How to Garden - Gardening Basics for Beginners

Learn how to plant and care for vegetables, flowers, and more—even if you're a beginning gardener

Photo by: BIOSPHOTO / Alamy.

Gardening is about finding the right combination of sunlight, fertile soil, and water to make your plants thrive. It's also about fulfilling your passion, so select plants you love. Use the resources here as a starting point, and in no time you’ll have a beautiful garden, no matter what level of gardening experience you have.

On this page:

GARDENING BASICS
HOW TO GROW ANNUALS, PERENNIALS, SHRUBS, BULBS
HOW TO GROW GORGEOUS FLOWERS
HOW TO GARDEN INDOORS
GARDEN-INSPIRED DIY PROJECTS
COMMON GARDENING TERMS
ONLINE COURSES

GARDENING BASICS

Beginning gardeners are often intimidated by the process of how to start a garden and care for it successfully—after all, there's a lot involved. From amending your soil with high-quality organic matter to pruning shrubs, you'll find answers and advice for essentail gardening tasks.

Garden Soil 101Flourishing gardens begin at the roots. Here are the ground rules for preparing your soil.Garden Fertilizer 101Compare types of fertilizers and learn when and how to feed your plants for a healthier garden.Composting 101Get the dirt on composting: the benefits, what to include (and what not to), and finding the right balance.

Mulch 101Why you should mulch, how to mulch, and what are the best types of mulch to use in your garden.Irrigation 101Discover which irrigation system is best for watering your garden.

A Gardener's Guide to DeadheadingLearn why, how and when to deadhead your garden plantsHow to Use Neem OilLearn how and when to use this natural pesticide on your indoor and outdoor plants.How to Grow Plants from SeedGet a head start and grow your favorites by starting seeds at home.

How to Create a Container PlantingContainers are as complicated as they are chic—and worth every minute of your effort.12 Essential Garden ToolsThe basic tools that every gardener-beginner or advanced-needs in their shed.How to Care for Garden ToolsAdvice for daily and seasonal care and maintenance for garden tools, including cleaning and storage.

Organic Gardening BasicsDiscover what it takes to create an organically grown garden using natural methods.How to Water Your Summer Garden13 tips to help you water your summer garden properly, from what time to water to how to keep moisture in the soil.Prepare Your Garden for WinterNo matter where you live, there are tasks that will help your garden get through winter and off to a beautiful spring.

PESTS, DISEASES, & OTHER GARDEN PROBLEMS

Learn how to safely and naturally deal with common pests, diseases, and weeds that can wreak havoc on your garden.

See more:

Natural Ways to Get Rid of AphidsEliminate aphids from your plants and garden naturally and safely.12 Mosquito Repellent Plants12 plants to grow not only their color and fragrance, but also their ability to keep mosquitoes away.

HOW TO GROW ANNUALS, PERENNIALS, SHRUBS, BULBS

Learn how to grow different types of plants and their uses in the garden. Understand the differences between them and what growing conditions they do best in.

How to Grow AnnualsHow to use annual plants and flowers to add seasonal personality to your garden.How to Grow PerennialsHow to use perennial flowers and plants for year-after-year color in your garden.How to Grow ShrubsA guide to growing gorgeous shrubs to provide structure, winter interest, and seasonal color in your garden.

HOW TO GROW VEGETABLES & HERBS

Many beginning gardeners find the process of growing their own food rewarding, and not as difficult as they anticipated. Whether you’re looking to start with just a few tomatoes or you’re planning to create a full-fledged kitchen garden, doing your homework on how to plant, care for, and harvest your crops will be valuable.

See more:

How to Start a Vegetable GardenFollow these 6 steps and you'll be on your way to growing your own food. Container Vegetable GardeningHow to start a vegetable garden in containers. Perfect for patios, balconies, and small spaces.Raised Bed GardensLearn how to lay out and build raised beds to grow veggies right at home.

