Want to know the trick to growing a first-time garden? Get good information that’s easy to follow and covers all the basics. That’s what you’ll find here in our New Gardener section. From choosing what to grow all the way through to learning how and when to harvest, we’ve got all the know-how you need to make your first growing season a success!
9 Mistakes New Gardeners Make—and How to Avoid Them
Every new gardener makes mistakes, like planting mint and geraniums together in a window box (who knew that mint bullies...
7 Super Easy Veggies to Grow
Have you always wanted to grow a vegetable garden but are worried that it’s too tricky or time-consuming? Well, it’s…
How to Choose Your Garden Type
You’re excited to grow fresh produce—after all, what tastes better than sun-warmed tomatoes or sweet strawberries? But before you buy...
10 Steps to a Successful Garden Design
Plants need more than a beautiful planting plan to thrive. Here’s how to give edibles what they need to produce...
Edible Landscaping Basics
Who doesn’t love getting a two-for-one? That’s one of the benefits of growing edible plants: Many vegetables and herbs do...
How to Plant a Garden
There are many reasons to plant a garden. Maybe you love cooking with fresh produce. Perhaps you’ve resolved to eat...
How to Start an Herb Garden
There are so many great reasons to start an herb garden that will provide fresh herbs for everything from creating...
5 Reasons to Plant Starter Plants Instead of Seeds
Looking for a quick, easy way to plant up your vegetable or herb garden? Consider using starter plants (also called...
Organic Gardening for Beginners
Is there anything tastier than a sun-warmed tomato you can eat fresh off the vine while standing in the garden?...
Caring for Your Veggie Garden in 7 Smart Steps
You’ve picked up your favorite Bonnie Plants® and settled them into the soil of your raised bed, in-ground, or container...
Tomato Tales from Beginner Gardeners
At Bonnie Plants, we love to help folks learn to grow their own food. So, we thought it would be...
How to Store Summer Vegetables
When your summer harvest starts coming in fast and furiously, it can be a little overwhelming. While your first instinct...
Weeding Your Garden Naturally
Got too many weeds competing with your garden? Tackle them — and keep your growing space chemical-free — with these...
How to Pickle Your Harvest
Simply put, pickling is the practice of preserving food in a high-acid solution. The process involves adding vinegar and/or salt...
Choose the Right Container for Your Plants
Container gardening is easy and rewarding if you have the right containers. When choosing pots, you need to consider size,...
How to Can Your Harvest
Canning preserves summer’s garden-fresh flavors well beyond the harvest season. The result not only tastes great, but can also trim...
How to Dry Your Harvest
Drying is one of the oldest food preservation methods, since the simple act of removing the moisture helps keep decay...
How to Freeze Your Harvest
For simplicity and speed, it’s tough to beat freezing for preserving your garden’s homegrown goodness. Frozen vegetables, fruits, and herbs...
How to Build a Super Easy Raised Bed
Make this 4- by 8-foot easy raised bed from 3 8-foot boards that you can have cut to size at the...
Summer Herb Harvesting Tips
In summer, herb gardeners get a delicious payoff for all of their efforts. Oddly enough, this is when some gardeners...
Seasoned Advice for First Time Gardeners
Lucinda Mays is that knowledgeable, helpful neighbor whom every new gardener would love to have. Since most folks aren't lucky...
How Much Water Do Vegetables Need?
A good general guideline when it comes to watering your plants is an inch of H2O per week, either by...
Harvest Guide for Cool Weather Vegetables
Harvest your cool weather vegetables at the peak of perfection using these guidelines. Broccoli When you see a head beginning...
Harvest Guide to Summer Veggies
Use this harvest guide to recognize when your beans, tomatoes, squash, and other summer vegetables are at the peak of flavor. Beans You may...
Good Tools Work for You
Tools do make a difference in most every endeavor, especially gardening. Having tools that fit you and are well made...
Garden Clean-up
A little gardening clean-up helps prevent problems by eliminating the places where insects and diseases linger from season to season....
Confessions of a First-Time Gardener
I love looking at plants, reading about plants, and thinking about plants, but when it comes to actually getting my...
How to Start a Vegetable Garden
Looking to start a vegetable garden? Get ready to enjoy the best vegetables you’ve ever eaten. In many regions, vegetables…
The Basics of Fertilizing
With experience, you will learn how to match fertilizer amounts with plants’ needs for your climate and soil. Onions, tomatoes, sweet...