All first-garden articles

garden fundamentals

Confessions of a First-Time Gardener

Follow the highs and lows of a first-time gardener and their experience planting tomatoes. Learn about the mistakes they made and how they learned to improve.

garden fundamentals

Seasoned Advice for First Time Gardeners

We all have to start somewhere, and not everyone lives next to an expert like Lucinda Mays. Read some of her tips before you start gardening.

garden fundamentals

9 Mistakes New Gardeners Make—and How to Avoid Them

Every new gardener makes mistakes, but don’t be discouraged! We’re here to help so you can enjoy growing your own food without getting frustrated. Read on to learn some of the most common mistakes made by beginner gardeners—and how to avoid them.

diy garden projects

DIY Veggie Garden Trellis

A trellis can be a great structure for keeping climbing vegetables like peas, pole beans, and cucumbers off the ground. It also can be a head-turning addition to your garden landscape.

diy garden projects

How to Make a Raised Bed from Bales of Straw

A straw bale raised bed is an inexpensive method for creating a raised bed. Perfect for new gardeners, frugal gardeners, or gardeners needing more space.

garden fundamentals

Which Veggies for Which Season?

Learn which vegetables to plant in summer, spring, and fall. Seasonal vegetable planting is the first step to a beautiful and bountiful garden.

garden fundamentals

Hot Summer Tips for Watering the Garden

Watering the garden in hot weather is crucial. Learn the best ways to water your garden in the summertime so your plants will thrive.

garden fundamentals

How to Lay Out a Vegetable Garden

Is there anything more satisfying and delicious than growing your own food? From the first tender tips of asparagus in spring to the tasty tang of summer’s homegrown tomatoes, a garden filled with beautiful, productive plants provides a terrific sense of accomplishment—and fabulous, fresh meals.

garden ideas inspiration

My Favorite Gardening Books for Kids

A few mornings ago, we woke up to see an unwelcome surprise outside the window. “Is that snow?” Thalia asked me. “Why is it snowing if it’s spring?” Oh, to see a child’s blossoming ability for logic confounded by the irrationalities of the natural world!

garden fundamentals

How to Plant a Fall Garden

If you're new to gardening, you might not realize that the growing and harvesting season can extend into fall. Learn how you can stretch your growing season.

garden fundamentals

Creative Ways to Design Your Garden

Designing a garden is fun with these 3 creative ways to plan. Visual, list-focused, or detailed—choose a style that suits your personality and garden goals.

garden ideas inspiration

Meet the Urban Gardeners

Urban gardeners use salvaged materials and creativity to build a mini-farm in their backyard. Learn from their experience to grow your own urban garden.

garden ideas inspiration

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 fun to track some beginner gardeners so others could benefit from their experiences. We asked four young Alabamians to let us help them grow their first tomatoes. All of them are in their 20s, just starting out, and busy with school, creating homes, and building careers....

garden fundamentals

Corn Earworms

These caterpillars bore into fruit, especially corn. Damage to beans is usually minimal.

garden fundamentals

Planning Your Fall Garden

Transitioning the vegetable garden from spring to fall can seem like a daunting task, but while the heat is still on in many areas of the U.S., it is time to think about preparing a fall vegetable garden for cool-season vegetables.

garden fundamentals

How to Plant an In-Ground Garden (It’s Easy!)

It’s easier than you think toplant an in-ground garden. Get tips for choosing the location and plants, creating thedesign, building the soil, and more.

garden fundamentals

How to Start a Vegetable Garden

When it comes to starting a vegetable garden, 3 things are absolutely crucial for success: lots of sun, good soil, and plenty of water.

garden fundamentals

A Good-Tasting, Basic Tomato: The Story Behind the Bonnie Original

What’s so special about our Bonnie Original tomato? One of our customers said it best: “I love Bonnie Original because it’s just a good-tasting, basic tomato. One is just right for a tomato sandwich and we don’t have any left over."

garden ideas inspiration

Garden Lessons From My Parents

Friday is my 4-year-old daughter Thalia’s favorite time of the week, hands-down.

garden fundamentals

How to Choose Your Garden Type

Debating whether to plant an in-ground, raised bed, or container garden? We’ve outlined the pros and cons to help you choose the best garden type for you.

garden plans

Sweet and Spicy 4 x 4-foot Pepper Garden

Planting a pepper garden is easy using this simple plan for a 4 x 4 pepper garden. Choose the types of pepper that you love most. Learn more.

garden fundamentals

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 healthier. Or maybe you’re looking for an activity to engage kids in outdoor fun. Whatever the reason, you’ve decided to take the plunge. But where do you begin?

garden plans

Pizza Garden in Containers

Grow pizza ingredients fresh right outside your door with this pizza garden designed for containers. It's perfect for patios!

garden plans

Herb Garden in Containers

Grow fresh herbs to add flavor to soups, salads, beverages, and more in this simple herb garden designed for containers.