When we bought our house, one of the things I was most excited about was being able to plant a garden. For some reason, when I want to try something new, I sort of get paralyzed with fear thinking I am going to mess it up. So through lots of trial and error, I have come up with 5 basic things that helped me have a successful garden with absolutely no knowledge or experience. 

 1. Ask For Advice.

I went over to my neighbor's house and asked her the "what, where, when and how" of each thing she planted in her yard. I knew it would be helpful to talk to someone who lived in the same area with a similar situation. I also asked my uncle who has lived in Utah for years and planted many gardens in his lifetime. 

 2. TAKE The Advice!!!

This might be a "duh" moment for you, but honestly for the life of me, I had the hardest time believing my uncle when he told me to plant my tomatoes farther apart. Guess where that got me?

Helllloooooo tomato forest! I seriously have the hardest time digging my ripe tomatoes out of that gnarled mess of plant. I still have lots of great tomatoes but it makes for a lot more work for me. 

 3. Inexpensive Works GREAT! 

I bought my seeds at the dollar store, my garden boxes were made from free cinder blocks my uncle had laying around, I planted my seeds indoors first in empty eggshell cartons...the list goes on. I did NOT spend a lot of money on my garden and I'm glad I didn't because I got exactly what I wanted, fresh, delicious vegetables. 

 5. Don't Be A Wimp.

There are several reasons I say this. A. You have nothing to lose except maybe a dollar or two if your seeds don't sprout, jump in with both feet and just do it. It is seriously fun and so rewarding. B. Plants are much more resilient than you think. I was always so worried about killing something that I didn't prune, weed, thin, water, transplant like I should've. I now know that plants need a little tough love in order to thrive.

Those are just 5 basic things that I learned this year. I am so excited to take these things I've learned and plant an even more successful garden next year. If you want more details on any of this, don't hesitate to ask! I'm really excited about this project, it has been therapeutic and fun for me so I love to share what I have learned. I also am happy to share our garden bounty so let me know! Happy gardening!