Hey Everyone, I'm situated right by Toronto and am looking to begin gardening.

Specifically, I would like to grow 1) Food for cooking, 2) Marijuana LOL, 3) Some low maintenance aesthetic plants.

Does anyone have any resources or first steps to point me in the right direction? Currently, I know nothing about gardening and have 0 experience.

Thanks!

Connova, It's so nice that you want to pursue gardening! You've asked a very broad question. The answer(s) could fill books, and in fact, that's what I recommend. Go to the library or a book store and find a couple of books on basic gardening that are appropriate to your area and climate and start reading. Note I did not say look on the Internet, and that's not a generational mistake. Regardless of how you pursue it, having some basic reference books that you can read, re-read, consult and read again will always be useful. Also, you're more likely to find reliable, in-depth information in books that on most websites, but steer clear of books with titles that claim amazing results of any kind.

Find a local community garden or neighbors or friends who are gardeners and ask to hang out and help. Offer to dig, clear brush, pull weeds, move dirt or whatever they need; these are all gardening skills. Start small. I assume you have a yard. Once you have a sense of what gardening entails, set your priorities. Food crops? Flowers? Cannabis is a specialty crop and is a whole separate body of knowledge. In your climate, you might need a greenhouse or an indoor growing arrangement. There are plenty of resources for that elsewhere on the web. "Low maintenance aesthetic plants" implies landscaping, or are you talking about houseplants? If you want to grow crops next spring and summer, you should start preparing the bed and soil now.

I don't have enough info from you to give any specifics. Narrow your focus and think about how much time can you devote to your project and what your budget will be. Research your climate and growing season. We will be happy to answer further questions as you progress. A photo of your yard or garden bed would be helpful at some point. Good luck.

Connova, totally agree with Zoe. Your winters are just about to start, thus, it is not the time to start an outdoor garden. Now is normally time to plan a garden, and to prepare the area you wish to use as a garden. When Spring arrives, most plants you mentioned should easily grow.
Most plants just require soil, sun, and water--sun and water normally must be of a sufficient amount for the specific plant. When you wish to improve the results of your garden, then you may have to overcome obstacles by fertilizing, checking PH, pruning, clay soil, etc.

nmoasis said: Connova, It's so nice that you want to pursue gardening! You've asked a very broad question. The answer(s) could fill books, and in fact, that's what I recommend. Go to the library or a book store and find a couple of books on basic gardening that are appropriate to your area and climate and start reading. Note I did not say look on the Internet, and that's not a generational mistake. Regardless of how you pursue it, having some basic reference books that you can read, re-read, consult and read again will always be useful. Also, you're more likely to find reliable, in-depth information in books that on most websites, but steer clear of books with titles that claim amazing results of any kind.

Find a local community garden or neighbors or friends who are gardeners and ask to hang out and help. Offer to dig, clear brush, pull weeds, move dirt or whatever they need; these are all gardening skills. Start small. I assume you have a yard. Once you have a sense of what gardening entails, set your priorities. Food crops? Flowers? Cannabis is a specialty crop and is a whole separate body of knowledge. In your climate, you might need a greenhouse or an indoor growing arrangement. There are plenty of resources for that elsewhere on the web. "Low maintenance aesthetic plants" implies landscaping, or are you talking about houseplants? If you want to grow crops next spring and summer, you should start preparing the bed and soil now.

I don't have enough info from you to give any specifics. Narrow your focus and think about how much time can you devote to your project and what your budget will be. Research your climate and growing season. We will be happy to answer further questions as you progress. A photo of your yard or garden bed would be helpful at some point. Good luck.

I see, thank you so much for the advice, I will head over and grab some books right now! You definitely cleared some things up lol. Regarding preparing my soil for my garden for next year, what should I search for? Here are pics of my backyard btw.

BrooklynStart said:Connova, totally agree with Zoe. Your winters are just about to start, thus, it is not the time to start an outdoor garden. Now is normally time to plan a garden, and to prepare the area you wish to use as a garden. When Spring arrives, most plants you mentioned should easily grow.
Most plants just require soil, sun, and water--sun and water normally must be of a sufficient amount for the specific plant. When you wish to improve the results of your garden, then you may have to overcome obstacles by fertilizing, checking PH, pruning, clay soil, etc.

