NorCalDennis,

Tips for a new gardener:

1. Accept that your first attempts will likely fail. The weather will not cooperate, pests will decimate your plants (bugs/deer/snails) or their produce (birds/squirrels/possums), your soil will be all wrong, your plants will get either too much or too little sun, and the plants/seeds you buy will not be optimized for your location. Anything more than handful of peas and an ear of corn means you've done real good.

2. Starter plants will give you much faster, more reliable results than planting seeds. It is also easier to get the spacing right with prestarted plants. However, prestarted plants purchased from "Big Box" stores probably aren't optimized for your specific location. You also don't get the thrill of seeing your plants burst out of the bare ground. Also with seeds you can order exactly the right versions of plants for you location.

3. Mulch. Mulch Mulch. Mulch. Mulch Mulch. Mulch. Mulch Mulch. Mulch. Mulch Mulch. Mulch. Mulch Mulch. Mulch. Mulch Mulch. Mulching traps in moisture and blocks weeds, two of the most important things you can do for your plants.

4. Your local extension office is your friend. Track it down and use it!

5. Know your land. Figure out how much sun each part of you yard/garden location gets. Learn where water collects. What other plants are in the area that may affect your garden? Some plants produce natural herbicides which will kill off other plants.

6. Know your plants. Which need lots of light, which need shade. Which will grow tall and shade other plants. What plants need acidic soil? Which need good drainage? When should each plant be fertilized and what is the right fertilizer to use? How long will it take them to produce? Which are susceptible to bugs/slugs? The "Joy of Gardening" book I mentioned in my previous response is an excellent resource for all this information. Learn this stuff before you plant! Planning prevents poor produce.

7. Know your USDA zone. What are your normal first/last frost dates? How much rain do you get on average? What plants are hardy in this zone?

8. Have the right tools. A spade/shovel, hoe, garden rake, wheelbarrow, garden hoses, sprinklers, watering can, kneeling cushion, some sort of weeding tool(s), supporting cages/trellis/poles, twine, gloves, chicken wire (to make protective enclosures) and a wide-brimmed hat.

9. Rain water is much better for plants than treated city water.

10. Compost if you can. It's really easy though some will make it seem hard. All that sciencey googley-gok about composting just deals with making it turn to compost faster and kill weed seeds. Nature just lets stuff pile up and rot. You can do that too.

11. Check the garden every day to make sure the plants are healthy. It only takes a day or two for pests or dehydration to wipe out all your plants.

12. Companion planting works and it's easy.

13. Label the locations of your plants.

14. Beer kills slugs.

15. Nothing scares away birds/squirrels/possums/raccoons/etc. All you can do it try to put up barriers between them and the plants. Um, or shoot the creatures...

16. The food you grow will taste SOOO GOOOD! And the next crop will be even better.

-Blast