5 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started Gardening

Essential things to know include understanding that you will constantly be learning new techniques, accepting that not everything can grow year-round or in your specific climate, realizing that gardening can get expensive but there are ways to save money, recognizing that your garden won't always look perfect due to pests and natural occurrences, and learning how to maximize your gardening space by using methods such as companion planting, square foot gardening, and vertical gardening.

No, you cannot grow every plant at any time of year. Each plant has its own specific growing season, and this can also depend on your climate zone.

Yes, gardening can get expensive pretty quickly due to the costs of setting up beds, buying plants or seeds, and maintaining them. However, there are ways to save money, such as reusing containers, making your own compost, and finding free gardening resources.

No, your garden will not always look perfect. It's normal to experience issues like pests, diseases, and imperfections in the garden. Losing plants or having less than ideal looking plants is part of the process.

You can save money by reusing pots and containers, getting free containers from stores or neighbors, making your own compost, and finding other free or low-cost gardening resources.

Yes, it's normal for some plants not to survive. Factors like climate, diseases, pests, and natural die-off can affect plant survival, and it's not necessarily a reflection of your gardening skills.

To maximize gardening space, consider techniques like companion planting, square foot gardening, vertical gardening, and selecting the right plants that grow well together and make efficient use of the space available.