How does your garden grow?

If the answer is "not so well" or if you're a newbie gardener and want some tips, we have good news. The Day asked readers and garden clubs for advice they would give to novice gardeners. (And since the pandemic started, there are more people who have taken up planting and nurturing their own garden for the first time.)

And if you haven't become a gardener, maybe these bits of wisdom will inspire you to start.

Here are a few responses.

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I sent around a note to some of our (Mystic Garden Club) membership and received some thoughts, which I'm happy to share with you below:

I have three words of wisdom: start small! research! think before you plant!

How many times have we put a plant in the wrong place or it gets too big for the space and we have to prune constantly or rip it out? This can be discouraging for a novice gardener. 

The best advice that I would give to a new gardener is to stop the use of pesticides, which includes herbicides, in order to promote the health of the soil. Healthy soil leads to healthy plants. And, of course, plant native plants to promote biodiversity in our environment.

Make a plan but don’t be too ambitious. ... Start small and ask for help!

Don't be afraid to try things; test your soil; ask questions of experts at plant sales, kiosks, someone whose garden you admire; set aside time to enjoy! 

Cathy Alsop

President, Mystic Garden Club

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The best gardening advice I found was to grow my vegetables in straw bales, according to the method described by Joel Karsten in his book “Straw Bale Gardening.” The benefits are many; the planting surface is raised, which is great for my older bones, there are no weeds, and you don’t have to worry about depleting the soil of nutrients or having to rotate your crops.

I have had fabulous results. My tomatoes grow up and over my 8 foot fence; peppers, cucumbers, potatoes and squash all do very well. Basically, you “condition” the bales with a high nitrogen fertilizer so that they start composting. Then you plant directly into the bales and enjoy the harvest. You can even plant in the sides of the bales, flowers to pretty things up, or even herbs. Once the season is done, you have wonderful compost for your other gardens. I’ve been doing this for about 5 years.

Leslie Pustilnik

Waterford

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Used coffee grounds, ground up egg shells, and banana peels are great for tomatoes (and other veggies).

Ernie Tetrault

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Take a class taught by Farmer Craig Floyd at the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center. That is the best advice I can give.

Susan Charette

Mystic