How To: Chaos Gardening

Spring has officially sprung here in Charleston! We celebrated the first day of Spring last week with multiple deliveries and restocked the shelves with flowers and foliage for your garden. This week is looking sunny and warm which means it's time to get planting! If you're spending more time outside, you may be feeling the pressure to get your yard looking good for the season. Planning and cultivating a garden can be daunting for beginners and experts alike. Today, we're going to talk about one of our favorite ways to take the stress out of gardening and make getting your hands dirty fun again, chaos gardening!

Chaos gardening is exactly how it sounds; the most carefree way to grow things in your garden. Chaos gardeners simply toss seeds around their garden and wait to see the results! This gardening method has become popular on Tiktok and other social media platforms in recent years and we're big fans. Gardening should be fun and we're here to encourage anyone to join us with whatever method best suites them. As stylized cottage gardening and gardening with natives becomes more encouraged, chaos gardening is a good way to achieve a similar, lived in look without all of the planning and upkeep.

The first step to chaos gardening is deciding what you want to grow. You can chaos garden with almost anything from blooming wildflowers to tasty vegetables, but we recommend making sure what you throw around your garden are good companion plants. "Companion plants" means the plants will grow well together and not compete with each other for resources. For example, mint is an aggressive grower and will take over more delicate root systems quickly therefor it should be planted on its own! If you skip this research step, you may end up with some plants taking over others - which is okay! Just part of the chaos in chaos gardening and a good learning moment.

Next, find a good spot for your chaos garden. Typically, any seeds you pick are going to require multiple hours of sunlight throughout the day. Pick a spot in your garden that receives lots of light and has good soil. If you need to amend your soil, stop by the shop and grab some compost or top soil! You can scatter seeds randomly around your yard, or keep them contained to specific beds. It's your garden, go crazy!

Finally, throw down your seeds and keep the soil moist! The seeds will need consistent moisture to germinate, so make sure to water the area daily if it's not raining. Pro tip: start your chaos garden when it's lightly raining! If you already have seeds and a good location, use the opportunity to run outside and throw down your seeds! The more fun and stress free, the better.

Now that you know how to start a chaos garden, stop by the shop and grab some seeds and soil to get started. We want to see everyone's wonderful and wild chaos garden this Spring!