I see thank you! Where can I get more information on preparing my garden for next year? As in, what should I search for?

Connova, as Zoe stated, visit local nurseries, not big box stores, ask them questions and look at plants they have in stock. Also, talk with neighbors who have gardens of that look nice and the way you wish yours to be.

To improve the soil, I use well composted cow manure and good quality compost --I look for compost with few twigs. Then I dig either, or both, into the soil. Seeing that you already have grass, Google "trench composting". This compost method allows one to bury clippings and improve the soil--just add water or rain/melting snow. With clippings, you can also add kitchen scraps and shredded junk mail--anything organic.

Connova. Nice yard. There are many things to consider before creating a new bed. First you need to know what kind of soil you have. As Steve mentioned above, find a good local independent nursery and ply them with questions. Here we have agricultural extension services which will analyze your soil. A knowledgeable nursery person should be able to tell you if you have something comparable. That basic gardening book you're going to get will explain different soil types—sandy, clay, loam, mixed, whatever. That might influence whether you wish to plant in-ground or create raised beds. Soil types and raised beds are things you can research on the Internet. Then location. What is your orientation? Is your porch facing south or north? If you plan to grow basic summer crops, you want full sun exposure. At the very least, good morning sun into mid-day.

There are as many ways to go about gardening as there are gardeners. As you research and talk to people, you'll get a ton of conflicting information. Having a basic philosophy helps sort some of it out:
how do you feel about pesticides, herbicides, organic vs not; supporting insect populations, pollinators and natural wildlife; home composting, etc. Giving thought to these issues will help guide how you go about creating your garden. There is a lot of good information on the Internet, but a whole lot of junk. Many people who have grown one successful crop one year suddenly become "experts" and make a YouTube video. Look for info on sites ending in .org or .edu. or by people who can demonstrate years of experience. One of my guides is that if there are more ads than information on a site, I move on.

I like Charles Dowding's approach so I've given you three links: one a short video about no-dig gardening, another video about starting a new raised bed on grass, and a very long, detailed article about same. He's in the UK which might have a similar climate and growing season to yours. All this should give you plenty to think about. BTW, "no dig" or "no till" is an approach not embraced by all gardeners. Tilling soil has been the norm for millennia, and it's only since soil scientists have uncovered the role of soil micro-organsims that thinking is gradually changing. Your method is your choice. Building up healthy soil can take two or three years, however you go about it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

https://www.google.com/search?...

https://charlesdowding.co.uk/s...

Connova, when talking to gardeners you get many different opinions and styles. Zoe likes no till gardening, I like trench gardening. Others oppose all pesticides, some are organic purists, and some just want something that is easy to do and looks pretty. As Zoe and I stated, the internet has many good sources and Google offers great search abilities. Do not get confused about what is proper, is in a book, or is on YouTube, experiment, try different things, and garden as You wish and enjoy.

P.S.: IN the early 80s, a fellow worker grew his marijuana in his fence enclosed yard. I am sure that he enjoyed some of his gardening, even with his crop being illegal at the time.

nmoasis said:Connova. Nice yard. There are many things to consider before creating a new bed. First you need to know what kind of soil you have. As Steve mentioned above, find a good local independent nursery and ply them with questions. Here we have agricultural extension services which will analyze your soil. A knowledgeable nursery person should be able to tell you if you have something comparable. That basic gardening book you're going to get will explain different soil types—sandy, clay, loam, mixed, whatever. That might influence whether you wish to plant in-ground or create raised beds. Soil types and raised beds are things you can research on the Internet. Then location. What is your orientation? Is your porch facing south or north? If you plan to grow basic summer crops, you want full sun exposure. At the very least, good morning sun into mid-day.

There are as many ways to go about gardening as there are gardeners. As you research and talk to people, you'll get a ton of conflicting information. Having a basic philosophy helps sort some of it out:
how do you feel about pesticides, herbicides, organic vs not; supporting insect populations, pollinators and natural wildlife; home composting, etc. Giving thought to these issues will help guide how you go about creating your garden. There is a lot of good information on the Internet, but a whole lot of junk. Many people who have grown one successful crop one year suddenly become "experts" and make a YouTube video. Look for info on sites ending in .org or .edu. or by people who can demonstrate years of experience. One of my guides is that if there are more ads than information on a site, I move on.

