Notice: Starting today, I’m (officially) reducing my blog posts to once a week (on Sunday around this time) as I prepare for final papers and exams. (More) regular posting should resume after 7 May.

Last week, I planted a new generation of cabbages. Provided that these grow, this will be my 4th successful harvest since I started the garden plot. Now, having done this for a little while, I feel like I have some recommendations and “tips” for those looking to get started gardening.

Ultimately, the most basic things you need to know are what to plant and when to plant it. [Where is going to matter, too, if you’ve not got the soil or space, but I’ll address that next week.] ‘Whats’ and ‘whens’ are going to take a bit of research, but it starts with what you like: If you like cooking with vegetables, I’d recommend cook what you like to eat; if you prefer meats or baking, try spices and garnish in lieu of lettuce and cucumber.

I usually recommend that everyone start with cabbages or kale, as they’re relatively easy and grown on their own without a lot of attention or plot management, where carrots for example, take a lot of care (read, “micromanagement”). This is where that “plant what you eat” comes into play, where my first yield was ~12 heads of cabbage. I’m not a huge fan of cabbage. Ate a lot of stew that year. Regardless, lettuces and waxy-leaf greens are typically hardy. If you were to start a summer garden, you could still manage them, but they’d need partial shade.

If you’ve got a lot more time on your hands, where you can go to your garden more than twice a week, you might try peppers or carrots, but these are going to take more water and will need to be watched for pests, regularly. The folks at your local gardening store are also a great resource for what to start growing, wherever you are.

So, all that said, what’s first? Growing zones. All seed packets are going to say something akin to “Check your growing zone for planting dates.” The USDA upkeeps these charts here. As global warming swings around, you may come back and check these charts every couple of years. For example, back in the 50s or 60s, Austin would have been 8a, but we’re 8b now.

Once you know your growing zone and have an idea of what to plant, it’s just a matter of getting it in the dirt. Next week, I’ll discuss how to site your garden plot and what the difference between raised and ground level beds are.