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A simple order for your first garden

Most early garden failures come from planting at the wrong time or in soil that holds too much water. This order deals with both before you buy much.

1. Check the ground and pick easy crops

Run the soil drainage test where you plan to plant, and read what makes good garden soil. Then choose from what beginners should grow first. If you only have a patio, see what grows best in containers.

2. Work out your dates

Find your average last spring frost date from your local extension office, then enter it in the planting date helper. The guide on when to plant a vegetable garden explains the reasoning. Keep the season checklist open as you go.

3. Keep plants healthy

For pots, use the container size and watering planner and learn how to water in hot weather. When something looks wrong, start with handling pests calmly or why tomato leaves turn yellow.

Or browse by topic

• Vegetables: timing and first crops
• Flowers: longer blooms
• Soil: drainage and fertility
• Pests: a calmer response
• Containers: pots and patios

Before buying anything, the garden planning tools guide helps match a tool to your problem.