We help a first time gardener!

I am excited for you! The beginning of an adventure. If you did not pick up a preplant fertilizer (Sure Start), I would get some now. It can be applied on top of the soil around your herbs and vegetables to boost them into action. When watering the barrels, you want to apply water until you see it start to drain out the bottom. Usually, it is recommended to fill the container up completely but because the surface area of a barrel is so large, it is hard to add enough water to do this without turning the pressure up. Too strong a force will disturb the young plantings. You will probably only have to water 2 or 3 times a week initially and then taper off to 1 or 2 times as the plants put their roots deeper. A good rule of thumb, if the soil is dry 3" below the surface, it is time to water. Do try to water only in the morning as this decreases the chance of disease and reduces water lost to evaporation. Read more about our container gardening tips here »

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