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Tips/Tricks for new gardeners
I live in zone 6a and this will be my 1st time doing a full garden. I have no expectations except for my pepper plants that I will be doing in pots on the back porch (becuase I have done those before). So does anyone have any good tips/tricks to help a newbie out?



Ah gosh, I know this is a bit of an old post...even so, best of luck with all of this! I did a bit of novice gardening in zone 5b, so I may be able to offer some tips. What is it you're aiming to grow this year? Do you have raised beds, or no? Do you have any pesky black walnut trees nearby (they make most veggies and non-native flowers sad)? It's all so open ended, any info is appreciated. :]
Well I think I got in over my head with my gardening. I have started my peppers & tomatoes here in the house & they came up really well. We are going to be transplanting into larger biodegradable containers this week until the weather is stable enough to move them outside to the garden. We do have raised beds, but not in the not bottom high up sense. I also have garlic & onions started. I have my herbs in pots, but those will likely stay in for the most part. I have strawberry plants purchased and waiting to plants as well as cauliflower. I have seeds for cucumbers, squash, broccoli & salad mix. I have no black walnut trees around here. We have a large garden that my husband made so no current weed issues etc. I've been using grow lamps for my indoor stuff to help with the growth.
Oh gosh, with that huge array of plants you'll be more experienced than me in no time at all!
My takeaway from growing broccoli a few years ago was how long the plant took to mature, and how big the plant was once it finally produced florets. They were very handsome, but took up a lot more space than anticipated (as does anything in a garden, I guess :P ). Keep an eye out for cabbage worms, as they can appear and do a lot of foliage damage very quickly (insecticidal soap did the job against em for me). I imagine it'll be the same story for cauliflower.
Something I've always wanted to TRY to do is grow cucumbers on an angled trellis, and planting cool-season lettuces in the shade created by the cuc plants. Lettuces and spinach love early spring and late fall in our zones, which is good to keep in mind for filling up beds at different times of the year. For example, I started a bed with spinach and lettuce, harvested those, and then put peppers in their spots after adding some compost to the soil.
Some of my strawberries from past years have ended up going feral on me, and actually look quite nice as a shady groundcover, of all things! They don't produce a good crop in the shade, but I keep them around since the bees enjoy the flowers so much. Look for runners and guide them to new spots in the ground if you want more plants! :D
Regarding garlics, I've always heard sayings along the lines of "plant on Halloween, harvest on the 4thh of July" for general guidelines, but I'm fairly new to this. I'm curious to see how those turn out for you!
What kind of tomatoes do you have? I'm a fan of tomato cages for vertical growing, especially for beefsteaks and some heirloom varieties, which can make ten foot long vines (oi...)
It's all such a learning process, and like I said, you'll likely outrank me in no time with such a variety of plants. Good luck, again!
Yea I figured I would go big or go home. Thank you for the tips on broccoli. I'm currently working on a spreadsheet diagram of all my plant placements so I will keep that in mind. My husband has a few things planned that he has yet to enlighten me on techniques. I will keep you updated!