Gardening Research

Collage of garden planning books

Winter is the best time to read up about gardening, which can provide both education and inspiration! Many people often do their research in the spring, right before planting, but you can be more thoughtful about your garden if you give yourself more time to plan. Also, it’s good to have done some research before you order seeds, as the popular seed varieties often sell out early.

As you’re reading up, try to put everything you learn in the context of your own garden. Specifically, keep these factors in mind when doing gardening research:

  • The size of your planting area. For smaller gardens, spend more time researching concepts such as vertical gardening, container gardening, and layering your plants.
  • The sunlight levels of your garden. For full-sun areas, review the types of vegetable plants that thrive in full sun versus those that are prone to bolting.
  • The water levels of your garden. For damp areas (e.g., those close to downspouts or depressions in the ground) look for plants that can withstand drought.
  • The length of your growing season matters. Different plants can withstand the spring and autumn cold or cannot withstand the summer heat. Knowing these plants upfront will make your garden much more successful.
  • Finally, look into other concepts such as trellising, pest management, fertilizing, and pollination needs to help you succeed in growing more vegetables.

Having the knowledge to proactively plan for garden challenges (rather than react to them after the fact) is a key driver of the success of your garden – and of the effort needed to grow your own food. 

The key message to convey here is that a little bit of research and proactivity is the difference between your garden being a fun hobby or a household chore.

There are a ton of gardening books out there. We usually borrow a selection from our local library and then purchase the ones we love for referencing again in the future.

Of course, feel free to reach out to us via info@homesteadto.com at any time for suggestions and recommendations on the best books to read for whichever gardening topics or growing conditions apply best to you.