16 Spring VegetablesFrom artichokes to turnips, there are plenty of veggies to grow in your spring garden.15 Best Herbs to Grow at HomeLiven up you garden and taste palette with these tried-and-true favorites.

HOW TO GROW GORGEOUS FLOWERS

Starting a flower garden doesn’t have to be daunting—whether you choose to grow from seed or young plants. Plan your own flower garden, get suggestions for easy-to-grow flowers, and soon you’ll have lovely flowers everywhere.

How to Start a Flower GardenLearn how to start a flower garden with advice on soil testing, color choices, and planting flowers for cutting.21 Easiest Flowers for BeginnersDiscover some of the best easy-to-grow plants to grow in your first garden.A Beginner's Guide to Rose CareTen essential steps for ensuring beautiful rose bushes year after year.

HOW TO GARDEN INDOORS

When winter arrives, your gardening doesn’t have to stop. Try your hand at growing a few plants indoors and you’ll find that it isn’t too hard. Learn how to keep your houseplants happy with proper care and placement.

21 Best Indoor PlantsYou can fill every room of your home with greenery by choosing these versatile, easy-care houseplants.Top 10 Terrarium TipsLearn how to make a terrarium, the best plants for terrariums, care, maintenance and more.How to Design a Window GardenIf you enjoy houseplants, consider cultivating a window garden—ideal for showing off plants in the winter.

How to Force Flowering BranchesLearn how to get branches of flowering trees and shrubs to blooming early in just four easy steps.Forcing Indoor BulbsEarly fall is the time to get bulbs ready for winter blooms indoors.

GARDEN-INSPIRED DIY PROJECTS

Looking for a fun project? Get how to info for using flowers, branches, and other items from your garden to create clothing, décor, and more.

12 Easy Garden DIYsDIY garden projects to try: from a garden under glass to an easy-to-make water garden, you'll find something you love.Sun PrintingUse the plants in your garden to create beautiful patterned fabric that can be made into clothing or a framed work of art.Flower Arranging 101A step-by-step guide about how to create striking flower arrangemenets at home.

COMMON GARDENING TERMS

Basic Types of Plants:

Annual: Plants that grow, flower, set seed, and die all in one growing season
Perennial: Plants that come back year after year; some are evergreen, some are deciduous
Shrub: Woody plants that have several main stems; some are evergreen, some are deciduous

Evergreen: Plants that do not go dormant and keep their leaves through winter

Deciduous: Plants that go dormant and drop their leaves in winter

Zone: There are 11 different growing zones in the U.S. and Canada based on the lowest average temperature each area receives during winter. Knowing what zone you are gardening in allows you to pick plants that will withstand the coldest expected temperature for your area. Read more: Zoning in on Hardiness.

Exposure: The amount of sun or shade a plant needs

Full sun: 6 or more hours of direct sunlight each day
Partial sun/shade: 4 to 6 hours of direct sunlight each day
Full shade: Less than 4 hours of direct sunlight each day
Dappled shade: A mixture of sun and shade, usually under an open tree; similar to partial shade

Habit: Refers to the general structure or shape of the mature plant

Climbing: Plants that climb fences, trellises, or structures (i.e., vines)
Clump forming: Plants that form clumps of foliage, often spreading to form more clumps
Mounded: Plants with a rounded shape, usually wider than tall
Spreading: Plants that are low-growing and spread along the ground, rooting at nodes along the stem
Trailing: Plants that trail along the ground or cascade out of containers, but do not root from the stem
Upright: Plants that are taller than wide, with generally straight sides

Height & spread: The estimated size of a mature plant

First or last frost date: The average date for your area for the first frost in fall or the last frost in spring

Native: A plant that has grown naturally over hundreds or thousands of years in a particular area. These plants are well adapted to their native growing conditions (soil, climate, water, etc.) and are beneficial to their local pollinators and wildlife.

Invasive: A non-native plant that becomes established in an area outside it's native region and spreads rapidly, to the point of disrupting the native environment and ecosystem.

For more common gardening terms, see this Dictionary of Gardening Terms from Proven Winners.