home gardening
7 Garden Growing Basics for Beginners
Last Updated on October 12, 2025 by Daily News Staff
Garden Growing Basics
(Family Features) Growing your own produce is an all-around smart practice, from the money you’ll save at the grocery store to the contributions you can make toward a cleaner planet.
Maintaining a garden takes some effort, but it’s a project even a beginner can tackle with ease. Consider these tips to start growing your at-home garden:
- Select a perfect spot. You’ll want to place your garden in an area where you see it often so you’re reminded to weed and care for it regularly. Find a flat area you can access easily, where erosion and other pitfalls (including hungry wildlife) won’t be a problem.
- Choose between ground and containers. There are pros and cons to gardening in containers vs. the ground, and there’s no universal right choice. Rather, the best garden depends on your goals and preferences. A ground garden usually offers more space and may provide a better growth environment for roots. However, a container garden is often easier to maintain and may be all you need if you wish to grow just a few plants.
- Understand the importance of quality soil. You may think any dirt will do, but keep in mind the soil you plant in will be the primary source of nutrients for your produce. Not only that, but quality soil provides stability so plants can root firmly and grow healthy and sturdy to support their bounty. Quality soil also allows for ample drainage. Organic matter like compost, leaf mold or aged manure all help improve soil quality.
- Keep water close. Lugging water can quickly eliminate the pleasure of tending your garden, so be sure you’re situated near a hose. You’ll know it’s time to water when the soil is dry about an inch below the surface.
- Plan for plenty of sun. A bright, sunny spot is a must, since most vegetables, herbs and fruits depend on six or more hours of sun every day. Remember the sun’s path changes throughout the year, and as trees and foliage grow, they may produce more shade with each growing season.
- Consider what you’ll grow. Starting with veggies you know you like is a smart starting point since you’ll be pouring sweat equity into making them grow. Over time, you might add new varieties, but early on, keep your focus on foods you know you like so you can see a meaningful return and avoid waste. You’ll also need to consider what you can grow to maturity within your area’s growing season. If necessary, you might want to start transplants you can nurture indoors before moving them outside when the temperatures allow.
- Plant according to a calendar. Knowing how long it takes different foods to mature will help you create a planting calendar. You don’t want to harvest everything at once, and if you stagger planting and replant what you can, you’ll have a garden that produces food for your family for a longer period of time.
Find more helpful tips for managing your home and garden at eLivingtoday.com.
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(Feature Impact) To add charm to your yard, encourage local wildlife and give you a front-row seat to nature, building a birdhouse is a simple weekend project that checks all of those boxes.
Building a Birdhouse
Seasoned DIYers and first-timers alike can follow this step-by-step guide to create a functional, welcoming birdhouse.
Step 1: Choose the Right Design
Start by deciding what type of birds you’d like to attract. Different birds prefer different house sizes and entrance types. A simple, classic birdhouse design makes the project beginner-friendly and works well for common backyard birds like wrens, chickadees and bluebirds. In general, plan for at least a 1-1 2/2-inch entrance hole, a 5-by-5-inch interior space and 2 inches or more of roof overhang.
Step 2: Gather Materials and Tools
Most DIY birdhouses can be built with basic materials and tools you may already have at home, including untreated cedar or pine wood, screws or nails, wood glue, sandpaper and exterior-safe paint as well as a measuring tape, pencil, saw and drill.
Step 3: Measure and Cut Wood
Measure and cut wood to make the front panel, back panel, two side panels, floor and roof. Then sand all edges for smooth assembly.
Step 4: Drill Holes
Using a hole-saw bit, drill the entrance hole into the front panel. Position it a few inches below the roofline to keep predators out. Next, drill 2-3 small drainage holes in the floor piece to prevent water buildup and help keep the birdhouse dry.
Step 5: Assemble the Birdhouse
Attach the side panels to the back panel using screws or nails. Add the front panel then secure the floor piece, slightly recessed, so rainwater can drain. Attach the roof last, making sure it slopes slightly to allow water to run off.
Step 6: Paint the Exterior
If you plan to paint your birdhouse, stick to neutral, nature-inspired colors. Light browns, soft greens or white help regulate temperature and blend into the environment.
