Starting a garden can be overwhelming. There are numerous elements to consider, including the design of your space, the climate you plan to grow in , and the plants you want to cultivate. I am always learning (frequently by trial and error) about all of these aspects. Gardening is an activity that involves constant training and adjusting for optimal success.

Often the best place to begin to organize all your plans is to collect inspiration for gardening ideas and advice you come across over time. This can include books, magazines (I often keep our copies of Mother Earth News and Organic Gardening to reference), Pinterest ideas, and informative and motivating garden blogs. Keeping everything can quickly result in disorganization that will hinder productivity, so it is important to maintain only the most relevant sources.

Books/Magazines

Books and magazines can be wonderful hard-copy references that can be carried outdoors to the garden when needed. Often these contain the most in-depth information on a given topic or vegetable. I keep one main gardening book for information (John Seymour’s The New Self-Sufficient Gardener) which contains the bulk of the gardening advice that I need while planting or caring for my garden.

Pinterest is a useful resource for organizing important gardening links, as well as for pinning garden design ideas. I have a collection of pins that reference plans I would like to implement in our garden space over time, as well as relevant advice that I plan to apply. When you need a little visual inspiration for gardening, Pinterest is the ideal source!

Garden Blogs

I read select garden blogs mainly for inspiration and connecting with other passionate homesteaders and gardeners. I have gleaned many wonderful ideas and advice from blogs over time as well. It is important to be choosy about the garden blogs you choose to keep up with as reading them can waste time that could be spent doing something else, like gardening!