Intermediate Garden Plan Guidelines 2026 - Free Garden Template Download DIY With Chelsea
- Chelsea Stolte
- Jan 29
- 5 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
Here we are with another year. Another year with more gardening knowledge, and the pain and suffering of the garden pests to come. Don't let me scare you. Some years are good, some years are bad. Take a look at farmers, they receive government help some years and have a loss, not a profit. The weather is not always perfect. New bugs move in, less pollinators, last frost is late in the season. So many things can go wrong with so little control. Even if your garden failed last year, that just means you have another chance to battle those pesky garden bugs, or weather swings, and learn more about preventative care this year.
Everything in here is based on my experience in the last 10 years of trial and error in the garden. If you are newer and need some extra help, please see our Seed Saving Binder Kit - It is actually a garden starting kit with everything you need to know to start your garden, it even has seasonal seed packets that change throughout the year!
Now that we got that out of the way, let us get started!
The Garden Plan
This is where you need to start, so you can accurately choose what seeds to buy, how many seed starting trays you need, and when to start everything. This is my favorite part, planning my dream garden every year!
If you missed it last year, I have a blog on companion planting. This is the technique I have used for years. You can read about it here: Garden Design - Companion Planting Chart
You can purchase the chart here:
Some examples of the DIY With Chelsea Garden Plans from 2025, 2025, and 2026 (Coming soon!)
Personal Tips:
Gardening does NOT have to be expensive. See here for garden budgeting: Budgeting for a Vegetable Garden
Gardening CAN have expensive start up costs.
Hose
Fertilizers
Replacing raised garden beds
Pest Control
Tilling
Soil Amendments
Be realistic about what your family will eat (do you really need 30 tomato plants?)
Be realistic about what you can physically handle
Be realistic about how much time you will have to pluck bugs off, water, fertilize and harvest
Plan any canning recipes ahead of time so you know when you plant things such as cilantro (for salsa), dill (for pickling)...
Plan to budget for some plants that do not make it from your seedlings - it is OK (it took me 10 years to get a full garden grown only by my own seeds)
Have typical garden pest sprays on hand. Neem oil is always my go to
Be prepared for invasive pests and blights. These things happen, best you can do is take preventative measures early on in the season.
I personally had tomato blight on one half of my garden - I will not be planting tomatoes there this year. - they make blight resistant tomatoes; this is what I will be buying.
Seed Starting Set-up
Not everyone will have an indoor grow room like we do, but if you do - this is the easy part. If not, you need some things to get yourself going:
**See here for my indoor seed starting adventures from a couple years back: Seed Starting on a Budget?!
Things you need:
Grow Lights
Trays with Plastic Greenhouse Lids
Drip Trays (if it does not come with above seed starting trays)
Spray Bottle with water
Spray bottle with hydroperoxide mixture for any mold that grows on surface of soil
Mini Fans (or an overhead fan in the room) for air circulation
Potting soil OR Coco Coir (no nutrients in coco coir)
10-10-10 Liquid Fertilizer
I know this sounds like a lot, but it really isn't. Your plants will easily tell you what is wrong in the seed starting phase. We will cover those later on.
Things that go wrong in seed starting phase
Leginess (tall thin seedlings) - Lack of light (bring lights closer)
Mold - Lack of air flow (bring in a fan)
Wrong soil type (use potting soil or a very, very clean coco coin starter to keep mold and bugs away)
Too much water - yellowing occurs (put a fan on plants - reduce watering, or use soray bottle)
Too little Water - brown dying off occurs (keep tray bottom wet)
Not fertilizing on time resulting in smaller weak seedlings (when true leaves come in, dilute fertilizer and feed)
Not transplanting on time (need to up-pot after they outgrow seed starting tray)
Transplanting before last frost
Starting seeds at the wrong time with nowhere to put them
Not "hardening off" before transplant
Frequently Asked Questions:
When do I fertilize?
After true leaves show. Please dilute your fertilizer to get the plants going. The instructions on the fertilizers usually have instructions for mature plants.
When do I water?
When needed - should not let soil completely dry out, should have a tray underneath
seedlings to keep moist. Some people moisten their soil before they actually plant their seedlings, I have never done this.. worth a shot. You do need to do this for coco-coir if you buy a brick of it.
When do I use the hydrogen peroxide mixture? What does the mixture consist of?
3% hydrogen mix to spray on surface soil if mold occurs.
When do I purchase seeds for growing indoors?
Now. Those seeds are good for 1-2 years, you might as well have stock on hand!
When do I start growing seeds indoors?
Read your seed packets or purchase a zone planner:
When can I transplant seedlings outdoors?
After the last frost and within the zone planner guidelines.
What if I planted my seedlings too early?
You will find yourself up-potting and possibly running out of room, spending extra money on planters.
What is the white or green mold on top of my soil?
IT is mold... take a spoon to it to remove or spray a 3% hydrogen peroxide mix to the soil. This DOES work. Please try to be preventative with not overwatering to prevent this problem.
What is hardening off?
Throw your seedling trays outside after the last frost so they can establish strength from rain, wind and the sun. Give it a few days, they transplant into your garden.
What are true leaves?
It is usually a third little leaf that looks different than the rest, then falls off as the plant ages. This is a tell-tale sign you are ready to fertilize and transplant soon.
Free Garden Template:
Don't forget, I offer help with gardening, there are new membership plans that cover these services in 2026!: Plans & Pricing | DIY With Chelsea
~DIY With Chelsea LLC
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