Gardening 101

<<USEFUL LINKS:>>
http://www.ffxivgardening.com/planner.php
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aj-i0C8Ke8EcdDFrVG51eEVKSjdWeFdaemFHSk1NQVE&usp=drive_web#gid=0

So you want to garden but dunno where to start?
To get a garden set up you'll need two things: seeds and topsoil. Pick out your seeds using the spreadsheet above, and check out the results using the planner, also listed above.
If whatever you're after isn't listed that's fine, but the above resources are pretty good places to start for those who are absolutely clueless.

<<Topsoil>>
It comes in three varieties and three grades.
Grade 1 is just barely useful for crossbreeding (more on that later)
Grade 2 is useless
Grade 3 is what you'll typically be using.

Thanalan is for crossbreeding
Shroud is for quantity
La Noscean is for quality

<<Planting>>
If you're not going for crossbreeds (generally people are going for chocobo dye if they do this) you'll want to use grade 3 shroud topsoil. Gardening for that is pretty simple - just plant everything with shroud topsoil, done.

If you ARE going for crossbreeds, use the planner to make sure things are coming out as expected.
You'll want to pick up 8 Thanalan 3 topsoil and 1 grade 1 topsoil of your choice (the cheaper the better). The first plant that you'll be doing should be one of the cheaper seeds in your crossbreed plan, using the grade 1 topsoil. Plant clockwise, starting in a corner. When you fill your garden, rip up the grade 1 plant and re-plant it with grade 3 thanalan topsoil.
The reason you do this is because crossbreeding results are determined by adjacent plants the instant it's planted. Because the first plant has no adjacent plants, when you harvest it there will be no crossbreeding. Replanting it fixes this.
Harvest them when your plants mature and replace them - you'll only have to do the clockwise planting once if you do this.

<<Aftercare>>
As long as your plants are tended to once a day they will not wilt.
Fishmeal (fertilizer) can be purchased from housing ward material vendors for 21gil each and can be used on a plant once per hour to reduce the maturing time by 1 hour. Therefore if you use fertilizer with perfect uptime it halves the maturing period.