Quick Tip for New Gardeners: Start with Transplants

By Jennifer Poindexter

Do you like to sow seeds directly, start your own seeds, or grow from store-bought plants? If you’ve been gardening for a while, you probably have a preference.

However, if you’re new to gardening you may not know which planting method you prefer. If you’re in this category, this tip is for you.

Utilize this information when considering starting your garden from store-bought plants. Here’s why:

Quick Tip for New Gardeners: Start with Transplants

This may be an unpopular opinion as buying store-bought seedlings adds quite a bit of expense to any garden.

However, if you’re someone who hasn’t grown anything a day in your life, it’s okay to take the path of least resistance, especially in the beginning.

Growing a garden will have enough curveballs your first year or two. You’ll have to figure out how to care for what you grow and how to help your plants if they experience pests or diseases.

Gardening is a skill, so it’s okay to give yourself time to grow your skill set. Don’t feel like you must experiment and figure it all out within the first few years.

Instead, purchase store-bought seedlings and plants. This way, you can focus on the right time to plant for your planting zone, you’ll gain skills in caring and protecting your plants, and understand more about when and how to harvest from the crops you grow.

Once you have these things down, begin growing plants which do best from direct sowing. Then branch out into starting your own seeds to gain more skills and save more money.

When you’re new to gardening, don’t feel like you must learn everything in a season. Instead, give yourself time to gain experience.

Over the years, you may even decide that purchasing transplants is your preferred method of planting. No matter how your garden begins, growing plants takes skill and is something to be proud of.

More About Gardening

https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/extension-gardener-handbook/16-vegetable-gardening

https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/mg5

https://mgsantaclara.ucanr.edu/garden-help/container-gardening/