Does anyone know about gardening?

[Ella]

I would love to learn to grow some vegetables but I have no idea where to begin. Ideally, I will be using those big plastic containers or building raised beds to plant in, I haven't decided. 

Does anyone here have any experience with gardening and can provide some tips or maybe some valuable books I can get to help start me out? 

[James]

My wife try's to garden and some years she has success and others not so much. 

Keep it simple. She uses a couple raised beds and fills them with soil and plants vegetables from seeds. This year our harvest is looking like it is going to be pretty good as long as she remembers to cover the plants when the temps get over 115 degrees. 

One of my grandmothers has gardened up in the Pacific Northwest for years and loves it. She always has homemade jams from her berries which I have always thought was the coolest thing. 

What are you thinking about growing? Or what region do you reside in? 

[Sophia]

The easiest things you can start will that you would have to really try to fail with are cucumbers, carrots, and tomatoes. Even with little to no experience, you can grow these and they are simple to take care of. You can get more fancy as you learn and get into other seeds. You can do tomatoes in a large pot, same with cucumbers, but carrots need good depth to grow bigger.

[Mila]

Don't they still make those "upside down" planters? I think that would be an easy start for you. I think the biggest issue for beginners is pest control. While I have no experience gardening, I can give you the advice my neighbor game me... Plant lavender in and around your garden and use soap bar shavings (the Irish Spring ones) to keep bugs and deer away.