Gardening is a good past time to help yourself unwind, find time for yourself, and even get handy with your hands dirty. Gardening isn’t just a past time for seniors as well anymore, contrary to popular belief, gardening is becoming incredibly popular with the younger generation as people want to eat healthier and find more economically viable food options.

The best part about gardening, and any hobby for that matter, is that you are never done learning. The period of growth as a hobbyist never seems to end which makes it fun to learn more and more about new skills or techniques. Here are some 6 major steps to help improve your gardening whether you’re a beginner or advanced.

1. Do a Lot More Research

The biggest kicker for anyone that wants to get good at something like gardening is that they don’t spend enough time on the research. Hands-on is the name of the game for gardening, but it is still very much science in nature. Learning about composting and soil analysis are things you need to get familiar with. That means dedicating time out of your day, anywhere from 20 minutes to a few hours, to reading research, tips, and other advice from botanists, agricultural scientists, and gardeners who have the knowledge to spread. You can’t expect to dive right in and yield good plants, so take time to research as much as you can.

2. Invest in a Greenhouse

This isn’t a step you need to do right away, but there will come a time when you need to upgrade your gardening setup and a greenhouse is a way to go. Greenhouses protect your plants from the elements and insects/animals, and you can see how a greenhouse from Halls would be a great way to up your game. They don’t cost much and you can dramatically improve the quality of your plants or vegetables. You can even think about building one yourself if you feel capable enough.

3. Join Gardening Clubs and Groups

Not all the best research has to come from academics and professionals on the subject of gardening, plenty of people around forums, blogs, and social media groups can provide insight and helpful advice. Not to mention, many of these online groups are free to join which gives you more money for gardening supplies. You can also look into joining local groups and community organizations for gardening which provides you in-person chances to build your knowledge and skills as well.

4. Focus on a Few Plants Before Expanding

Before getting too overzealous with your skill or your garden size, you need to tone it down and get specific for a while. Focusing on one (or a handful) of plants will provide you time to cultivate a better appreciation for the growing and maintenance process. It won’t be as transferable because each plant is different in their growing conditions, but it teaches you how to be more attuned to the needs of each plant and help you identify the growing, soiling, transplanting, and care process for individual plants. Keep it simple in the beginning to help you appreciate it when you can grow more.

5. Learn How to Maintain Your Tools

Maintaining your garden, the plants, and the soil is one thing, but you also desperately need to learn how to properly maintain and care for your tools. Things like shovels, spades, bow rakes, wheelbarrows, and garden knives all have metal which means you have to prevent them from rusting. Keep them away from exposure to water and exposure to cold by wrapping them in a tarp or another kind of wrapping. Hoses have to be put away properly in the winter to prevent water from freezing in the tubing, and you have to clean your tools routinely so they can last a while.

6. Be Patient and Don’t Give Up Easily

This last piece of advice is a general statement to anyone who wants to improve their gardening skills. Patience is always key and gardening isn’t always easy, so knowing that it will take time and you are going to have to deal with plenty of setbacks and mistakes is all part of the learning process. Give it time and stick with it and you will see results as a reward for your diligence.

Gardening is a hobby for anyone and everyone, so if you want to get into it, or learn more about the process, these 6 steps towards bettering your skills will definitely come in handy.