Chances are, you’ve probably killed a plant in your life before, making you fear even easy plants from wilting on you.
We all know that gardening is not easy on the first try. If you have never gardened before, planting the seed seems difficult at first glance. However, adding a bit of live greenery into our lives reduces stress, improves air quality, provides interior decor, and increases productivity.
With all these benefits, gardening can be a challenging but fun task to take on this summer. Here are some easy plants to start off with:
Succulents
Difficulty: Easy
Succulents are known for being bright and easy to water. Just keep it near the sun and water it every month, right? Unfortunately, succulents can easily suffer from underwatering and overwatering if you aren’t careful. Here are some tips and images of easy succulents to grow.
· Keep those succulents near the sun! They love light and warmth in their lives.
· Do not overwater the succulents and check if the soil is wet before watering.
· Ensure that the succulent pot itself has a drainage hole to prevent excess water buildup
· Read the directions for each succulent as they have different watering and fertilizing requirements depending on both season and humidity
Echeveria and Sempervivum
These plants have gorgeous colors and often vary in shadings with some being a light purple or red. These plants make picture-perfect friends under indirect lighting indoors. Make sure to prevent any overwatering as it is a common problem for these beauties.
Jade Plant
Bearing petal-like leaves and vibrant green colors, these succulents prefer warm, dry conditions with enough drainage to prevent rot. Jade plants are perfect for keeping indoors.
Aloe
Fantastic for soothing topical inflammation and skin care, these plants make a lively addition to your indoor ambience. Make sure to not ingest any of the actual aloe and to provide enough lighting for its needs.
Vegetables
Difficulty: Medium
Rather than gazing deeply into your growing greens, perhaps now you want to eat them. With that, you’ll step forward into another realm of gardening, one that takes weeks and months to nurture and grow. At the same time, have no fear. These are the top three things that you will need to spend on any vegetable garden: patience, knowledge, and dedication.
· Start small, with only a few plants. Don’t overwhelm yourself at the very first step.
· Get into a routine of watering and checking on your plants daily. Beware of specific insects or bugs that may be prone to snacking on your lunch.
· Each set of vegetables have their own favored climate and soil. Be sure to check on the specifics prior to starting any type of growth.
· Don’t give up at the first death or failure. Try new vegetables or take note of what is going wrong.
Green Onions
These are easy to grow throughout the year and go great with a variety of stir-fry and noodle dishes. Not only this, but you can grow them relatively quickly, compared to many other vegetables. It’s easy to check if these are ready to cultivate just by their growth. When the leaves are green and upright, you can harvest the entire onion or cut off the top green portion, and they will regrow through the season.
Lettuce
Lettuce is a classic vegetable for beginner farmers as they are simple and easy to harvest. They can be grown indoors in bright lighting or outside. Lettuce is usually grown in spring and fall seasons, but if you choose to grow baby lettuce, they can be grown indoors year-round.
Beans
With growth periods of only a few months, beans are excellent for spring and fall seasons, depending on the climate. Although beans require a few poles to grow upward and strong, growing them only takes time and continuous watering every day. They are one of the easiest vegetables to grow and will need light irrigation here and there.
Flowers
Difficulty: Medium
Flowers, with their colorful and vibrant patterns, can bring us all a little happiness, especially during these times. A single flower can be the most beautiful gift to friends and family. Though they may feel difficult to grow at first, here are some tips so that can help you on your gardening journey.
· Starting straight from seeds can prove difficult for any fresh gardener, especially when blooming flowers. Instead, get flowers from garden nurseries for easier care.
· Flowers require regular watering and fertilizing. As such, be ready to take on a schedule when starting with flowers.
· Remove any wilted or browning flowers.
· Flowers grow with different bloom cycles, soil requirements, and sunlight distributions. It is vital to read as much as possible to nurture the best blooms.
Begonia
These gorgeous red, pink, or white flowers can be grown indoors or outdoors. These flowers prefer the shade and do not live in freezing temperatures. They can be grown annually but will require consistent removal of fading or wilting parts.
Marigold
As a classic garden flower, marigolds bring nothing but sunshine into the world. Their bloom cycles only take a few months, and it is great to watch them bloom with your family. They require strong sunlight, but extreme heat is not advisable.
Peace Lily
These are incredibly low-maintenance indoor flowers that adds a calming household look. They are excellent without needing too much water or sunlight. However, these plants can be poisonous, and it is recommended to keep them out of reach from any pets or toddlers in the household.
Gardening is a skill, but it only takes a bit of time and patience to appreciate its beauty. Introducing a new family plant into your home can bring warmth to your surroundings. As such, live up those summer hours at home and put your energy to use with these gorgeous planting projects
