How to Start a Garden

As the weather in Philadelphia finally starts to warm up, seed stands and potted plants are turning up in stores all over. I have never been interested in gardening before, but for some reason I wondered into the dollar section at Target and decided to buy a small pot that came with soil and seeds. After about a week, I saw a little sprout appear and thought it was so cool. I went back to Target and bought a packet of seeds, a pot and soil and started growing more flowers. If you want to know how I started my indoor garden, keep reading. I have only been gardening for about a month now and probably am making some mistakes. This is solely based on my experiences and what I found has worked for me so far. 

1. Decide what you want to grow and where. 

I knew I wanted to have color in my garden, so I decided to grow flowers instead of vegetables. I also knew I wanted to have an indoor garden because the weather is still a little chilly, and I also have a huge fear of bugs. Some of the seeds I have say to transplant the plants outside after so long, but I may see if they continue to grow inside.

2. Read the seed packet carefully. 

The first mistake I made was buying seeds that either don’t grow around this time, or were strictly outside plants. For an indoor garden, it’s important to get a packet of seeds that say they are container friendly. If they require full sun, place them in the window. If they only need partial sun, I take them away from the window after about 6 hours. The website on the seed packet gives more in depth directions such as the exact days to start planting the seeds and when to transplant them to a bigger container, or outdoors. 

3. Don’t over water your plants. 

Another mistake I made was filling up my plants with too much water. I found that for most plants, after they sprout, fill up a water tray and put the pot in the water tray. The soil will absorb the water through the drainage holes without damaging the sprout. 

4. Do Your Research. 

Depending where you live, some plants may do better than others. Find out what zone you live in and buy seeds that correspond to your zone. Pay attention to what soil the seeds grow best in and how long you should be leaving a plant indoors, if at all. 

5. Decorate.

With Spring and Summer approaching, there are so many garden accessories out in stores. My favorites are miniatures, which are used for fairy gardens. There are also decorative pots and planters that you can paint yourself. If your garden is outside, consider adding a few stone tiles to create a walkway, or cute lawn ornaments.

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