Setting Up Your Garden - The Digital Garden Handbook

Choosing Your Tools

The right toolset depends on your goals, technical comfort, and how you want your garden to grow.

Static Site Generators

For developers, static site generators offer full control:

Next.js — React-based, great for complex gardens
Astro — Content-focused, supports multiple frameworks
Hugo — Lightning fast, Go-based

Hosted Platforms

For non-developers, hosted options provide quick setup:

Notion — Flexible databases and easy sharing
Obsidian Publish — From local notes to published garden
GitBook — Documentation-style layout

Setting Up the Project

Once you've chosen your tools, follow these steps:

Initialize your project and version control
Configure your content structure
Design your navigation and linking strategy
Deploy to your hosting platform of choice

Content Organization

A well-organized garden uses a clear folder structure:

text

content/
  posts/          # Individual notes and articles
  series/         # Curated collections
  books/          # Long-form structured content

Naming Conventions

Use descriptive, URL-friendly filenames like setting-up-your-garden.mdx rather than dates or numbers. This keeps your URLs meaningful and permanent.