GETTING STARTED
Step 1: buy Seeds and plants
For your one square metre plot you need approximately one small pack of mixed flower seeds. If you need to buy seeds, you can find recommendations for seed suppliers that sell future-proof biodiverse, organic and heirloom seeds when you click the following button.
Tip:
- In non-COVID-19 times - there might be independent organisations in your area that organise events such as seed swaps. You can check on social media if you can get in touch. Even if you do not have seeds to swap, it will be worth attending: You will be able to buy regionally grown seeds suitable for the soil and its conditions within your part of our planet and connect with other gardeners. Sometimes gardeners may also offer fully grown plants at seed swaps events, which you can purchase from them.
If you are new to the gardening scene, I recommend you to get started with sowing the seeds of certain bee friendly wild flowers into your plot, that will always be a big success. The varieties I recommend for gardening beginners will not disappoint and are very easy to care for. Find out which plants will attract busy bees and beautiful butterflies and other pollinators by clicking the following button.
Step 2: Choose your first square metre
One of the first steps in creating a little garden space for your plants is, to choose your spot. You can start with one square metre in your garden, but of course your plot can also be larger. Please note: If you do not have a garden or if you cannot use a friends' or family members' garden, you can also plant in pots on your balcony for example.
Your plot should ideally be in a nice and sunny space, but half shade also works fine.
When you start with one square metre, I recommend you to put in markers, so you know where to dig out any unwanted grass or weeds that may grow in your chosen spot already.
Step 3: Organise your Tools
The next step in creating your garden plot is to organise your tools. You won't need all the tools that are shown in the picture, in order to get started, but if you have a friend or neighbor who has those tools at hand and could lend them to you, it would make digging out your plot easier.
Recommended TooLs:
Your hands
A shovel or spade
A watering can
Tools that come in Handy but are not obligatory:
Gardening gloves to protect your hands
Wellington boots
A garden fork and a spade to break up the ground and soil of your plot
A wheelbarrow to help you move weeds and their roots and dug out stones from your plot
A hoe to break up the ground and soil of your plot
If you choose to grow plants on your balcony, your gardening tools will be pots and soil - preferably peat free organic soil. If you grow in pots on your balcony, you can skip to step 5.
Planting on your Balcony:
Step 4: Prepare your soil
If you are starting on a lawn, you need to get rid of the weeds and grass that grow in your plot already and free the soil from roots.
Your most important tool for this is a shovel or a spade and also your hands to pull out the roots.
Once you have dug out the plants and roots that were formerly growing in your plot, it is time to break up the soil and make it nice and crumbly. Lumpy soil can easily be split with a hoe or spade. If you do not have these tools at hand, you can simply break up the soil with your fingers.
Note:
Weeds usually grow a lot faster than many other plants, so it is worth making the effort with your plot at the beginning and to take out as many weeds and their roots so that your seedlings have a chance to grow their own roots quickly.
Tip:
Taking out the grass' roots now, means that the seeds you will sow will find it a lot easier to grow their own roots. When the soil on your plot is free of roots and the soil is crumbly, your pollinator friendly plants may grow more quickly.
With some weeds, a single root that was left in the soil might be enough to get it started again, which means it might quickly take over your plot within a few months and won't leave a chance for your other plants to flourish.
Step 5: Sow The Seeds
Hooray! The hard work is over - well done for accomplishing all the previous steps! Let the sowing begin! It's time to bring the seeds you have bought into your weed-free, prepared soil.
Take a look at the seed package and read the instructions on how deep the seeds should lie underneath the soil. With most flower seeds this should be approximately between 0 and 5 cm, depending on the variety.
Take out a thin layer of crumbly soil from your plot. You will need it in order to cover the seeds again later. You can simply push the layer of soil to the edges of your plot. Then sprinkle your plant seeds evenly onto your plot and cover them thinly with soil. When all the seeds are covered again, pat the soil down firmly and water gently so that you don't accidentally wash the seeds away.
Tip:
If you do not have instructions on how deep the seeds should lie in the soil, I recommend you to look up the variety of plants that you have purchased and find out the sowing depth. You can also write to me and I will try to help you.
Step 6: Take care of The Seedlings and Plants
Especially at the beginning stages of your seedling's lives, they need the soil they have been planted in to be evenly moist. Depending on how much it rains in the region you live in, you might have to make sure that you give your seedlings enough water - especially in dry periods.
When your seedlings turn into sprouts and start growing out of the soil, the same applies. Make sure the soil is evenly moist, but not wet. You can check the soil with a finger. If it is completely dry, the seedlings, sprouts and plants will be very thankful for water. If it is moist or wet, you do not need to give them extra water.
Step 7: Watch your Plants Grow and Pollinators arrive
Now it's time to be a little patient. It takes a few weeks until the seeds grow into seedlings and then into strong, beautiful and colourful plants, whose flowers and pollen attract bees and butterflies and other pollinators.
Info:
Everyone's got their favourite varieties, right? Pictured on the right is one of our most loved and appreciated easy-to-grow wild flowers: Phacelia, also called Scorpionweed. It is one of the easiest wild flowers to grow, nothing can go wrong - and bees just LOVE IT!
Step 8: be rewarded by happy bees and share your experiences
I hope that this little beginners' guide has helped you in getting set up and started on your gardening journey.
Maybe your seedlings have already grown into beautiful plants and are making you and many pollinators very happy. Maybe you're really pleased by your gardening experience and just can't wait to grow more..
If you are anything like me and are simply rejoiced by the idea of discovering and growing different plant varieties, I would love to invite you to have a look on the blog, where me and my fellow 'Confetti Gardens and Friends' gardening pals present easy-to-grow, pollinator plants on a monthly basis.
Thank you for having created a much needed space for pollinators and thank you for helping to preserve the biodiversity of plants. Well done!
I would love you to share your experiences with me. If you are not a member already, please join us - it only takes a minute. You can share your efforts in the gardener's Forum or on the Confetti Gardens social media page. It will encourage others to start growing plants too.
Share Your Efforts
Thank you for your amazing efforts and for planting pollinator friendly plants! You really did make a difference. Please share your efforts, they will be counted towards the goal of one million biodiverse square metres.
You can also tag me via @confettigardens or #startwithonesquaremetre on Instagram to get featured.