Welcome to Full Gardens!

Gardening Tips for Beginners and Experts

At Full Gardens, we aim to be your go-to resource for all things gardening, helping both novice and experienced gardeners make the most of their soil. With a passion for gardening rooted in years of hands-on experience and countless inquiries about plant types, soil preparation, and garden care, I've decided to create this online platform to share valuable insights and foster a thriving gardening community. Based in Victoria, BC, Full Gardens is here to support your gardening journey, whether you're just starting out or looking to elevate your gardening game.

For Beginners: Starting Your Gardening Journey

Gardening can be a deeply rewarding hobby, but getting started can feel overwhelming. Here at Full Gardens, we break down the essentials to help you cultivate a beautiful and productive garden.

Choosing the Right Garden for You

The first step in gardening is deciding what type of garden best suits your needs and environment. Consider the following types:

• Vegetable Gardens: Ideal for those who want to grow their own food. Start with easy-to-grow vegetables like tomatoes, lettuce, and carrots.
• Flower Gardens: Perfect for adding color and beauty to your space. Choose flowers that thrive in your local climate, such as marigolds, petunias, and sunflowers.
• Herb Gardens: Great for culinary enthusiasts. Herbs like basil, mint, and rosemary are relatively easy to grow and can be used fresh in your cooking.
• Container Gardens: Suitable for those with limited space. Containers can be placed on balconies, patios, or windowsills and are ideal for small plants like herbs and flowers.

Preparing Your Garden

Proper soil preparation is crucial for a successful garden. Follow these steps to get your garden ready:

• Test Your Soil: Knowing the pH and nutrient levels of your soil helps you make informed decisions about fertilization and amendments. Soil test kits are available at garden centers or through local extension services.
• Amend the Soil: Based on your soil test results, add organic matter such as compost or aged manure to improve soil structure and fertility.
• Plan Your Layout: Arrange your plants according to their sunlight, water, and spacing needs. Taller plants should be placed where they won't shade shorter ones.

Planting and Maintenance Tips

• Watering: Water your plants deeply and consistently, but be careful not to overwater. Early morning is the best time to water, as it allows moisture to reach the roots before the heat of the day.
• Mulching: Apply mulch around your plants to retain moisture, suppress weeds, and regulate soil temperature.
• Pest Control: Keep an eye out for common garden pests like aphids, slugs, and caterpillars. Natural pest control methods, such as introducing beneficial insects or using organic sprays, can help keep your garden healthy.

For Experienced Gardeners: Taking Your Garden to the Next Level

If you're an experienced gardener looking to expand your skills and knowledge, Full Gardens offers advanced tips and ideas to enhance your gardening experience.

Increasing Your Yield

• Crop Rotation: Rotate your crops each season to prevent soil depletion and reduce pest and disease buildup.
• Succession Planting: Plant new crops immediately after harvesting to ensure a continuous supply of fresh produce.
• Companion Planting: Use companion plants to improve growth, deter pests, and enhance flavors. For example, planting basil near tomatoes can improve their flavor and repel pests.

Soil Enhancement and Sustainability

• Cover Crops: Plant cover crops such as clover or rye during the off-season to improve soil health, prevent erosion, and add organic matter.
• Composting: Create a compost pile to recycle kitchen scraps and garden waste into nutrient-rich compost. This reduces waste and provides a free, organic soil amendment.
• Rainwater Harvesting: Collect rainwater for irrigation to conserve water and reduce your environmental impact.

Exploring New Projects

• Vertical Gardening: Maximize space by growing plants vertically using trellises, wall-mounted planters, or vertical garden systems. This method is excellent for small spaces and can increase your planting area.
• Greenhouses and Cold Frames: Extend your growing season with a greenhouse or cold frame. These structures provide a controlled environment for your plants, allowing you to start seeds earlier and protect tender plants from frost.
• Beekeeping and Pollinator Gardens: Encourage pollination by creating a pollinator-friendly garden with native plants. Consider starting a beehive to support local bee populations and improve the pollination of your plants.

Join the Full Gardens Community

Although we don't have a Gardening Forum set up yet, we are excited about the possibility of creating a space where gardeners can share information and experiences. In the meantime, if you have any gardening questions or want to share photos of your successful crops, please use the contact button on the left.

Stay Connected

Explore our website using the menu on the left to find a wealth of gardening information tailored to your needs. If you find our resources helpful, don't forget to bookmark FullGardens.com and visit us regularly for new tips and updates.

Happy gardening!

The menu on the left gives a breakdown of everything that is currently covered. However, if there is something that hasn't been gone over, please let me know.

A breakdown of the menu:

• Home - back to the main page
• Garden Types - Pictures and descriptions for all the different types of gardens one can have.
• Seeds - How plants grow, seed types, just a really good introduction.
• Garden Plants - A comprehensive list of the garden plants that are around:
  • Flowers - List of flowers you may want in your garden
  • Vegetables - List of vegetables you may want to consider growing
  • Fruits - List of all the different types of fruit you can plant
  • Herbs - What kitchen doesn't need a little something to spice things up?
• Greenhouses - How they work, why they were invented
• Nurseries - Important points to consider when choosing one, and advantages that nurseries can provide.
• Weeds and Weeding - How to keep weeds to a minimum. Information on the different methods used, how we define a weed, and some examples.
• Pesticides - Pros and Cons of pesticides. Some people love them, some people hate them. My personal point of view is to use organic methods to keep pests under control.
• Fertilizers - Fantastic way to really get a garden going. Some background information as well as environmental concerns about overuse of fertilizers.
• Agricultural History - Not just the history, but a breakdown of a lot of different things that fall under the category.
• Plant Hardiness Zones - If you're looking to add a garden or trees to your property, it's important to know what will grow in your region. We cover that here.
• Grafting - Some truly amazing things have been done via grafting over the years. While I have not yet been personally successful at this, I do have an apple tree on my property with 3 different varieties of apple, one type on each level of branch.
• Organic vs Hybrid - Discusses the difference between the two, the benefits of each, and helps you decide what you want in your garden.
• Soil Building - A crucially important facet of gardening is how to keep the nutrient level of your soil up. Composting or fertilizers are excellent ideas, and we have more.
• Gardening Tools - List of the tools to make gardening a bit easier.
• Landscaping Tips - How to maximize the beauty and functionality of your property.
• Gardening Books - Books we feel can help you with your gardening efforts.
• Gardening Magazines - Magazines dedicated to our favorite topic.
• Famous Gardens - Gardens that are known the world over, or were known in the past.
• Recommended Sites - Related sites that offer information and useful ideas.
• Contact Us - Have an idea or suggestion to make this website better? Let me know!

Still to Come:

• Image Galleries - Ideally, we should have a gallery for each plant... practically I hope to have extensive photos available for people to look at.
• Forums - Talk with new friends about your gardening projects, challenges and how you overcame them, connect with other plant lovers.