Gardening For Beginners

Written on March 5th, 2025

Are you a new gardener? It can seem daunting when you’ve all that space but no idea where to start. The most important thing to remember is to start small, we be-leaf in you! Follow our simple guide and you’ll have a garden that’s ready to bloom in no time, with essential tools, tips for sowing seeds, composting, how to start a vegetable garden and more.

Top 5 Tools For New Gardeners

Staying focused on the basics can help you feel less overwhelmed when gardening. Our top essential gardening tools will get you going with any project you have in mind.

Gloves – first things first, treat yourself to a pair of gardening gloves, we think the brighter the better! They should be durable but not too thick, especially if you’re working with seeds, and literally ‘fit like a glove’ as to not cause blisters.
Broom – after the wintery months, your garden might be looking a little worse for wear. The easiest way to spruce up your space, clear leaves and clean stubborn moss and dirt is to bring in the broom.
Trowel – a new gardeners’ best friend. The trowel is a versatile tool perfect for digging small holes, planting seedlings and bulbs, and moving soil.
Hand fork – a helping hand for any planting project, used for levelling soil, removing weeds and turning your top layer of soil for air circulation.
Watering can – plastic cans tend to be lighter than metal but won’t last as long. Care for your plants giving them a gentle shower using a sprinkler head which can easily and quickly cover more space outdoors.

Sowing Seeds Outdoors

Ideal for if you don’t have a greenhouse or lots of windowsill space indoors, sowing seeds outdoors is an easy way to grow a range of plants.

Planting straight into the soil is called ‘direct sowing’, Spring is the perfect time of year for this and seeing weed seedlings growing is a sign that your soil is warm enough to plant your seeds.

Sowing seeds in rows is an easy way to distinguish between your seedlings and weeds, the smaller the seed the shallower you need to sow them. Firstly, prepare your soil with a hand fork if it’s compacted for air circulation, and level it. Then you can make small holes with your finger or a stick in the soil and dampen with some water to encourage germination. Take a pinch of seeds and drop them into the holes, use your trowel to cover the seeds up with soil and firm down. Use your watering can to water the area, seedlings usually appear within a few weeks, water them every couple of days and check on them to ensure they’re not being attacked by insects, you can cover them with fine mesh if they are.

Planting Seedlings

If you’ve sown your seeds indoors and your seedlings are sprouting into mini plants, it could be that they’ve outgrown their current container. You should look out for 3-4 ‘true leaves’ on your seedlings which are the second set of leaves to grow and resemble the mature plant’s leaf shape.

To transfer your seedlings, remove them from their tray by tugging gently from the bottom of the stem and separate any tangled plants. Place each seedling in its pot and cover with soil, then lightly water. If your plant is staying in a pot permanently choose a slightly bigger one to allow more room to grow. One-two weeks before you want to plant them outside, begin to harden them off. This includes acclimatising them outdoors, do this by slowly building up the amount of sunlight and time outside they receive each day. The weather makes a huge difference for your plant’s survival, check your local forecast to ensure no bad weather is heading towards your garden!

How To Grow Vegetables

Growing your own vegetables can be super rewarding and fun. Begin your vegetable garden by choosing a sheltered sunny spot in the garden and preparing your soil by weeding and adding compost. It’s best to start your journey with plants that require little maintenance, attract less pests and are ready to harvest in a short time. Examples are, peas, beetroot, rocket, potatoes and chillies. Don’t grow your plants too closely together and deter slugs and snails with physical barriers such as copper tape. It’s easier to begin growing more vulnerable vegetables such as courgettes and tomatoes inside and plant them outdoors once they’re big enough to withstand the elements.

Benefits Of Composting And How To Start

All you need for a successful compost heap is waste, air and water. This has great environmental impact while providing a home for insects in your garden and increasing the nutrient content in your soil making it rich and healthy for growing plants.

To get started, pick a shaded area in your garden and use an old bin as a container if you want to keep things neat, use bricks and sticks as a base and simply fill it up with your ‘compostable ingredients’, then water and keep moist.

What to put in your compost:

Grass cuttings and dead leaves
Coffee grounds
Tea bags
Fruit and vegetable scraps
Egg shell
Newspaper
Dead plants
Off-cuts of flowers
Old bedding plants
Plain cardboard

Ensure you have a mix of items and when your compost becomes dark and crumbly it’s ready to use! You can pick up free used coffee grounds from your Booths Cafés to mix in with your soil or add to your compost heap. While stocks last.