I like Charles Dowding's approach so I've given you three links: one a short video about no-dig gardening, another video about starting a new raised bed on grass, and a very long, detailed article about same. He's in the UK which might have a similar climate and growing season to yours. All this should give you plenty to think about. BTW, "no dig" or "no till" is an approach not embraced by all gardeners. Tilling soil has been the norm for millennia, and it's only since soil scientists have uncovered the role of soil micro-organsims that thinking is gradually changing. Your method is your choice. Building up healthy soil can take two or three years, however you go about it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

https://www.google.com/search?...

https://charlesdowding.co.uk/s...

Thank you again for the response that's a lot of information! Really puts things into perspective. My philosophy would be organic, good for wildlife and the environment, and definitely no dig! I'm looking to grow food and weed lol. Do you have ideas on how to adhere to my philosophy?

I really appreciate the videos I watched all of them and am currently reading the article

BrooklynStart said:Connova, when talking to gardeners you get many different opinions and styles. Zoe likes no till gardening, I like trench gardening. Others oppose all pesticides, some are organic purists, and some just want something that is easy to do and looks pretty. As Zoe and I stated, the internet has many good sources and Google offers great search abilities. Do not get confused about what is proper, is in a book, or is on YouTube, experiment, try different things, and garden as You wish and enjoy.

P.S.: IN the early 80s, a fellow worker grew his marijuana in his fence enclosed yard. I am sure that he enjoyed some of his gardening, even with his crop being illegal at the time.

Alright sounds like a whole lot of fun! Time to dig in lol. What plants do you grow by the way?

connova said:Thank you again for the response that's a lot of information! Really puts things into perspective. My philosophy would be organic, good for wildlife and the environment, and definitely no dig! I'm looking to grow food and weed lol. Do you have ideas on how to adhere to my philosophy?

Well, just adhere to your philosophy. Learn to love and appreciate insects of all types; eventually you'll come to understand how they all play a part in the natural balance. I'm not saying that you should never squish an aphid infestation or smack a grasshopper or rub out squash bug eggs, just don't be hasty to eliminate every bug you see on a plant.

I'd like to reiterate BrooklynStart's message: All of us have preferred methods of gardening, but no single method is all right or all wrong. I certainly dig in the soil and think there are many reasons it's unavoidable. I have a Master Gardener friend in another state who is 100% no-dig, but her climate, soil and entire garden setup is totally different from mine. If I were starting brand-new beds like yours on lawn I would go that route, but you might want/need to loosen your soil before blending in amendments. Don't equate "no dig" with "no work." Do research to understand the biology behind the method. Get out and see what other gardeners in your area are doing. You'll find your own way. Slow down, start small, don't expect overnight results. Gardening is not a past-time for anyone who requires instant gratification. Good luck

nmoasis said:

Well, just adhere to your philosophy. Learn to love and appreciate insects of all types; eventually you'll come to understand how they all play a part in the natural balance. I'm not saying that you should never squish an aphid infestation or smack a grasshopper or rub out squash bug eggs, just don't be hasty to eliminate every bug you see on a plant.

I'd like to reiterate BrooklynStart's message: All of us have preferred methods of gardening, but no single method is all right or all wrong. I certainly dig in the soil and think there are many reasons it's unavoidable. I have a Master Gardener friend in another state who is 100% no-dig, but her climate, soil and entire garden setup is totally different from mine. If I were starting brand-new beds like yours on lawn I would go that route, but you might want/need to loosen your soil before blending in amendments. Don't equate "no dig" with "no work." Do research to understand the biology behind the method. Get out and see what other gardeners in your area are doing. You'll find your own way. Slow down, start small, don't expect overnight results. Gardening is not a past-time for anyone who requires instant gratification. Good luck

Sounds perfect, thank you for the help. I'm to go out there more now to get that understanding I need. Definitely reading some books now too. Good luck to you too on your gardening endeavors!