Gardening tips for beginners - part two

In part 1 of our handy guide to gardening for beginners, we highlighted the gardening tools that you might need to begin your gardening journey and provided you with information on how to make your own compost. We hope that this has given you inspiration to don those gardening gloves and get your wellies on! Now that you have the basics down, we can start thinking of plant selection and what are the best herbs, fruit and vegetables to grow as a beginner.

Garden Plants

As a beginner, you may want to consider garden plants that are easy to grow and are relatively low-maintenance.

Sunflowers are an ideal flower for beginners as they can be sowed straight into the ground (just pick a sheltered yet sunny spot and watch them grow!) Don’t forget to add supports to the sunflower stems to help them grow to their maximum potential.

Pansies remain a popular choice for gardeners, they look cheery and colourful and are easy plants to grow from seeds. If you see any faded pansies, don’t forget to deadhead them to encourage fresh flowers to burst through.

Colourful and quick growing in equal measure, the nasturtium can be sowed in borders or in dedicated pots. Did you know that you can eat some of their flowers too? Why not add some to a salad or as an edible garnish?

Sweet peas have the most amazing fragrance and can come in both seed and plug plant formats. All you need is plenty of water, sun and a supportive fence or wall to make your sweet peas grow!

Honeysuckle is a great plant that climbs well and is a wonderful choice for new gardeners. It can be grown against walls, fences and more. It looks delicate but it actually very robust! They are a semi-evergreen so will add colour to your garden all year around. They also produce the most beautiful flowers during the summer too.

Garden Herbs

Keen to grow herbs to take you from the garden to the kitchen but not sure where to start? We would recommend starting with the likes of mint and lemon balm – these are ideal herbs to plant for beginners as they tend to grow fast and can work well in pots too.

if space is an issue, why not consider an herb like thyme? It can grow in small spaces and tends to spread well on its own, therefore you don’t have to plant lots of them.

Herbs like sage and rosemary are not only great for producing delicious herbs but they also look good too as they produce pretty flowers which can attract bees.

Basil is an excellent choice for beginners as it is easy to grow from seedlings and compliments tomatoes too.

Fruit and Veg

Growing vegetables can be incredibly rewarding as there is nothing more satisfying than presenting your loved ones with a place of vegetables that you have lovingly grown yourself.

• Radishes and garlic are ideal for beginners on their gardening journey and are resilient. Radishes are ready to harvest in just a matter of weeks. Green beans are ideal as they grow easily and can also be frozen if you get a larger than anticipated crop.
• Like things hot? Peppers (both hot and bell) are easy to grow and can provide a delightful range of flavours and colours.
• You say potato! Potatoes are an -easy-to-grow- staple vegetable that are easily stored too.
• A perfectly ripe tomato is ideal in a sandwich or in a salad and can also be grown easily by a beginner.
• Strawberries are an excellent choice of fruit to grow in your garden and can be easily cultivated by beginners. 
  
  In the next installment, we will elaborate on how to improve your borders and to utilise the likes of decorative stones and sleepers in your garden as well as using the likes of gravel and shingle in your garden.

To find out more about the range of products we offer, from building materials and decorative stones to shingle & gravel and driveway materials, contact our team today on 01258 857465 or take a look at our special offers!