A Message to the New Gardener
Just A Few Things I wish I had Known
💬 Opinion | by Guy Saldiveri | July 29, 2026, Updated August 11, 2026
I know, a little cynical, right? It wasn't meant to be — just speaking from experience. Gardening can be one of the most rewarding and the most frustrating hobbies you could have picked.
Between the rain, the heat, the bugs, the frosts, the finicky plants, the bugs, the lousy soil, and—if I didn't mention them—THE BUGS, lol, there is a lot to learn and a lot to deal with.
And with all of that, I can honestly say, I wouldn't give it up for nuthin! And that's the truth. The rewards really do outweigh the frustrations.
There are years where nothing seems to go right, everything you plant just wilts or runs away from you. Then there are years when you just can't seem to do anything wrong. Those are the best ones!
I wanted to write this one up just to toss out a few things that don't seem to make their way into the newer gardeners' tool shed most of the time. While there are plenty of good beginner gardening books and articles out there, the information can seem confusing, overwhelming, or at times just plain contradictory.
Here are a few guidelines for you that I wish someone would have beaten into my thick head about 25 years ago.
- Start small — don't plan on starting a farm right off the bat. This is one of the biggest mistakes I made. I went all out, and by the time I had it all set up, laid out, and growing, I was wiped out. The maintenance side of this thing is real…A small in-ground plot, even something around 10'x10', or a few grow-bags is plenty to learn with — easier watering, easier weeding, and easier pest control.
- Grow only what you'll consume; give thought to whether you really need 16 varieties of peppers, 12 of tomatoes, and 8 different kinds of squash.
- Expect failure — the cover shots on those big magazines are often composites, and many times those gardens are tended by professionals in controlled settings. The ones that aren't are the exception. Your garden will function and provide for you, but it will most likely never look pristine.
- Do your research and pay more attention to guidelines set out by your state's extension service than the anecdotal information you will often get in many online forums.
- Unless you are planting perennials, pay attention to your local climate and ignore your zone designation. Zones are useful when it comes to understanding what plants will survive your winters, but they indicate very little about your true growing conditions.
One of the reasons I started this blog was to provide the information folks just like you and me need in order to be successful. I wanted it to be a place where someone could sit down and learn a few things. Not articles on what 15 plants grow well in zone 8a in August. That's not my style. I'd rather help provide the tools for you to take a look at that 15-plant list and say, yeah, those will mostly work, but that numbers 5, 9, and 15 will be iffy for sure.
Having the knowledge to identify those plants means you have the knowledge you need to grow in your climate. And honestly, that's what it's all about.
Learn your frost dates, your heat days, your average rainfall, your sunny and shady spots. Learn your soil and your yard. Once you know those things, you can grow your garden.
Take a stroll around the other articles I have posted here. They cover many things including soil structure, mulching, pruning, pest control and, a few myth-busters that you probably won't see in too many other places.
Drop me a comment when you find something useful, and let me know if there's something else you'd like to see covered. See you around the yard — and don't forget the sunscreen and big floppy hat ;)
Growing Beauty — Sharing Knowledge — Loving Nature
Happy Gardening 🌱
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