So why the soil-less mixture?

Well, there are some good things about the soil-less mixture. First, the soil-less mixture is lighter weight than real dirt and makes it much easier for the grower to move pots within the nursery or to market. Let's face it: repetitive lifting of heavy pots is going to create health concerns for the laborer, and OSHA will certainly have a say about that.

Second, a soil-less medium is nearly sterile and allows the grower more control over micro-organisms in the soil. Fungi, bacteria and soil viruses can be minimized. Nutrients are then delivered via either fertilizer application or in the water supply. This controlled feeding produces a more predictable growth rate, helping the grower meet demanding deadlines for production.

So what happens next is you bring the plant home from the store, plant it in real dirt without enough nutrition, give it a little water and lots of sun, and the plant goes into shock. Is it any wonder you think you have a brown thumb?

So what do you do?

Look for plants that have been grown in at least a partial soil mixture. This may mean shopping at smaller nurseries or the farmer's markets and talking with the vendors.

And when you bring your plants home, plan on transitioning them into the garden over the course of several days.  Do not place in full sun until they have grown at least a few baby roots into real dirt.   You may need a shade structure over the tender plants for a week until they acclimate.

When it comes to orchard trees,  our 15g trees are already planted into good, rich, animal manure based compost.  This gives you a more stable tree when planted out, better immune system development, and more tolerance for changes in environment.

Grow vertical.

Many vegetables can be grown in tight spaces with the aid of a trellis. Tomatoes give higher yields with the xtra support, and squash is just as happy up in the air as down on the ground. With squash off the ground, there's actually less fungus rot to contend with. Squash, cucumbers, many kinds of beans, peas, and even pumpkins can be grown in less space with a sturdy fence or trellis. You can search Pinterest for a ton of trellis ideas just like the one here.

Container Gardening.

Growing your garden in containers offers finite control of the soil mixture and the moisture retention. An added benefit is having the plants closer to eye level where you can better manage insect control and other tasks like training them to a trellis.

Container gardening allows you to place the garden absolutely anywhere like the sunny spot in the middle of the patio. Just make sure you can get the hose to wherever you place the container, or set up a low cost, low maintenance drip irrigation system.

The bigger your container, the better your moisture retention will be in the summer and the better your heat retention will be in the winter.

Start small.

If you've never grown a garden, or you've recently moved to a new climate, container gardening or raised bed planting may be your best answer the first year. Either method will give you finite control over the soil ingredients, better drainage, and ultimately higher yields in a smaller space.

With the advantage of better moisture control, your gardening efforts will be much more rewarding as you explore what works or doesn't work in your particular yard.

Start with vegetables.

Vegetables are one of the quickest kinds of plants to grow and can be very  rewarding. Whether you're just starting out or highly experienced, we suggest buying your starter tomato plants as 6-8" seedlings as soon as the weather at night stays over 50 degrees. Buy from a local feed store or farmer's market, as the varieties you find there are probably better suited to your area and you'll have far more success than trying to start from seed.

Plants like squash, beans, carrots, or peas grow so easily from seed there's really no reason not to start with seeds. Buy seeds that are not only meant for your zone, but also try to find sources that were harvested from a similar climate. I can tell you from experiences, if you live in Florida, buying seeds that were grown in the Northeast is a recipe for crop failure. Seeds grown in South Carolina have always had higher germination rates down here than seeds grown in Pennsylvania or Illinois. Never mind how gorgeous the catalogs are!

Plan Your Space.

Map your space and create an overall plan before you buy the first seed or plant! Planning your space will help you be more realistic with your expectations. Your gardening space needs to be prepared BEFORE you go to the store, because your new purchases need to be planted nearly immediately.

Remember that you're just one person and your garden requires weekly maintenance at a minimum to stay looking nice. So don't plant more stuff than you have time to check on every week. That's also another advantage of container gardening or raised bed gardening: you'll have less weeds so less maintenance.

Seriously:  Consider organics.

Organic gardening gives higher yields for the same effort as you work with nature instead of against it.  Read up on mulching, composting and especially everything organic.

Proper organics  -- with the right nutrition -- means less weeds, less bugs, and less fungi.  And ultimately less application of purchased "fertilizers" or plant food.

Organics is not simply the absence of chemical or synthetic fertilizers and insecticides.  It is the proper balance of soil nutrition, the right application of 70+ trace minerals, the proper crop rotations, and total soil microbial health.  Learn how to feed your soil so it can feed your plants.

Be consistent.

Set aside a time every week to tinker in your garden and you'll find yourself so immersed in its rewards, it won't seem like work at all. Share your new interests with a friend and you'll be amazed how chores won't feel like chores at all.

Gardeners are some of the easiest people in the world to start a conversation with. Finding a new gardening friend is easy: they're at the farmer's market, at a community garden, at the garden center, or simply behind that gorgeous flower bed down the street.

Palm Trees Don't Grow In South Dakota . . .

Every school kid knows from first hand experience that plants need sunshine, water and air. But these same kids when they get to college, studying agronomy, find out that there's more to it than that. There are plants that need exact quantities of hours of light, soil nutrients, temperature minimums, air pressure and humidity controls, etc.

So before you blame yourself for problems in the garden, please understand that the exacting needs of particular plants is a big deal.

Study the ideal habitat of each of the plants on your wish list BEFORE you buy them. That palm tree you want won't survive the winter in South Dakota unless you're prepared to build a BIG greenhouse over it. The Medjool Date Palm will grow easily in zone 9 in California, but don't expect the same results in zone 9 in Florida. The sun and the temperature may be the same, but the Medjool likes a dry climate and 54" of rain a year is a killer.

Before you buy your tomato plants, learn from the locals what varieties of tomatoes they've been growing. Tomatoes that grow in the Northeast aren't suited to the South. And what grows in wet Florida isn't going to survive in Arizona without a lot of precious water.