With gardening, learning by doing can be the best real long term teacher. It is the mother of all other forms of learning in case of gardening. It also paves the way ahead for other forms of learning such as observation.
Observation is one of the most important methods of learning in case of gardening. In fields such as computer, learning through trial and error might be one of the most important sources of learning with observation being perhaps the least important. Yet in natural fields which deal with nature rather than machines, such as the field of gardening, observation is essential. Through observing the development of a plant with the passing of time and the changing of the weather, watering, fertilizing and other gardening operations one gains great amounts of knowledge about gardening. Observation is a key learning method that leads smoothly to experimentation to confirm observations or learn more about them. Not only is observation used as an initiator for experimentation setting the direction for experimenting but observation is also used during and after experimentation itself to be able to learn from such experimentation.
Experimentation is a form of doing, yet rather than doing per se to implementing something you have read, heard or told by someone, experimentation is a form of doing initiated by ideas or theories you are starting to form in your mid perhaps based on observation or other sources of information that might not be complete. Experimentation helps build new knowledge that might not even be present anywhere else or could be present but hard to find.
Asking others who are either experts in the field or have gained knowledge through experience (doing), experimentation and reading is a wonderful learning method that has the advantage of gaining knowledge quickly. In contrast to experimentation, asking others might save you great amounts of time and effort. Yet experimentation still has the advantage of coming up with knowledge that could be totally new and not present elsewhere.
Reading can be a wonderful source for learning. Reading in books and references about gardening can provide you with solid knowledge about gardening methods and the principles about plants and plant life that can guide your experimentation efforts, solve your gardening problems or help you in implementing things correctly and learning new things to implement in gardening. Reading to learn more about gardening is not restricted to references and books in print but can extend also to gardening websites and gardening blogs. Gardening blogs can be a rich source of information about gardening since they provide a flood of information, perhaps even with enlightening and educational photos, about other people's experiments and, in gardening blogs of more experienced gardeners, distilled or deep knowledge about gardening concepts that can act as a complement or at times a more superior replacement to gardening references.
Attending training courses in gardening could be a good way to give you a jump start in sound gardening knowledge and practice. Training courses provide a solid foundation for learning and offer a massive amount of balanced knowledge in a short period of time. If you want to jump start your knowledge in a specific field or a specific direction, know where to start from, not get lost in oceans of information present online, get direction, get a balanced set of knowledge, know the fundamentals and understand the principles about gardening or any other field then a training course is what to look for. Training courses are best for starting up knowledge in a new field yet they might not provide you with advanced knowledge in the field. So start by attending a training course or blend it early on in your learning stages then go ahead to other streams of learning for more advanced deeper knowledge. You may like to have a look at this sample gardening course.
No learning is complete without giving back. This is not a mere act of charity or doing good, but it is a necessity for the learning cycle to be complete. By telling others about your own experiments, theories you have reached, knowledge you have gained through whatever sources and by whatever learning methods, by telling others about all that you actually reinforce your own learning and your gardening knowledge expands, becomes denser, clearer and more complete. Learning by teaching is an essential learning method without which no learning would be complete. It is a way for you to climb up to the next level and become an expert yourself. One cannot become an expert if he or she dose not impart his or her knowledge to others.
There is no single learning method that could suffice by itself as a method for gaining enough knowledge. The best learner is the one who used all learning methods maybe in sequence in a continual cycle or upward spiral climbing a higher level of expertise with each loop up the learning spiral. For instance one may start learning about gardening by reading in a book or blog about gardening then move on to learning by doing through trying to implement what he or she had just read. Observation can directly follow and with time ideas for experimentation may come up. As problems arise it could mean time for learning through asking others. As experience starts to build up, perhaps giving back to the gardening community by imparting from your gained gardening knowledge could be a final step in the learning loop reinforcing and sharpening your own gardening knowledge through learning by teaching. As the cycle completes, you are ready to climb another rug in the learning ladder or learning spiral starting all over again from observation, reading, doing or even experimenting. And so you go up and up the learning spiral becoming more experienced with every cycle you complete.