5 Gardening Tips Every First-Time Gardener Needs to Know (Replay)

Bri Books

In this episode, I'm sharing the tips first-time gardeners need to know, and how to start a vegetable garden, raised bed garden, herb garden, or kitchen garden without breaking the bank. These easy gardening tips and gardening hacks that'll make your life easier. Follow theBriGarden on Instagram, and listen to Bri Books on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and SoundCloud. Show me your garden by using #bribooks on Instagram, and subscribe to the Bri Books newsletter at bribookspod.com/newsletter.

3:00 - #1: Identify your USDA hardiness zone. (Psst...I’ll include maps for San Francisco, NYC, DC, Houston, Philadelphia, Columbus, Chicago, San Diego, Detroit, and Atlanta gardening zones on the Bri Books Instagram and newsletter.)

4:30 - #2: Find your sunspots. Here’s how to identify North, South, East, and West: First, point your left arm towards the sun in the morning. Now, take your right hand and point it toward the west (stretch arms like you’re giving a hug.) You’re now facing south, and your back is facing north. Mind blown!

6:30 - #3: Find out your frost date. What’s important to know is how many weeks you have until your frost date is upon you. Find the frost dates at almanac.com, and then count backward how many weeks you have remaining until that day. That’s essentially the number of weeks you have left in your traditional summer-autumn season.

8:30 - #4: How to pick good soil and seeds. I recommend beginning with a seedling mix like Black Gold from Sun Gro, or Epsoma Seed Starting Potting Mix. My favorite seed company is Botanical Interests, a company I’ve been celebrating for over 5 years now. The second resource I love for seeds is CaliKim Garden and Home. She has a great selection mix. A lof the mixes are good if you want to place one order and get a half dozen crops at your doorstep. I’d also recommend Uncle Jim’s Worm Farm! They sell all the worms that are great for composting and adding overall health to your garden.

12:30 - #5: Pick the best short-term and long-term containers for your plants. Keep vertical growing in mind when it comes to space. Here’s a growing tower/ multi-tiered planter that I like for growing green leafys, roots, and flowers. A great beginning seed container is an egg carton, and also fruit cartons.

BREAK

16:00 - Gardening Q&A #1: How do you harvest herbs to keep them growing?

Gardening Q&A #2: Do herbs grow better on a balcony or indoors?

Gardening Q&A #3: My gardening story/ what inspired me to start a garden?

Gardening Q&A #4: How do I become a good plant mom?