2022 Holiday Gift Guides: Day 8 “Gardener Newbies”
A little more than 10 years ago I moved into my first home with a sizeable stretch of grass where I knew I wanted to plant a vegetable garden. The only problem was that I knew absolutely nothing about growing anything. At this juncture in life, I was a fairly experienced home cook and had a good understanding of ingredients and the variety of produce that existed. I had visited enough farmers’ markets to know there was a LOT that grocery stores didn’t offer and with the farm-to-table movement still in its hot stretch, I wanted in. So I guess it was a culinary trend that led me to want to take my food education deeper — literally, by digging into soil and truly starting from scratch with my recipes by planting from seeds and creating my own market in the backyard.
So I found a little class hosted by the NY Botanical Gardens about building raised bed gardens and learned some basics. That led to a hilarious weekend of me going to Home Depot to buy my first power drill, a ton of stripped screws, and way more hours spent constructing five garden beds than it should ever take anyone. Eventually I built it, so the plants would come, right? Not exactly. What ensued were years of trial and error. Some beginner’s luck mixed in to give me the courage to keep trying. I spent my time researching where to source my seeds, what kind would work best, figuring out how much to buy, how close to space them, what grows together, what competes, etc. I’ll never forget the first year I successfully grew my first heirloom tomato from seed, brought it straight inside and ate it still warm from the sun. I was hooked forever.
I paint this rather longwinded picture to underscore the point that gardening might seem intimidating to some. Sometimes there are quick wins. Other times there are fast fails. But I’ve learned so much and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Let me cut some corners for you and suggest some great starter gifts for the budding gardener in your life. And if you’ve managed to get a few years under your belt and you’re looking to level up, stay tuned for the companion gift guide to this one coming next — Experienced Gardner Gifts!
GIFT GUIDE DAY 8: GARDENER NEWBIES
1) A Way to Garden by Margaret Roach
This is where you start your journey — the bible of gardening. Start by reading the book cover to cover. Then, go each season at a time re-reading and preparing for what’s next. Margaret Roach is also a garden columnist for The New York Times and this book is well regarded as one of the best for practical, easy to follow guidance for getting your feet wet and your thumbs green!
I still consult it often and use it as a handy reference guide!
There are a billion garden gloves out there but these are my favorites. I discovered them years ago at the Country Living Fair in Rhinebeck, NY. Foxgloves (the glove, not the flower!) They are ideal for delicate vegetable tending - like snipping lettuce, harvesting tomatoes, etc. The only thing I don’t use them for is heavier duty gardening like tending to rose bushes where you need a more utilitarian option. They’re thin enough to offer you dexterity in ways other gloves do not and they come with gripped and ungripped options. I like both for different reasons. I usually order one new pair a year in a different color. For reference, I wear a medium!
3) Seeds!
Don’t buy your garden curious friend a lot of seeds… just enough to get them excited. Part of the fun of gardening is choosing your own crops! This vegetable garden seed set from Hudson Valley Seed Co offers a taste of what’s available. They have beautifully-designed artistic covers to all their seed packs and their seeds are probably my favorite. Also check out Baker Creek Seed Company, Renee’s Seeds, Johnny’s Seeds and Territorial Seed Co. Do yourself a favor and grow heirloom crops — those seeds that have been passed down from generation to generation and can remind you of the way food was always meant to taste. If you want to buy five seeds that are guaranteed to work for a first time gardener, try: arugula, french breakfast radishes, sugar snap peas + cucumbers. I’ve found them to be very unfussy and (with the exception of cucumbers) they are cold hardy meaning you can plant them early in the spring for instant gratification without too much work.
I would categorize myself a novice when it comes to pruning plants. My wheelhouse is vegetables. However, last year I took another NYBG class on pruning and the instructor said Felco F2 pruners were the only set you’d ever need.
Some of you may be indoor plant enthusiasts. I like a plant here or there but I don’t own a ton of house plants. I know a lot of people who swear they have a black thumb because they can’t even keep a pothos alive (which requires basically nothing except a little water once a month). Try a moisture meter! This is also super handy for fiddle leaf fig plants, which tend to require more sensitive attention to water levels.
So you built the garden, grew the goods and now you’re juggling crops into the house in bowls and bags. Try this colander trug that easily shifts from garden haul to the sink. With tiny perforations on the side, it makes cleaning your haul much simpler.
