Having a beautiful garden should be fulfilling not frustrating!

The journey from average to expert begins here.

When I first started gardening I was frustrated that I couldn’t find resources just for the home hobby gardener - not someone trying to homestead or make money selling flowers or produce. I wanted something that took into account that I didn’t have a huge amount of time, a big budget, or even a lot of space! That’s why I created the Halden Home Garden Course. This course is designed specifically for YOU, the home gardener. To help you on your way to growing your own amazing food and flowers!

Home Garden Course Menu

Course Introduction

- Getting Started

- Laying The Foundation

Basic Concepts

- What Is a Zone?

- Understanding Frost Dates

- Understanding Temperatures

- Annual, Perennial, Biennial

Soil Foundations

- Soil Nutrition: Essential Elements

- Understanding Your Soil Texture

- Understanding Topsoil

Sun

- Understanding Sun

Water Foundations

- Determining Soil Saturation

- Watering: Understanding Root Depth

- Setting a Water Schedule

- Drainage

Water System Set Up

- Drip Irrigation

- Flood Irrigation

Soil Amendment

- Understanding Fertilizer

- Composting

- Soil Acidity & Summary

Click on the buttons below for your course PDF material

Course Introduction

Getting Started

Sometimes just starting is the most important step to becoming a great gardener. I don’t want you to be frozen by the fact that you don’t know it all. Gardening is a process. Each year and each season you will come to better understand your garden and how to be successful.

Laying The Foundation

In order for a plant to grow it needs 3 things: sun, soil and water. These are basic concepts and yet there is a lot to them. The better you can understand these three things, the greater success you will have in your garden.

Basic Concepts

What Is A Zone?

Understanding what a zone is and what zone you live in is the first fundamental that you need to understand and know.

Understanding Frost Dates

Knowing how frost affects your garden and being aware of your frost dates is very important when making decisions about when to plant. If you live in a place that never gets frost there is still important information in this video for you.

Understanding Temperatures

You need to know how high your temperatures get and how low your temperatures get in order to determine what plants can and cannot grow in your climate.

Annual, Perennial, Biennial

Every plant will have it’s own personality. Knowing these terms and being able to determine which plants go in what category will be helpful to you as you plan your garden and determine your particular needs.

Soil Foundations

Soil Nutrition - Essential Elements

My feeling is that soil health is the number one most important thing for a gardener to have. If your soil is healthy it will help you in every other aspect of gardening - it will save you money, time, and get you great results. It’s so important that you understand your soil.

Understanding Your Soil Texture

In this video I show you how to determine what soil texture you have so that you can properly amend it and understand it as you water and work your native soil.

Understanding Topsoil

It’s important to have an understanding of what topsoil is so that you can make sure to use it to your advantage and make sure that you always have great topsoil.

Sun

Understanding Sun

This video will help you understand sun needs. Knowing how to determine what type of sun occurs in different areas of your growing spaces will help you determine where things need to be planted for optimal results.

Water Foundations

Determining Soil Saturation

You may think that your plants have enough water because the surface is wet. Remember that when it comes to watering things may not always be as they seem.

Watering: Understanding Root Depth

A somewhat complicated thing to understand and master as a home gardener is how often to water and for how long. There is no one answer. This video will help you understand how to determine this for your own garden and situation.

Setting A Water Schedule

Setting a pre-determined water schedule for your different kinds of plants will help you water each type of plant according to it’s needs. In this video I give you an example of how I set my watering schedule.

Drainage

Drainage, or the lack there of, may the secret to why your houseplant suddenly died or why some of your plants have been getting an unexplained disease. Make sure you understand this so that you can troubleshoot if your area may be susceptible.

Water System Set Up

Drip Irrigation

I walk you through how to set up your own drip irrigation system including water source connection.

Flood Irrigation

My friend, and garden expert, Cynthia Stringham teaches about flood irrigating and some of the tips she uses for success.

Soil Amendment

Understanding Fertilizer

Reading fertilizer labels and knowing how to use fertilizer can be a little confusing. This video will help break it down for you so you can understand how to choose what products you need.

Composting

Overview of what composting is and how to do it. I also cover animal manures and best practices and cautions.

Soil Acidity & Summary

Soil acidity will affect how some plants perform. It will be useful for you to know what this means and how to potentially change the acid levels in your soil.

Growing Methods

Pots & Containers

In this section I go through the different growing methods and teach the pros and cons to each. I give the foundation for how to be successful growing in pots or containers.

Raised Beds

Raised beds can be a great way to save time because they will give you the ability to create the perfect environment for growing. I walk you through some of the pros and cons and how to’s of raised beds.

Field Gardening

The most tried and true method of the three, I walk you through what you’ll need to know to be successful planting into your native soil.

Pests & Disease

Mulch

There are many benefits to using mulch. Here I cover why and when it is used.

Weeds

Keeping on top of your weeding will be the surest way to start eliminating weed problems. The more you allow to grow the more they will replicate and your problem will get bigger. 

Deer, Rodent, & Bird Control

Birds, rodents and deer can be very destructive in the garden. They can eat your seedlings, steal your bulbs, and get to your produce before you can. I give you an overview of how to get started fending these foes off.

Insect & Disease Control

I go through some of the best practices for avoiding diseases before they come, the good and bad insects, and how to troubleshoot when problems do crop up.

Organic Gardening

This video introduces what organic gardening is and reviews the benefit to creating the proper environment.

Seeds

Starting Seeds Indoors - Part 1

Cynthia Stringham walks you through how to save money by growing your own nursery plants.

Cynthia Stringham is the personality behind the channel @melonmonologues and is the owner of 42nd Street Greenhouse in Salt Lake City.

Starting Seeds Indoors - Part 2

In part 2, Cynthia will show you her light set up and getting the seedlings ready to plant out.

Direct Sowing

Another method of growing from seed is direct sowing. I walk you through what it is and how to do it.

Seed Saving & Plant Replication

Learn how to save seed yourself and how different plants replicate. I also cover lightly breeding your own plants.

Flower Gardening

Cut Flower Garden

Keeping a cutting garden can be so much fun. I break down how to get started and some of my tips for success.

Flowerbed Design

Some of my tips for how to design flowerbeds and some time saving tips as you work to create an outdoor space full of flowers.

Vegetable Gardening

Vegetable Garden Layout

I teach you how to layout your garden for optimal yields.

Planting: Spring, Summer, Fall & Winter

Most home gardeners will be able to get multiple vegetable gardens in one year using succession planting techniques and having an awareness of the proper time of year that different vegetables like to mature.

How To Water Your Vegetable Garden

Properly watering your crops according to their needs will be vital to getting the best possible results as you grow own produce. This video breaks down how to best go about it.

Fall Garden

My friend, and expert gardener Cynthia Stringham, walks you through some of her tips for a fall garden.

Harvest

There may be a little more to harvesting than you might think. Becoming an expert will take some experimentation and experience.

Putting the Garden to Bed & Cover Crops

I show you how to put your garden to bed for the winter season and explain what cover crops and how you could possibly use them to your benefit.

Conclusion

I love my garden. It isn’t the main thing in my life but it is one thing in my life that brings me fulfillment and that I can use to bless the people around me. I hope that this course is something that you can use to have success in your garden.