GROWING TIPS

September Garden Checklist for Beginners

Katie Rosa | August 25, 2026

The Plants, the Tools, and the Know-How to Start Growing

Step 1: Pick Your Garden’s Location

Before you begin planting, you need to know where you’re going to house your garden. Are you planting in the ground or using a container? Does the location get plenty of light?

• Choose a location with lots of natural sunlight.
• Start small with a few containers or a small garden bed. You can always expand your garden each season
• Make sure the location you choose is easily accessible. It should be easy for you to water on a regular basis. (Pro tip: if watering is challenging, you will be more likely to skip watering when your schedule gets busy, which can result in a negative outcome for your plants.)
• Decide whether you are growing herbs, flowers, or vegetables and whether you’re using seeds (such as Leaf’d Box seeds that come with curriculum) or plantlings that have already been started for you (Small Veggie Garden Seasonal Subscription).

Step 2: Obtain Basic Gardening Tools

Now you know where you’re going to plant your garden, but every new gardener needs a few basic tools to get going.

• Gardening Gloves – protects your hands while planting, weeding, or digging.
• Garden Rake – cleans up leaves or other debris and smooths soil.
• Watering Can or Hose Nozzle – you need a gentle water source to get started. You can also use an irrigation system.
• Garden Spade or Shovel – this tool is essential for preparing your garden bed, digging, and moving soil.
• Garden Hoe – helps manage weeds and can be useful for managing soil by making furrows.
• Hand Pruner – for trimming dead leaves and managing overgrowth.
• Soil – essential for your plants’ nutrition.
• Mulch – helps keep moisture in the soil and prevents weed formation.
• Garden Bucket – helpful for carrying garden items as well as disposal of weeds or clippings.
• Garden Journal – for keeping track of plant growth, successes to repeat next season, as well as areas of improvement.
• Garden Labels – to keep track of where you’ve planted what.

Step 3: How to Water

Watering plants seems like such a simple thing to do, but even indoor plant enthusiasts know that overwatering can kill a plant just as easily as underwatering. Moist soil is good. Swamp land is probably not so good.

• Check the soil before watering. It’s tempting to water on a set schedule, but it’s best to check the soil for moisture before automatically watering.
• Plants consume water through their root system. Water the roots rather than constantly spraying the plants’ leaves.
• Water deeply and soak the roots. Watering for only a moment may seem like there’s enough water on the surface, but the water may not sink down to the roots.
• Using mulch in your garden helps keep the moisture in the soil. It also prevents weeds.
• Watering is not one-size-fits-all. Adjust your watering based on your weather, soil, and climate.

Step 4: Prepare the Soil

You may be starting with a garden bed that already has soil, or you may be starting with a container garden, in which case you will need to add fresh soil. Check with your local gardening center for the best soil in your region and the best one to use for planting in September.

• Remove any weeds or debris.
• Loosen the soil – you don’t want hard, compact soil for planting.
• Add compost material if you have it.
• Drainage is important. Make sure that your garden bed drains well. If using containers, be sure there’s a drainage hole.

Step 5: Choose Beginner-Friendly Plants

One of the biggest mistakes newbie gardeners make is choosing plants that aren’t right for their climate or growing season. No matter what you do, the wrong plants for your area are unlikely to perform well. That’s why Leaf’d Box curates plant boxes for your region and season. Learn more about plants being shipped this fall, shipment dates, and regions.

A few beginner-friendly vegetables being shipped in or around September:

• Baby Broccoli
• Broccoli
• Brussels Sprouts
• Bunching Onion
• Butter Lettuce
• Cauliflower
• Cutting Celery
• Roma Tomato
• Tuscan Kale
• And more!

Step 6: Consider a Kit Made Just for Beginners!

Whether you have some experience – or your only claim to gardening fame is keeping an indoor plant alive for 3 months – these beginner kits are great for anyone just starting out! Families and homeschoolers love the easy-start process. Leaf’d Box Plant Education Kit PLUS offers nearly everything you need to get started.

WHAT'S IN THE KIT?

REACH OUT FOR ADDITIONAL GARDENING SUPPORT

Many people believe they’re on their own when starting a garden, but that’s not the case. Leaf’d Box has an entire community of gardeners and a team of people ready to help get your garden growing. Reach out today for additional support in getting your garden off the ground and onto the trellis!

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