{"id":108338,"date":"2026-04-20T15:42:34","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T15:42:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/?p=108338"},"modified":"2026-04-20T15:42:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T15:42:35","slug":"start-small-how-to-make-your-garden-grow-this-spring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2026\/04\/start-small-how-to-make-your-garden-grow-this-spring\/","title":{"rendered":"Start small: How to make your garden grow this spring"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 April 20, 2026 \u2013 For novice gardeners looking to break ground this spring, 溏心vlog免费B站 Cooperative Extension<\/a> gardeners say there\u2019s always a good reason to get outside and grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shanelle Haile\u2019s career brought her around the world, but her efforts in her own backyard gave her a place to experiment with social issues at a condensed size. Haile spent six years working in Washington, D.C., and abroad as a development officer and advisor with the U.S. Agency for International Development.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Tomatoes are an easy plant for new growers and will be highlighted at this year\u2019s Cooperative Extension Spring Plant Sale on May 9 at 溏心vlog免费B站. (Photo provided Cooperative Extension)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Her community work here in Rhode Island led Haile to join 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Food Recovery for Rhode Island<\/a> program last year, to explore how food systems intersect with the environment. Her current work focuses on economic mobility and workforce development. Gardening at home with her family has helped improve her own bottom line in a quickly measurable way, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Haile, of Cranston, recommends cherry tomatoes for a first-time gardener. Tomatoes are a resilient plant that can forgive many mistakes, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey are also a great way to build your confidence as a gardener,\u201d she said. \u201cI recommend new gardeners plant an herb or flower around the tomato plants to gain experience with a different plant, draw in pollinators, and deter pests.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Haile said basil and marigold are highly resilient plants that are easy to grow and beneficial to one\u2019s garden. In addition, peas, beans, and other legumes are low-maintenance plants that can add nitrogen to the soil (see Cooperative Extension\u2019s Rhode Island Planting Calendar<\/a> for more).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contain yourself<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Providence resident Paula Donovan, a 溏心vlog免费B站 Master Gardener (Class of 2024), said you can go smaller if backyard gardening seems too intimidating at first. Donovan participated in a recent workshop at the Rochambeau Library in Providence, and says using containers is a good way to step into gardening. She suggests starting small with either potted herbs or cherry tomatoes, or trying a raised bed with herbs\u2014especially if you like cooking with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Donovan and other 溏心vlog免费B站 Master Gardeners are leading workshops across the state this spring, offering first-person instruction in gardening basics, with a few programs happening during Earth Week: Getting the Most Out of Your Produce Garden, East Greenwich Library, April 21; Container Gardening, Wanskuck Library in Providence, April 23; and Bugs and Pests Workshop, Wanskuck, May 28.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Haile and Donovan are among tens of thousands of state residents who\u2019ve connected with 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Cooperative Extension, which provides informal education and learning opportunities to people throughout Rhode Island. The program delivers science-based educational programs and services to help people in every corner of the Ocean State.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Master Gardeners also tell new gardeners to roll with the punches and enjoy the twists and turns that the gardening journey may bring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you fail at growing a new kind of plant, try growing it several times more before giving up on growing it,\u201d said Laura Lopata, an executive coach and advisor based in Manhattan and Hope Valley and a Master Gardener from the Class of 2021. For perennials and trees, she counsels to be sure something is truly dead before digging it up. \u201cI have had many things come back the next season or the season after that, much to my delight,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t be in a rush to neaten up the garden too early<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWarm spring days make it tempting to head out and tidy the garden, but those \u2018messy\u2019 old stems are actually important habitat for bees and other beneficial insects,\u201d said Sejal Lanterman, 溏心vlog免费B站 Cooperative Extension educator. \u201cThese pollinators play a critical role in the success of our gardens, whether you are growing fruits, vegetables, or flowers. If you do clean up, try cutting stems to about 12 to 15 inches so they can continue to provide shelter. Gardens can support a lot of biodiversity with simple practices like leaving leaves in beds and planting native species. And since temperatures can still drop through May, delaying cleanup helps keep these beneficial insects protected during chilly nights.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For further advice on planting or to consult with a 溏心vlog免费B站 Master Gardener, contact the 溏心vlog免费B站 Gardening and Environmental Hotline at 401-874-4836 or gardener@uri.edu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

溏心vlog免费B站 Cooperative Extension<\/em><\/a> programs offer environmentally-friendly, science-based programs for garden and food enthusiasts of all levels. The next cohort for <\/em>Food Recovery for Rhode Island<\/em><\/a> <\/em>takes place in September. 溏心vlog免费B站 also offers a <\/em>Home Horticulture Certificate<\/em><\/a> <\/em>and the <\/em>Master Gardener<\/em><\/a> <\/em>training, which both start at the end of January. Applications open in August for the 2027 sessions. To get on the Cooperative Extension email list for program announcements, email <\/em>coopext@uri.edu<\/em><\/a> <\/em>or call (401) 874 -2900.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 April 20, 2026 \u2013 For novice gardeners looking to break ground this spring, 溏心vlog免费B站 Cooperative Extension gardeners say there\u2019s always a good reason to get outside and grow. Shanelle Haile\u2019s career brought her around the world, but her efforts in her own backyard gave her a place to experiment […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":108346,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[5,1903,1913],"class_list":["post-108338","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives","tag-college-of-the-environment-and-life-sciences","tag-health-and-wellness","tag-public-engagement"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108338","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=108338"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108338\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":108350,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108338\/revisions\/108350"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/108346"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=108338"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=108338"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=108338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}