GardenersCardiff answers:

You have two options. Dig a patch. Get the weeds out and level it then plant and water regularly. You might be surprised at the results and the flavour.

Even better is to build a couple of raised beds. Size depends on your plot but I have found two 6inch planks high with a couple of bracings along the side. Around 3 yards long and a yard wide. Fill to about 2 inches from the top with well rotted manure or home made compost covered in some soil so you have about 5 inches of each.

Plant your seeds and water well and watch the results. In the next year top up with compost and good soil mixed together about 2 inches thick and plant again and the results will be even better.

I say make it a yard wide as there are proprietary cloches made of rigid plastic or polythene film on wire frames that are just under a yard wide. These can help you get earlier crops.

A liquid feed once a wekk can give even better results. They are all advertised on TV and in the papers. Find the one you like best.

A little bit of hard work early in the season can make it a very rewarding and enjoyable past time.

GardenersCardiff answers:

For many things it’s not, although it would help to know if your porch gets full sun or is covered.
With enough sun it’s ideal for hot peppers, peppers, tomatoes, & great for many pricey herbs.
In those conditions I’d tend to look for things that I’d rather not pay for.
Have fun!

GardenersCardiff answers:

Miracle Grow is a good soil which I have used all of my life. I would add some perlite to it which helps absorb water and gives it better drainage. Pothos are easy to grow but need to be kept cut back to have a fuller center. In my dads plant shop we would submerge a hanging fern into a bucket. Once you feel it’s absorbed enough water take it out. Let it drain,tip it from side to side a few times to remove excess water. The garden department has all purpose green plant food you can buy and just add it to the bucket before water it. You can water the pothos the same way as a fern. If you add to much fertilizer it will burn your plants so ask which one the recommend that isn’t to strong. Schultz is the best In my opinion. If your not sure where to cut back the pothos you can ask on yahoo and most likely get the answer. If they are root bound repot and loosen roots and pot one size up. Goodluck

GardenersCardiff answers:

Welcome to the gardening world! I’ve made a shopping list for you.

*Potting Soil with continuous feeding plant food mixed in.
*A bag of Mulch.
*A gardening Hoe.
*Miracle Grow Liquid Fertilizer – the no mix kind.
*A Watering Can.
*Insect Spray – the kind that says it kills 100 different pests.
*Plants.

First of all, you should go to your local nursery and let them help you pick out plants/flowers that are the easiest to grow and maintain for first-timers. Picking out a difficult plant to grow will only discourage you. Next, prepare your growing area. Make it simple. Pull weeds from the roots, not just what you see above the ground. Otherwise, they’ll come right back. After that, get a simple hand-held gardening hoe and a big bag of potting soil that has continuous feeding plant food in it. Get on your hands and knees and get dirty! Mix the potting soil with your dirt, use your hands, start to enjoy the feel of the earth, it’ll go right to your soul. Next, make holes big enough to cover all the root of whatever you’re planting. When you’re planting something you bought from a store and it comes in those little plastic containers, be sure to squeeze the plastic container gently to loosen the dirt or you might pull the top of the plant right off (ahem….i’ve never done that, of course). If this happens, no worries, just plant the roots anyway. If you have a description tab in the plant and it says “full sun” or “part shade”, listen to it. The growers mean what they say. Later in your gardening career you’ll learn what plants will flourish with a little placement imagination of your own, but for now, follow those directions! Also, the description tab will have a diagram that shows you how far apart to space the plants when you put them in your freshly dug holes. For instance, you’ve decided to start with some lovely pink Petunias, the diagram tells you to space each plant 2 feet apart. It seems rather silly to space them that far since the plants are so small, tucked neatly in their tiny containers, right? Well, in about one quick month, those tiny Petunias will be crawling all over one another, fighting for ownership of their space and will eventually choke each other. So again, follow the grower’s instructions. Same thing goes when planting seeds. The seed packet will have planting instructions. However, be kind to yourself, don’t start with seeds. It’s just too easy for seedlings to die from over-watering or under-watering and birds LOVE them. Just because you put plants that someone else started in your own dirt doesn’t mean you’re not a gardener! Mainenance is what it’s all about. So after you’ve got your plants in the ground, get your bag of mulch and put big handfuls of it anywhere you see bare dirt. This will keep moisture where it belongs, in the ground, and weeds won’t grow very well. You’ll still have a few pop up so don’t worry when you see them. Just reach down and pluck them right out. After mulching, fertilize. There are several great fertilizers, such as Miracle Grow, that don’t require any mixing. You just buy, open, and pour! I like to use my watering can to fertilize. Miracle Grow says to pour the fertilizer over the leaves of the plants, then soak soil. You can also get time-released fertilizer pellets that you mix into the soil before you plant. Osmocote is a good brand. They make one for flowers and one for veggies. I usually get some Osmocote and toss some in the dirt whenever I plant, but I still always use my Miracle Grow! So after you’ve fertilized with the liquid, sit back and ENJOY your hard work. Take pictures! In two months you’ll look back and be amazed at the gardener you’ve become. Remember to water on a regular basis. Not sure how often? Stick your finger in the dirt, close to the base of your plant. Is it dry? Water! Is it moist? Let it go another day and check again. Over anxious beginners LOVE to water their plants because it makes them feel very involved with the growing process. But you’ll get yellow leaves and brown flowers or yellow leaves and small fruit. Lack of water will bring you wilted EVERYTHING. Aside from watering and fertilizing, check for insects. Look, there are a million different bugs and worms and they all do different things to different plants. It takes time to learn this stuff, but if you really want to know, do a search on the internet about garden pests. You’ll learn plenty!. But as a fresh gardener, the best way to avoid getting overwhelmed with bugs is to stick with what’s simple. Purchase a spray that says it kills over 100 garden pests on the label. That’ll cover you until you learn more. Read its label. You’ll learn some from that as well. Now, don’t spray unless you really need to. If you see little holes in the leaves or little bugs on the leaves or ANYTHING that your gut tells you shouldn’t be there, then you spray like the label tells you to. AND THAT’S IT! I know I’ve written alot here, but I read some of the answers to your question and I thought some of them were too vague and some were too complicated. Remember, you’ll get different answers from different people. Follow your instincts, even if you’re not confident about what you’re doing. Humans have been growing things since the beginning of time, it’s our nature. You’ll make mistakes and kill things and that’s the very best way to learn. But remember, all it takes to start is DIRT, A GARDENING HOE, A WATERING CAN, MULCH, FERTILIZER, INSECT SPRAY, & PLANTS. Now go get ’em!