Step 7: Mount Your Birdhouse
Once dry, place your birdhouse in a quiet, sheltered spot away from heavy foot traffic. Mount or hang it 5-10 feet off the ground, facing away from prevailing winds.
Visit eLivingtoday.com for more DIY project inspiration.
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home gardening
Start Planning Now for a Thriving Spring Garden
Winter offers an ideal time to plan for a successful spring garden. Assess your current space, research planting ideas, and design an efficient layout. Enhance soil health with compost, start seeds indoors for stronger plants, and organize tools to ensure readiness for the growing season. Prepare now for a thriving garden.
Start Planning Now for a Thriving Spring Garden
(Family Features) While winter weather puts outdoor gardening on pause in most parts of the country, the colder months offer a perfect opportunity to begin preparing for a lush garden come springtime.
With a little creativity, and some extra time spent creating a plan, you can set yourself on a path toward success before the growing season even begins.
Assess Your Space and Research Ideas
Evaluate your current garden, taking note of what worked well last season and where improvements can be made. Use this downtime to sketch an updated layout, research companion plants and decide which fruits, vegetables or flowers you want to grow next based on what did (or didn’t) work last spring.
Build an Updated Blueprint
Winter is the ideal time to upgrade your garden design and make tweaks for efficiency. Use the offseason to consider crop rotation patterns for optimal soil health as well as ways to maximize your space such as raised beds, trellises or containers. You can also make a list of materials needed for any new features you may be adding, such as an irrigation system, and map out their placement so you’re ready to build as soon as the weather allows.
Nourish the Soil
Even if the ground is frozen, you can prepare your garden beds by adding compost, leaves or organic matter in late winter, ensuring nutrients are available when spring arrives. Also remember to test your soil’s pH level now, which can help guide your fertilization plan.
Start Seeds Indoors
If you’re eager to get your hands dirty, consider starting your seeds indoors. Early seed starting gives plants a head start, allowing you to transplant stronger seedlings outdoors when temperatures warm.
Get Organized
Use the slower pace of winter to clean and sharpen your garden tools, sort through leftover seeds and make a supply checklist so you’re ready to dig in when warmer days arrive.
Find more advice to get your garden ready to burst to life in spring at eLivingtoday.com.
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Last Updated on January 4, 2026 by Daily News Staff
Urban Gardening 101
(Family Features) Urban living and lush gardens aren’t as mutually exclusive as one might assume. In fact, it’s possible to cultivate thriving gardens in even the smallest spaces.
The first step toward creating a successful small garden space is planning. Sketching out your garden area with a clear understanding of the actual dimensions is important. This allows you to allocate adequate growing space for the vegetation you choose and prevent overcrowding.
Part of your planning should also take climate into account. If the sun reaches your garden area, knowing what time the sun typically hits matters. Some plants are poorly equipped to handle the strength of direct afternoon rays.
Other matters to consider are the soil quality and whether it is adequate to nourish vegetation. If not, you may need to excavate and refill your planting areas with nutrient-rich gardening soil. Access to water is also a concern; if you’ll be forced to water by can, avoid choosing plants that would better benefit from a thorough hose soaking.
As you begin planning the actual contents of your garden, don’t hesitate to blend edibles with beauty. Many herbs offer attractive textures and colors that can add variety to a colorful selection of flowering plants. Edible plants such as strawberries offer color from blooms (and later brightly hued fruit), as well as trailing greenery that looks pretty along the edges of potted containers.
If your goal is color, give consideration to the blooming season for your selected plants. Unless you plan to enjoy your garden for just a short season, choose a variety of plants and flowers that bloom throughout your region’s entire growing season.
Especially in the smallest garden spaces, it’s smart to make the most of vertical space. Use a trellis or other structure to encourage vining vegetation to grow upward rather than outward. Hanging baskets or buckets are ideal for inverted growth of plants such as tomatoes or peppers, and shelving or tiered plant stands are handy for creating more plant real estate in smaller garden spaces.
Beautiful gardens need not be limited to those with expansive lawns in rural communities. Though smaller in scale, urban gardens can deliver equal beauty and a surprising volume of edible bounty with proper preparation and design. Find more tips at eLivingtoday.com.
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