code ‘MAYFREEBIE’.
