AL (For red_trillium)

[wyld_dandelyon]

My partner's been calling this "the story of the little tomato that could".

Last year, I tried starting some old heirloom tomato seeds indoors in a large pot in mid-spring.  They weren't having any of it.  But the pot was right next to some other plants, so I let habit take over and kept watering it.  Mid-summer, one lonely little tomato seedling

Comments

[red_trillium]

Gardening can be fun and doesn't have to be difficult. If you want to start basic and low-muss/fuss you can buy a bag of potting soil, set it on the ground and cut 2 to 4 holes in the bag & plant a few things directly in the bagged soil. Tomato plants are good to start with, just be sure to stake them up (take a couple of long strong sticks about 1/4 to 1/2 inch away from the plant stalks and loosly tie old nylons or yarn around the plant stalks & stakes/sticks). If you are a beginner gardener start with seedlings you can get at Farmers Markets, garden shops or hardware stores. When you get used to gardening you can buy seed packets, they are cheaper and better value for money.

I believe there are some good beginner gardener blogs. It won't help for timing for what you need to plant when, but if you need some inspiration over the winter we are going into Spring right now. The Garden NZ site has a lot of info, some "how to" videos and "grow your own" section with basic info about growing different kinds of plants. There is even a "garden doctor" with info about pests and soil problems/solutions. Good luck with your gardening (next year I suspect)!