How to Start a Garden for the First Time

Start smaller than feels satisfying

The most common first-year mistake is scale. A large bed dug in April is a thrilling project and an exhausting July. A bed of around 3 by 6 ft (1 by 2 m), or six to eight containers, is enough to grow real food and small enough to keep on top of when the weather turns hot.

You can always expand next season. Almost nobody regrets a garden that was easy to maintain.

Choose the spot before you choose the plants

Look for somewhere that gets a good stretch of direct sun, sits reasonably level, and is within easy reach of water. Convenience matters more than people expect: a garden you walk past every day gets watered and weeded, and one at the bottom of the garden often does not.

Avoid low corners where water sits after rain, and the base of large trees, where roots compete fiercely for moisture.

Work out how much sun you actually have

Pick a clear day and check the spot every couple of hours, noting sun or shade. Six or more hours of direct sun opens up almost everything, including tomatoes, peppers, beans and most flowers. Four to six hours suits leafy crops and many herbs. Under four hours, focus on shade-tolerant greens and lower your expectations of fruiting crops.

Decide between ground, raised beds and pots

• In-ground beds cost the least and hold moisture well, but depend on the soil you already have.
• Raised beds let you supply good soil from the start, drain freely, and are kinder on your back.
• Containers suit balconies, patios and rented homes, and let you move plants to chase the sun.

Improve the soil once, properly

Whatever you plant into, spread a few in of compost and mix it into the top layer. Compost improves drainage in heavy soil and helps sandy soil hold water, which covers most starting points.

If you are filling raised beds or pots, buy a mix made for that purpose rather than digging up garden soil, which compacts badly once contained.

Pick a short list of forgiving plants

Choose things you will actually eat or enjoy looking at, and favor the reliable ones for year one: lettuce, radishes, green beans, bush tomatoes, basil and marigolds are all straightforward.

Check the days-to-harvest figure on the packet against how long your warm season lasts. It is the single most useful number there.

Plant, water in, mulch

Follow the spacing on the label even when the seedlings look lost with that much room around them. Water each plant in thoroughly as you go, then spread a few in of mulch to slow evaporation and weeds.

That is the whole first weekend. From there the job is checking in a few times a week, watering deeply when the soil is dry a few in down, and harvesting often.