Namaskar Desi Gardeners. Do you want start a garden? Are you a beginner or simply want a clear step-by-step solution?
I have prepared for you a guide that will help you get through it easily.
Step-by-step guide for beginners to start a garden
- Which plant do you want?
- Where will you keep it?
- Selecting the right plant
- Treat the new plant
- Choose soil, pot and location
- Water and fertilize
While you start a garden, you need to determine what you want and take care of a few things. Gardening is simple but you need to know what you are going after. When we take care of a plant, it is a living, growing thing. And we want it to be alright.
- Which plants do you want?
Most of us just see plants being sold at a nursery or at the side of the street and buy it. We ask the name of the plant and we may also ask the seller about the care of that plant. I have done this and that was how I thought you start a garden. Let me tell you it is not the best idea.
Buy plants from a place you know is reliable. Most sellers are eager to sell their plants, no matter if it is sick or out of season. Buy from a regular nursery where you can go back again. A permanent nursery will more likely sell you good quality products so that you come back.
Before you buy a plant, it is always better to do a little research. Where will you keep it – indoors or outdoors? Do you want it for flowers? Or for vegetables or fruits? Is it ornamental and you want it for showy look? Is it seasonal or perennial?
But let us say that you already got some plants. What to do next?
- Where will you keep it?
Different plants have different sunlight requirement. Some plants need full sun, some partial shade. Some need soft heat of the morning or evening sun.
How much space do you have? Will you keep in it in your balcony? Will you put it outdoor or indoor?
- Selecting the right plant
After selecting a good place to buy, buy a healthy plant. Look out for any insects. Inspect the leaves. If the leaves are curled up or down, there is a good chance of infestation. If too many leaves have holes, there could be some pest problem. These are general ways and with time and experience, you will get better. If buying bulbs, go for mature ones.
Do you want to decorate your garden with particular flowers? Like some people go for blue flowers or pink ones for a season in India.
- Treat the new plant
Keep you new plants in a location a little away from other plants, at least for seven days. This way your older plants will be kept safe if your new plant has some disease or pest. Make a spray of neem oil and soap and drench the plant well – leaves, shoots and soil. Remember to spray on the underside of the leaves also because that is where pests hide.
- Choose soil, pot and location
If you are planting on the ground, prepare the soil area by adding nutrients. Take care of the drainage and sunlight.
If you putting it in a pot, soil preparation is most important. Good potting soil gives a good plant.
Potting for Indian gardens– Soil mix, organic and soilless
- Water and fertilize
You will be surprised to know that most plants get killed by overwatering. Too much watering promotes fungus and diseases and worst of all, root rot. Every kind of plant has different watering need. To be on the safe side, do not water your plants unless the top soil is dry. Make sure the water drains off under the pot, otherwise it will surely kill your plant.
It is the same for fertilizer. Every plant needs food but the type of food nutrients may change. When a plant is growing, it needs more Nitrogen based fertilizer. Then it develops its branches and after that it starts to produce flowers and fruits. Then it needs fertilizers based on phosphate and potassium.
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Fertilizers Used By Gardeners In India
Mistakes I made as a beginner in gardening
I bought plants with excitement. Whatever looked good I got it. Like many layman gardeners I had an idea that if you water and feed a plant well, your job is done. The sad thing is many of my plants died due to overwatering, root rot and fungal infections because I did not know better.
I started to learn by asking some people and then through the internet and YouTube. I am telling it all honestly. I remember that if my plant was sick I would go to the nursey shop and naively ask for a ‘medicine’. But like humans, plants can have various diseases – viral, bacterial, fungal, from insects and pests and also due to nutrient deficiency. Just like us. Sometimes the plant was alright but the soil was not.
Right now when I go to a nursery, I see many people do the same mistakes as I did. And I strongly felt that if I could help others with my experience, it would save their dear plants. Through Desi Gardening, I hope my posts are helping you too.
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