If you have always wanted to have a go at growing your own plants it can be quite hard to know where to start, especially if you have absolutely no prior experience in keeping plants alive and helping them to thrive. It may be the case that you have previously had the odd potted plant in your home or garden and want to expand on this to improve your skills and grow more attractive or useful plants to use.
There is a wealth of information available in books and on websites that can assist you in expanding your knowledge and skills, but information and tips for complete novices can be harder to track down. Luckily, this brief guide is designed to cover some of the absolute basics of growing plants including how and where to grow them, and which plants may be suitable for your skill level and growing environment.
First things first
Before you get ahead of yourself and start putting your hard earned money down on seeds, soil and tools you will need to assess the space you plan to grow your plants in. This could be your own back or front garden, an allotment, a series of pots on a balcony, or even an indoor hydroponic garden.
The kind of space you have available will have a strong bearing on the type and number of plants you can grow and will form the basis of your garden plan. This step may not be as simple as you may initially think, mostly because you can’t truly assess the amount of space a plant needs just by looking at its above-ground growth.
A plant can have excessively large roots relative to the stems, leaves and shoots that appear above the soil surface and it is vital that the roots are accounted for in terms of their depth and lateral spread.
If you have a large space then this will be less of an issue for you. If you have a very small space then you will either need to limit the type or number of plants you are growing to make sure there’s adequate space.
Bear in mind that a small space doesn’t need to mean you can’t grow the plants you want, only that you may have to make some smart decisions and use alternative methods. For example, you can use hydroponics to grow plants that need a lot of space in a more compact way. This is because the growing conditions can be optimised to reduce competition between plants, allowing each plant to grow well with a more compact root.
Next, you need to think about the climate of the area you live in. Even though the UK is relatively small, there are a wide range of localised climate conditions that certain parts of the country are prone to. For example, parts of the UK under the Pennine rain shadow are much wetter than average, and coastal areas range from mild and almost Mediterranean in feel to wild, windswept and cold.
Outdoor plants for beginners
If you are looking to grow some plants that are simple, straightforward and relatively reliable for beginners to grow then you’ll still have an amazing range of plants to choose from including fruits, vegetables, flowers and foliage plants. Flowers such as pansies, sunflowers and marigolds are all great choices for your first garden.
If you fancy growing edible plants in your garden then look for easy options like mint, rosemary, tomatoes, lettuce, peas and radishes. Choose your varieties carefully because some are tricker to get going than others and keep in mind that heirloom varieties often have more flavour and colour, but they also can be harder to accommodate with beginner levels of experience.
Indoor plants for beginners
Plants that are too sensitive to the outdoor conditions where you live can often be grown as houseplants instead, and you can also grow plants indoors that you may usually find outside if that is your preference.
The hardest part of growing plants indoors is ensuring they have enough light, so be prepared to supplement their light if there isn’t enough coming in through the windows. Cacti, succulents, spider plants, pothos, peace lilies and philodendrons are all good choices for a beginner.